Online Only: The Angry Philosopher

On Friday, Nov. 17, the Playstation 3 went on sale across America. Hordes of excited gamers waited in line for hours to get their hands on a limited supply (400,000 units) of the new game console. \nAccording to a Reuters report, thousands camped outside stores in order to obtain the console. One man was shot in a robbery attempt while waiting outside a Wal-Mart in Connecticut at about 3:15 a.m. And in Sullivan, Ind., a man was in critical condition after emergency surgery for a stab wound that he received when he and a friend tried to rob two men of consoles for which they had waited 36 hours in line to buy. \nThese are just two out of many reports of PS3-related violence and robberies from the first day of its release.\nOne could perhaps question the sanity of the gamers for waiting in line for so long just to have an opportunity to spend $500 to $600 on a game console. And if one can somehow look past that, it's certainly hard to believe they're sane after reports of violence between people just trying to get their hands on a console. What's more, among those PS3s placed on eBay, many of them sold in the thousands of dollars with some bids reaching $30,000.\nI've always held that games do not make people violent -- it's just that some violent people also play games. I still stand by that because the people involved in these types of events are just idiots. Period. The reason they were so worked up over a game console can't be because the games had made them violent. They hadn't even gotten the system yet. They are simply losers. \nThe idea that these losers will ever do anything to better themselves or the world is laughable. This is the part of the population that doesn't even need to be in society but still is. \nSo it is up to Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft to continue making new game consoles every two years or so to keep them from ever leaving their houses, except to get a new game or gaming system. Although it is unlikely, if the big three in the gaming industry ever did stop making new consoles, within a few years there would be more riots across the nation. These people would get tired of playing the same old games and would suddenly realize they don't have a life. Once that happens, they might consider actually trying to accomplish something for a moment or two, only to realize it's not worth it. That's when the riots would begin. \nIt's now up to the new heroes of the world -- the video game manufacturers -- to keep busy. It's the only way to keep these folks from going outside the house. But next time, make an extra million units or so -- a bunch of pissed off losers is kind of dangerous.