My first and last midnight game launch

Josh
Tuesday
12:37 pm

As you may be aware, Geek6 readers voted that I had to attend the midnight launch of Mass Effect 2 at my local Gamestop.

Gamestop’s press release promised a fun evening of “a tank building challenge, grenade launching (real grenades?), a commando dress up contest and more.”

However, I was treated to no grenade building. Instead, I got a sociologically fascinating, but otherwise dull evening.

They turned out by the dozen: IT managers, grocery baggers and holders of business degrees. All were there to pick up Mass Effect 2 and get a few hours — or more — of gametime in before the sun comes up.

“I’m SO calling in sick tomorrow,” one guy said, while playing Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3 demo unit. “I haven’t used my sick day this month.”

The actual experience of the evening was fairy routine. I exchanged my preorder receipt for a ticket (#15 — yay!), and the manager said, “You can come back around midnight to pick up your game.”

But I had other plans. I was there to cover the party.

Alas, no real party ensued. The reality of the situation was that most folks went there to get a ticket, went and ate something, and came back by 11:30 to wait in line.

Those that did stay were a fascinating mix of geeks. There were people who rarely venture out in public, there were some that tried to put on the “I’m better than all of you” air, but most were just there to complete a transaction.

As I studied the ever-dwindling PC game shelf, one geek piped up to me, “Have you tried the Star Trek open beta yet?”

I replied with a mix of enthusiasm, yet teetotaling self-denial of the MMO genre (”too addictive”), but we kept up the conversation. I was struck with a feeling of sadness as I talked to this guy. Here was a smart, articulate, well-kept looking guy, but his conversation kept reaching back to his isolation, and how “he doesn’t really know anybody in real life.”

Like a junior high dance, folks slowly clustered around one another in small groups. A few tried the demo units of Rock Band (”lame,” was one verdict, but they kept coming back), while others talking about the merits of trying to take down a Thresher Maw with nothing but peppered fire from the Mako’s cannon (”stick and move”).

The line behind me. Eat it, suckas!

Eventually, the manager called to form up the line, and folks gamely picked up their game — an anticlimactic ending to a night that should featured cake, a party … or at least a balloon or two.

It was my first experience at a midnight “launch event.” And, considering I went home and half-slept through the install process, and didn’t even play past the opening cinematic, it’s not like the evening was well worth the wait.

And, to drive it all home, this comment from CodeMonkey76 last night best illustrates my frustration:

“Glad you’re enjoying your midnight release. I gave up on those after waiting in line for Halo 2 six years ago. I’ll get some sleep, wake up, go to work, and come home to find UPS has delivered Mass Effect 2.”