In-Depth: Midnight Brawl Madness
Every time there’s a major console launch, there’s this massive yet moronic desire to camp out. And by camping out, I mean stake your place in line, cut, Chinese cut, push, shove, and riot your way to be the first one to own the system, because you didn’t have the common sense to pre-order weeks or even months back. Maybe you did have some shred of intelligence and you’re guaranteed at least one copy…but you want another to bring in the bucks on eBay. Or…perhaps you like cheap thrills. It doesn’t cost you anything to stand in a mall, nor does it cost you anything to stand outside a store, vulnerable to the elements, potentially for days.
When the Wii and the PS3 launched, I had to edit video for my real job that chalked up the launches to a sort of nationwide riot. Grown men were shoving each other, taking each other down in the quest to be the first to the stack of consoles. It was almost scary, and for a time, I never desired to be a part of them, even if it meant being on the low end of the cutting-edge totem pole for a while.
Then, when all of my friends were enjoying the Nintendo Wii consoles they had pre-ordered, and I wasn’t, I became very anxious. The instant gratification sensors in my brain were buzzing. I even went so far as to stand in line outside a local Toys ‘R’ Us occasionally during the cold New England Winter Sundays–to no avail. Finally, in New York City on a late Saturday night…I just waltzed into the Virgin Megastore in Times Square…glanced behind the cashier, asked what I needed to do to get the thing, and rush over to poach Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Paper Mario, the two games required to get a console in the final minutes of the store’s business hours.
That was last year. This year, there is no rush for the next big console, rather many are now seeing lines for the next big game. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is without question destined to be the big game of the year, if not the next several years. Well over a million copies of the title were sold in its first week alone, and many millions are expected to be in gamers’ hands across the globe when all is said and done.
I had my copy of Brawl ordered through GameStop for months–since November, actually. Each delay made me feel more weary, though–yearning to not waste another moment to play the next game in the series that helped me believe in Nintendo again. So, at about 10PM on March 8th, 2 hours before the game’s official launch, I said to myself, why the hell not?
As Gamestop retailers throughout the country were holding midnight launch parties and a national tournament, I decided to be one of those nut jobs who didn’t pre-order through a store and just showed up, hoping for the best. I ended up parked down the street from the Cambridgeside Galleria, just across the Charles River from metro Boston, at 11.30PM. On the way in, I knew I wasn’t alone. The other stragglers, most of college age, presumably from MIT or Harvard–were also streaming in. This is not going to end well, I thought. I may–gasp–have to wait to play until Monday!!! God forbid!
Heading inside I could already hear the crowd chatter from the GameStop that was smack in the center of the mall. Heading closer in, I started forming the common sense necessary to admit defeat and turn around. There were two lines–one just to get the game, and another for the Brawl tournament. Both were long. The one just for the game was hitting the outer regions of the food court, on the opposite end of the mall. In the middle of it all were two frustrated (and hopefully, well compensated) customer service reps trying to referee the pending mayhem.
It was about 11.45PM when I gathered the courage to ask one of the reps, “Is it even worth trying to get a copy of Brawl at this point?” He said to go in and ask. So I did. The man I spoke to at the cashier’s desk told me they had plenty of copies, and boy did it show. They had stacks of them, dozens of rows, each about 20 high. But my fear wasn’t quelled. Some, if not all of those given the delays, could have been for pre-orders. I asked if I could still get a copy. I put down the money and I was assigned a number. That’s right, I paid for two copies of the same game. Anyone still need it?
After getting my receipt, the real fun began. I was number 114. That means there were 113 people ahead of me who had the same blind, brave, and stupid drive as I. So, I began calling out my number, to find out where my place was in line. Think of it almost as a watered down version of the New York Stock Exchange, with numbers being relayed and responded to haphazardly, all while masses of individuals were being herded into something resembling a single file line, like…well, bulls. Finally, I found where #114 fit…and it wasn’t the end of the line. Not even close. If I was #114, then when all was said and done, at least 200 copies of the game were sold once the launch commenced.
And what’s more…toward the end became more like the middle of the line by the time 11.55PM rolled around. That line went past the food court, just about to the opposite end of the mall. All the meanwhile friends, parents, security and other amused bystanders were looking on, almost as if we were some sort of circus freak show. Those at the top were trying to sell their place in line, as if there would be a shortage.
Those close to my place in line could only speak about their numbers. Would they get one? Would they miss out? By how much? In speaking to them (and texting my far away friends to let them know I was participating in this insanity) it became evident are going to witness some sort of momentous occasion in gaming. Are we left empty-handed, but scramble anyway to near violent extremes, just as those others on the video I edited for work? Can all of these people really be getting a copy of the game? And if so, what happens when we get home? Will we be satisfied? Will online work? Will this change Nintendo’s perception in online gaming and make them a contender? A nervous excitement dawned upon the crowd. Or, maybe that was just my sentiment, contributing to the lack of a steady hand on the iPhone camera controls.
At about 11:58PM a second female rep comes out and screams as loud as possible that numbers will be called in ascending order in just a little bit.
At midnight…it was time. The numbers were being rattled off, slowly but surely. One to ten. Ten to twenty. Twenty to thirty. Each pause seemed longer than the previous. What’s more, the line in front of me wasn’t moving. Once the numbers got to fifty, I think I moved all of six inches. In the back of my head, the same phrase keeps being recited: “This can’t be good.” Despite the assurance that there would be enough for everyone, nobody was going anywhere.
Once the fifty mark was passed, the line started thinning out. Quickly we moved up. Finally, numbers were being called in fifteens, then twenties. At about 12.10AM, it was my turn. Quickly, I approached the desk, presented my receipt, thanked them for their hard work and stamina on what surely was a long night for them, and got the Hell out of dodge.
Many stuck around for round one of the Brawl tournament. Many others just stuck around, relieved that they finally made it to the day they had been waiting months for. It had been a long day, and the night’s payoff may have been too much to handle for some. But why concede to fatigue now? They have a whole night, morning, and likely afternoon of Brawling to get in, if they want to beat their competitors and unlock all those characters and stages. Maybe the power rest would help them get through the following hours of Brawling.
As for me? I didn’t get out of there because I didn’t want to be with the hundreds in attendance. Granted, I’d like to think I’m not as nuts as some of them may be. Then again…a lot of them were quickly making their way out too. I have to think they were on their way home to pop in the disc and get going, as I was doing. They wanted it bad. So, in the end, like those who waited for their Wiis and PS3s just to get it home and get it plugged in, how crazy can they be?
