A Quick Guide to Store Campouts

This is the week gamers have been waiting for. Two major video game consoles are about to hit retail stores, and everyone is wondering how they can be one of the lucky 400,000 to get their hands on the Playstation 3. Panic-stricken PS3 fanboys thought that by camping out nine days before launch, they would get ahead of the game. But those plans were shot down when the cops showed up and asked them to leave four days later—although that hasn't discouraged these Atlanta fanboys and girl from camping early. Signs have been posted everywhere asking gamers to come back the day before launch, and not a day sooner.

I've been reading Devron's Camp-Out Guide to learn from a seasoned gamer, who's no stranger to the madness of console launches, what the gamer's campout protocol is. This is probably the most detailed step-by-step guide I've ever read on gaming campouts. A little lengthy perhaps, but extremely useful for newbies who want to give it a shot anyway. In a nutshell, the guide has common sense advice such as bring friends so you can take sleep/restroom breaks, prepare a survival kit, and tips on how to avoid a dangerous situation. As it turns out, getting to know the store manager is important. He lists five questions you should ask them such as how many systems will be in stores and where is the best place to line up. I also recommend you ask the manager at what time can you start lining up the day before launch. Something the PS3 fanboy club I mentioned earlier should've asked before wasting four days in line.

Overall, just be safe during this time. I don't advise you to stand in line for a PS3, but if you do, just keep your eyes open at all times, especially when you're walking out the store with a $600 video game system. Last year I heard plenty of stories of people being followed all the way to their house because they had a new system. And that was only an Xbox 360!  Here are a few things to help you plan your retail overnighter:

Things to include in your survival kit:

• Very Comfortable Chairs
• Cooler with food and drinks, but bring plenty of water
• Umbrella and raingear in case it rains
• Gadgets ( PSP, Nintendo DS, iPod) to pass the time
• Magazines, deck of cards

Keep this in mind:

• Don't pack any weapons
• Be respectful of others in line
• If you sense danger, call security
• Don't risk your job to get one
• Get to know those around you
• Always be safe, keep your eyes peeled
• Don't go alone

Same thing applies to Black Friday campouts, which are coming real soon.

Related:
PS3 Madness Begins
Avoid Getting Scammed on PlayStation 3 Orders