Crazy Homeless Video Game People

Those of us at the Chicagoist offices enjoy video games as much as the next person. It's not that uncommon for us to go head-to-head in a round of Mario Kart while we're waiting for new stories to post. Why, last week, we were on the last lap of the 150cc dinosaur track when KFed became Fed-Ex. The losers in last place driving the Goomba Kart decided that we had to post that story right then and there, and that was the end of our match. (Frakking editors...)

Now, if you were witness to the crazy lines that preceded Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, this next bit won't be news to you. But for the rest of us, the nationwide phenomenon of shoppers waiting for a week or more in line outside of a Circuit City or Best Buy for a chance (a chance!) to purchase a PlayStation 3 blows our mind. After months of delays, Sony finally released the machine this morning and people who had been living in tent cities outside the stores could finally go home. Some happy campers went go home with a shiny new $600 machine in a box, while the rest did not.

We admire the dedication of gamers willing to sit in line outside a store for a week in order to purchase one of these things. We salute your dedication to gaming. We also admire the cynical capitalist ethic of those waiting to buy a PS3, only to flip it hours later for a thousand dollars on eBay. We salute your dedication to the almighty dollar. As for the rest of you who sat outside in freezing weather, should we be on the lookout for you in the Nintendo Wii lines on Sunday? You already wasted a week or more, so what's a few more days?

We at the Chicagoist offices would also like to say that we're proud to say that no local gamers got shot, ran into a pole, or started a riot while waiting in line.

Image credit: redpinto