Evan Burchfield, PR Coordinator/News Editor

Southern Oregon has never been a center for videogaming, but I underestimated the amount of socially shy gamers out there who were willing to camp outside (with people) on a cold November night for their chance to get a new Nintendo system. We were blessed with no rain at the South Gateway Fred Meyer, but the air was thin and crisp (read: freezing). The first people to show up did so before noon, but I was able to saunter into the line by 9:30 PM and snag a spot. The buzz around town was that this Fred Meyer had 54 Wiis - there were over 60 people in line, and a quick Wii Count showed that they were going to buy a total of 50 Wiis. This put me and the three people behind me in good spirits, but more people continued to line up behind us despite our warnings about limited units.

Unfortunately, our quick Wii Count was incorrect - at 11:00 the 54 tickets were handed out, and I got #53. This left two people, who thought they had a unit assured, without a ticket; one of these people was a grandmother waiting to buy a Wii so she could play it with her grandkids on Thanksgiving day. With sympathy in my heart but Wii on my mind, I turned back in line clutching my #53 ticket. I can't speak for my soul, but I feel in hindsight I made the right choice. According to witnesses, Fred Meyer handed out the Wii tickets frivolously and people who had not waited for any period of time got tickets before those of us in the back. I count myself extremely lucky.

We were able to get out of line, finally, at 11:15 to warm up in our cars, recongregating at 10-to-midnight. When Fred Meyer started letting people in the door, word passed quickly that there weren't enough Nunchuks or Zeldas to go around. Shock and anger surged. Hours of waiting - for what?

Fred Meyer, you made a good thing rotten. 54 Wiis to 26 Zeldas? I had to go to Target the next morning at 8 AM, where they anticipated the game's popularity and got 32 copies of Zelda for their 32 Wii units. Know how many of those Zeldas they didn't sell? Five. And I bought two of them, plus Target's last Nunchuk.

For the only place in town doing a midnight launch, Fred Meyer was friendly and convenient. Their planning, on the other hand, left a lot of people out in the cold. If I hadn't moved quickly Sunday morning, I may not have gotten Zelda for a couple days.