In the pecking order of gaming enthusiasts, I have mostly considered myself to be a so-called 'PC gamer.' Uninterested in the fan-boy war between the 3 consoles, I was satisfied with the collection of first person shooters available to the PC market. Therefore, in the months leading up to the release of Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360, I tried to stay an impartial observer.

Fast forward to the morning of November 22, I found myself standing in a line at 3am in below freezing temperatures at a Minnesota Target store. There I was, a self-proclaimed PC gamer, rushing head-long into the next-generation console war, on the side of Microsoft. What I experienced in that line was nothing short of shocking.

Having waited in line for Black Friday deals and other one-day-only sales, I had some experience with the crowds at these events. Quite often there's a sense of competition and conflict between everyone. I was used to 'dog eat dog', 'better me than you' attitudes that can quickly turn into a mad-dash, push everyone down frenzy when the time finally comes. However, what I experienced at this Target Greatland store reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of humanity.

Arriving a little after 3am, there were already 17 people in front of me. After a bit of small talk and conversation, I learned that the bulk of them showed up at 10pm the night prior. They were all dutied up in sleeping bags, boots, blankets, etc., yet despite the temperature of around 20 degrees, they were all in such high spirits. Everyone had big smiles and were quite friendly in welcoming my arrival. The first two in line, a very nice young couple, took it upon themselves to greet every newcomer, offering them a notepad on which they were compiling a list of names and times of arrival.

The organization and civility of this crowd was like nothing I had ever experienced. There was a sense of camaraderie; despite not knowing anyone's name, we all came together to look out for one another. We were all just so willing to help each other out. A very kind mother, doing this for her kids, made several coffee runs to a nearby Starbucks, for instance. Likewise, a concerned Target employee took it upon herself to bring us heating pads, which she bought out of her own pocket, and to deliver free coffee she got by explaining the situation to the workers at Starbucks. Everyone was so selfless, and the experience was just touching.

At 6am, we all lined up (again, in a very civil, organized manner) in preparation for the handing out of tickets. When the target employees came out to dispense them, we showed them our list, made sure everyone had their ID's to verify it, and made sure no late arrivals could cut in line. I'm sure those Target employees were presently surprised, as we collectively turned what could have been an ugly situation into an orderly process.

Alright, so the moment of truth had arrived. Rumors had it that they had 20 or so of the Premium boxes. For those that didn't follow the 360 news, Microsoft released 2 different versions. The Core bundle had just the console and a wired controller, yet for $100 more, the Premium came with a 20GB hard drive, headset, remote control, and a wireless controller. My brother (who accompanied me to the release as co-investor) and I agreed before hand that if we didn't get the Premium, we would just leave.

There was a brief silence, a bundle of tickets in the Target employee's hand. "We don't have many of the premiums," he said hesitantly.

Everyone held their breath; time stopped.

"17."

With that, the crowd went nuts. After a few seconds of computation, it dawned on me that I was number 17/17 for the Premiums. The guy behind me arrived a mere 5 minutes after. YEAH RIGHT! I eagerly joined in the victory cheer.

5 hours in below freezing temperatures, and I finally had my hands on the 360. The feeling was indescribable, but more important than the mere material possession, I came away with a life-changing experience that I will never forget.

Now, stay tuned throughout the week as I give my $0.02 on the 360 and its next-generation games.

~Khyron

*Note* The webcam has officially been updated