Play Station THREE! What's Wrong With America???

[ChiciB1]

We've seen this mania now for quite some time now, but yesterday morning I had to get up early and go buy some milk because we had run out. I was struck by the hysteria of talk on the radio about this game! They had requested people to call-in to tell their stories about how they were going to purchase one of them. There were quite a few calls for various places and talk about lines and how long they were waiting and the buzz about "insiders" who has knowledge etc. and I felt strange.

At the time I didn't know exactly what made me feel that way, but today I turned on my TV and because I couldn't stand that creep Tyrell on C-Span I switched channels! It's ALL about THAT game! Is this what we have become? For many many years I have talked about America's need for material things and the negative vibes I have felt about it, but it really hit me VERY VERY hard today!

Thousands and thousands and thousands of people are dying around the world, and in America today so many are falling through the cracks, people can't feed their families or pay the rent! In America!! And yet, the "need" to "have" more "things" still rises to the top!! And what is even more sickening, is that in a year or two you may be able to go to a garage sale and buy the thing for 1/10th of what they paid for it!

Does this bother anyone else as much as it does me?? Call me old fashioned, I AM a Boomer and maybe I just remember playing jacks and hop-scotch and how much fun I had back then. Making a swing out of an old tire or playing on monkey bars. As a nation, IMO we need to reflect a little about this thing, it has bothered me for a very long time, but I feel it's only getting worse as time goes by.

[TlalocW]

1. They're just trying to start the Christmas season toy hype early

If you have a problem with that, you're obviously a combatant on the wrong side in the War on Christmas. :)

TlalocW

[jsamuel]

92. First of all, it is a video game SYSTEM, not a video game.

2. People spend $3000 every day just to buy computers that they just end up playing solitaire on anyway. (and maybe some use of Word)
3. This system is high-tech as it displays in 1080p (full-hd) and is a BlueRay player for movies.
4. A blueray player in Bestbuy is now 1000 dollars.
5. The cheap version of the PS3 is 500, but is still a blueray player.
6. Do you begrudge a young man his 600 dollars to entertain himself for a large amount of time during the year?
7. How much does the average American spend on cable/satellite every year? (Probably way more than 600 dollars)
8. Can you sell that cable/satellite for anything when you are done using it?
10. When the PS2 came out in 2000ish, it was 300 dollars and still costs 150 today at stores. So it has better depreciation than many cars.
11. People pay 5000 dollars just to upgrade to a DVD player in their cars that they can't watch while driving.
12. Just because you don't find something enjoyable doesn't mean that people who do are demented. You don't have to lash out for feeling left out.

Moved it up here to take second spot.

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

162. The OP didn't call anyone demented.

They just said they were sick of all the hype. People spend ridiculous amounts of money on stupid crap all the time (a computer they don't use, vehicular DVD players, etc.), but we don't have to hear about it constantly.

Also, I'm not appreciating this trend of including more and more crap in a video game system to jack the price up. What about those of us who don't want BluRay, Bluetooth, Ethernet, hard drives, etc., but just want something to play the games that will be made for that system? Once upon a time, I could afford to buy a system when it was new...not since Xbox and PS2 stuck a DVD player with their systems.

And no one's buying a PS3 in lieu of cable/satellite...nor would they spend as much time playing it as the cable subscribers do watching TV.

[ananda]

2. Sheesh!

It's - just - a - fukkin - game!

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

90. Ri-ight...a $600 game!

Fuck, you could buy a refrigerator for that!

[Beelzebud]

95. To nitpick, it's not a game. It's a machine that plays video games...

And by the time you buy an actual game to play on it you're talking almost 700 dollars...

And yes, the hype is just as stupid as the idiots waiting overnight to buy one.

[txindy]

105. It depends on their reasons for waiting.

From my post somewhere below: There was an interview here recently where one young man in a line waiting for the release said that he's putting out $600 for the machine, but has already pre-sold his on Ebay for thousands. He's paying his college tuition with that money. I may think the person who is buying it from him is vastly over-paying, but I won't fault him for an excellent plan to further his education.

It's a big return on investment and it's only costing him time. Now, the person paying him that money I am not even going to get started on. I'm having a positive day (mostly).

[Frank Cannon]

137. Which only proves that people today are absolutely crazy

That someone will pay several thousands of dollars for a game console that will be worth a couple of hundred dollars in a few months just reinforces the point that the original poster was making. We've become so fat and brainless in our culture that I'm just about convinced that we deserve every bad thing that happens to us.

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

159. Delete - dupe

n/t

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

160. I'm aware - just using the same terminology as the person I replied to.

For my part, I make it a point of staying one system behind. Just got an original Xbox, damn cheap, since they released the 360. Bought a Gamecube for $50 about 6 months ago, and when the Wii comes out, the price of GC games should drop nicely. :)

[MadHound]

91. Yes, it is a game

And all of this hype and hoopla surrounding the release of this game just goes to show you how materialistic our country's population has become. Shootings, tramplings, riots, all to buy *a game*. You know what this says to me, that a large segment of our population has a tremdous vacumn in their lives, their souls. And rather than sitting down and figuring out what they are lacking, they are just stuffing more crap down their throats. Playstations, computer games, the latest greatest whatever. Perhaps if people would get off their ass and actually go out and get some human contact, they would find that they no longer need to buy ever increasing amounts of stuff.

As Plato pointed out, out of control appetites for whatever, food, sex, drugs, goods, whatever, is simply a manafestation of disorder within a society.

[Occulus]

116. NO, it is a SYSTEM, not a game.

I'm amazed at the number of people on this thread so far who just have no clue at all what they're talking about.

And- it does a hell of a lot more than play games. It also plays BluRay DVDs, and players for just those are even more expensive.

In other words, at the moment, for what you're getting, the PS3 is a deal. One hell of a deal.

[MadHound]

130. Well, excuse the fuck out of me!

Sorry, I'm using that complicated idiom known as English OK. The one in which the term "game" can be used to describe virtually any entertainment device or activity. Perhaps if you picked your ass up from in front of this game, and instead devoted some time to educating yourself, you wouldn't get into a misconstrued snit over a percieved faux paux. Get the fucking picture? Here's a dictionary definition for you.<http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/game>

[Occulus]

144. I had a high school graduate's reading comprehension in 3rd grade

and I'm definitely more educated on this topic than you will likely ever be. A game is what you put into the game console. You then play the game, on the game console (aka 'system').

Do you change the channel on your game when you don't like the program? Do you use your game box remote to order video on demand? Do you put your DVD into your game player? Does your game use VHS, or Beta?

I watched a game on my game box last night. It was called "Dances with Wolves". It was a pretty good game.

See how big a fool you just made out of yourself?

[MadHound]

189. What a shame that fine comprehension didn't do you any good.

PS3 is a mechanism to provide diversion and entertainment, ie, a game. Many, many things, including life itself, can be referred to as a game. When I speak of PS3 as a game, you understand, I understand, Mojo the grease monkey down the street understands. However not so many people understand the reference of system in regards to the PS3. A system for what, what kind, etc. etc.

This is a common usage of the word game, whether you like it or not. Sorry, but I'm not going to take grammar and etymology lessons from an anonymous poster who thinks they can be the language police based on what, their third grade comprehension level:shrug: You don't like how I refer to the game, tough shit, what are you going to do? Sue me? Sick Sony on me? Whatever.

Your hairtrigger on this issue belies many things about you, none of them very pretty.

Peace.

[ChromeFoundry]

203. You paid how much...

for a machine to play a movie McDonalds gave away with Happy Meals nearly two decades ago? ...and you use that as the basis of your high intellect? Please!

[praeclarus]

169. ha ha ha.

That got an out loud laugh out of me.

Don't be dissin' the games now, you hear?

Actually, now that I think about it more, camping out
overnight and then trampling over people in a mad dash
to acquire a SYSTEM is quite OK by golly. Especially
if the SYSTEM can play a DVD. Double especially if I
am going to flip it on eBay and quadruple my money.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

176. Is that what you meant?

Because I just thought you didn't know what you were talking about.

[EnviroBat]

131. Well, until that "System" can wipe my ass for me....

I'll stick to my little ole X Box, that I won five years ago...
DESTROY ALL HUMANS! What great game...

[Occulus]

147. I have that for the PS2

I can't get past the mission where you follow the men in black in their car. Kinda gave up after fifty billion tries....

[EnviroBat]

158. I'm stuck on the mission...

Where you have to collect 5 pieces of a wrecked alien space-ship. It's a real bitch!

[Greyhound]

173. If a majority of amerikans took your advice, the economy would collapse.

We cannot sustain this perverse system without never-ending consumerism and waste. Of course, that cannot be sustained indefinitely either so one way or another we're pretty well fucked.

[Marr]

3. Here in Los Angeles, there've been people lined up on the sidewalk since Wednesday at

Best Buy, Circuit City... those sorts of places. They slept on the sidewalk for two days.

I'm the biggest game nerd I know, and I'd *never* sleep on the sidewalk for two days to buy a frigging game console. I can only imagine they're planning to immediately sell the soon-to-be-sold-out consoles on E-Bay for a tidy profit.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. I saw on the news this morning about one person who is willing

to sell his place in line . . . . for $1,300.00.

[woodsprite]

20. That's what everyone interviewed on the Philly news said today.

That they would buy the game here for $500-600, then sell it on ebay for between $1,500 to over $3,000. Some lady said she was camping out in line and someone offered her $1500 for her spot in line. She took them up on the deal.

I'm a boomer too. The first time I can ever remember something like this happening was with the Cabbage Patch kids frenzy. It's nuts! Guess these people have nothing better to do.

[txindy]

58. It's about the value of their time.

They're doubling their money in the time it takes for them to stand in line and buy the console. Some of them (per news articles I've read) have already pre-sold their machine on Ebay and now they're picking it up to ship it. If they've got nothing else to do (i.e., no classes or job) in the period it takes to wait, I guess it's a good investment for them. They're paying $600 to a retailer and making another $600 when they sell it.

As for my family, we'll wait. A first-run Sony (or Xbox) is not worth the risk. They fail nearly as often as they work properly. Besides, $600?! Sheesh. The new Nintendo Wii is $249 and far more reliable, even in its first run.

[Occulus]

151. Those last are two MORE good reasons not to get a PS3 right now

The original XBox had serious overheating issues when it first came out, and it's my understanding that the demo PS3s at at least one game convention needed to be periodically reset due to heat issues.

THOSE are good reasons to wait.

[Initech]

99. Every store that even remotely sold video games had people camped out front

This includes Target, EB Games, even Fry's Electronics. Sony sucks for not meeting the demands.

[Codeblue]

217. They would be there anyway

Even if Sony released millions of copies of the system all those whackos would still be there camping in line. It was like when Star Wars Episode I came out...as if that wasn't going to be in theaters for months. Go see it anytime. But no...gotta be among the FIRST to see it.

That is what I really don't understand about this. What difference does it make if you get the system first or wait a year and get it? It will still be the same system (though probably better after all the bug fixes) and it will still have the same games for it. Plus those games that were released at launch will be way cheaper. I don't understand the obsession with being first, which is really what all these people care about.

Actually owning the system comes a close second to being the first to get it.

[arcane1]

142. in Pleasant Hill, CA, they were camped out on Tuesday night!

I had no idea WTF they were out there for, until I started reading all the playstation threads today

at least it got them off their couches for a couple of days, anyway :silly:

[TheCowsCameHome]

186. Figures. It even sounds like the name of a facility for the mentally ill.

Like Daisy Meadows or Sunshine Valley.

[Auggie]

4. You are not alone

Our values have gotten totally screwed up.

[sui generis]

5. HEY the horse and buggy people decried the first cars too

what's wrong with people! :P

Seriously though, it is what it is. No amount of talking about it will change it. As we get compressed into smaller and smaller places, with less and less personal time we can't just walk down to the river and cast a lure for a couple of hours. Your other options are to be on line or game.

Not everyone can be an athlete, not everyone can afford pursuing a real hobby fully or has enough activity in that hobby to fill hours.

You can be both old fashioned, be well read, participate in your community, AND have fancy gadgets. What's wrong with that as long as one keeps life in balance?

And regarding news: it's just entertainment. News is not a public service. It's entertainment designed to attract advertisers, which is where the business of network and radio functions: on revenue.

It is what it is. It can be used or abused like anything else.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

6. It's disgusting, no doubt...

Fueled by a combination of abject materialism and media hype, no doubt funded in part by the huge corporations (Sony, WalMart) that will profit from the frenzy.

Don't get me wrong, my son has an xbox, but he plays it about once a month (if that), he's too busy with other things, mostly outdoor activities. And I certainly didn't buy it during the height of the sales mania.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. There was mob scene in Boston this morning

when 200 dolts that stood outside in the rain for days waiting for a stupid game lost their places when a mall opened early for some reason and they stormed the place.

You can't make up stuff as funny as this...........

[flvegan]

8. What's even more disturbing is how, like puppets, our society gets played by corps like Sony

in these very examples. They release only a few hundred thousand of them this week, knowing what the hype will do to those that just NEEEEEEEEED to have one of these toys (half of which will wind up on eBay just in time for a 500% markup before Christmas). They did the same thing in Japan, I believe, releasing 100,000.

[RB TexLa]

14. would you think differently if it were made by a business that had

not incorporated?

[flvegan]

29. I fail to see the "incorporation" point, however

no, I wouldn't. I don't see it any differently than I do when a mass-produced (not limited edition) item is released amongst a ton of hype as slowly as possible to create more hype. It's manic marketing.

[TheCowsCameHome]

28. This scam happens every Christmas season. (All bow to the SONY Gods).

Let them choke on the unsold stuff for all I care.

[Greyhound]

181. Isolation and consolidation. Well known method utilized to control

the flock. First the must be consolidated into small, controllable areas, then isolate them from one another to make them more receptive to the propaganda of fear so that they will assist in their own enslavement.

I think most of them are aware that this is a cynical manipulation to support an obscenely inflated price by creating a false shortage, yet they go along. Stupid sheep.

[DaveJ]

9. Actually I don't see it that way...

I like video games. As an adult I have no time to play them anymore, but I have a lot of respect for the amount of research and development that goes into making them. They are a boost to the technology industry which is a relatively ecologically friendly sector. But I do agree that people have to be careful not to get fat playing them.

[MadHound]

97. I think that you should rethink your premise about this technology

Being a relatively ecologically friendly sector. How much pollution is spewed into the atmosphere during production? How many mountains were ground down to dust in order to secure the metals(like gold and iridium) needed to manufacture these boxes? How much nasty chemical runoff was dumped in order to refine these metals? How much of these toxic metals are going to wind up in the landfill as everybody starts dumping their PS2? How much electricity is burned up by these boxes?

I could go on, and on about this. The video/computer/tech manufacturing business is not a clean one. Hell, it's one of the few sectors where major components, silicon, has to be irradiated in a nuclear reactor as part of the manufacturing process. Yeah, more nuclear waste to leech into the our soil and water.

[DaveJ]

108. Interesting

I admit I don't know the specifics of the manufacturing process but I'm just comparing what they do with their thousand dollars versus what someone else might do with theirs.

The nuclear part of your argument is the most compelling and I admit it may blow mine out of the water.

Thing is...

Say a game console lasts them 2 or 3 years before they upgrade. After giving it to someone else it may last 10 years or more. That seems like a lot of use of one cubic foot or so of materials.

Compare that to someone who enjoys, for instance, hiking as a hobby. One hiker probably goes through much more material in the same amount of time. I would not be surprised if a lot of hikers even use some kind of GPS or other portable computing device these days. So there's that silicon, plus the manufacture of tents, boats, boots, clothing, cookware, heaters, etc.

Come to think of it a lot of hobbies these days involve computers, so blaming video gamers specifically is sort of unfair.

[MadHound]

123. As a hiker and a camper I can tell you that good gear lasts forever

I've recently had to purchase a new tent, my old one finally bit it after twenty five years. I go through a pair of boots about every five years. The rest, excepting the occaissional tarp, has lasted me forever. And when I do toss the stuff, some of it is recyclable, and the rest doesn't leech toxins into the soil for the next few dozen years.

Yes, more and more people are incorporating computer chips into every damn thing, hell, there's a toothbrush being advertised on TV right now who's selling point is that it has an onboard computer. A friggin' tooth brush! But many outdoor activities generally involve less toxic waste than electronics. Here's an article that's rather informative.<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/what-s-in-electronic-devices>

[DaveJ]

140. I wish I had the time/money to hike

Hiking probably is one of the most environmentally friendly hobbies to have, and healthy too. And I know hikers have a culture of responsibility. I saw the Timberland executive on Colbert a few days ago. He seems like one of the few good ones.

That's why I intentionally picked hiking as an example. I could have mentioned model railroaders. Why doesn't anyone complain about them? All the plastics, paints, oils, and computer chips they use.

I personally do my part for the environment by avoiding driving. I despise driving. I just don't drive anywhere unless I absolutely must. So that's why I think of video gaming as a rather ecologically docile, except for as you informed me the chip manufacturing process. Hopefully they can make improvements to that in the future.

[Strelnikov_]

171. Here's What A Certain Person I Kinda Know Maybe Is Doing With The 'Obsolete' XBOX

http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/index.php?title=Xbox_Media_Center_Online_Manual

Gonna be quite a market for electronics enthusiasts recycling all those chips in all those consumer goods when the smash comes.

The following paragraphs are from a report prepared by a British Quasi-Governmental think-tank (and a somewhat interesting piece of science-fiction).

Intelligent Infrastructure Futures - The Scenarios - Towards 2055

http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Previous_Projects/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Systems/Reports_and_Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/the_scenarios_2055.pdf (.pdf warning)


Much of the 20th century infrastructure has been eroded now (much of it was already old in 2005), but that doesn’t mean that communities have retreated to a new mediaeval brutalism. Much of the knowledge of the technology which drove the ‘Great Economy’ of the 20th century is still in people’s heads. If some components are no longer viable (the last chip fabrication plant closed a decade and a half ago), invention has found ways of adapting.

Some of the models already existed: the computer network, with the central server and ‘dumb’ (or simple) terminals used far less energy and generated far less waste than the proliferating personal computer, was well understood in 2005. Short-hop wireless systems have proved to be resilient. Above all, the groups who make communications function are highly valued, and highly incentivised. This is an area of constant innovation. The huge clean microchipmaking plants of the early 21st century have long closed, but there is still a supply of chips, and other technology fragments, from the so-called ‘chip monkeys’, who forage in waste tips for them, stripping cars and toys. It is a lucrative business, if an unhealthy one.


Recycling Technology

It is a commonplace that there is more processing power in a musical birthday card than in the first moonshot in 1968. In a post-consumer world, the technology currently found in cheap consumer items would attain a significant social value. The designers, Usman Haque and Adam Somlai-Fischer, have reported on their use of such technology to build low-tech design and installation prototypes.

They developed a range of sensors and other devices, typically ‘hacked’ from toys and other devices, a process which, they say, required little specialist knowledge. The devices they hacked included remote controlled cars, torches, walkie-talkies, ‘sound-responsive’ cats, and solar-powered garden lights.
Usman Haque and Adam Somlai-Fischer, (2005), Low Tech Sensors and Actuators, lowtech.propositions.org.uk



Now where is my XBOX controller, Randi's on . . . oops

[Occulus]

128. As YOU sit there and use the product

Jesus Geronimo Julio Hernandez CHRIST!

Your hypocrisy is stunning.

[MadHound]

132. Yes, I'm sitting in a college library

Where this technology is essential now for education. I'm using a college computer, not a personal computer. Perhaps not as much hypocrisy as you think.

Unlike a PS, whose sole purpose is to divert peoples' minds and rack up big bucks for Sony.

[Occulus]

145. Yes, because a PS could NEVER tell a good story. n/t

[MadHound]

194. I frankly don't know whether it tells a good story or not.

Having never owned any PS or other such box. I do have a couple of friends in the business however, and they've stated that the plots and writing have improved over the years. But somehow I have my doubts that they will ever reach the level of a good book. There are just certain subjects and plots that you can't visit with a visual/oral medium such as video games. Same with movies. But then again you probably already know this with your high school, third grade reading comprehension.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

178. Nope, still the same amount of hypocrisy.

Because it's still causing the same environmental damage (more, I'd suspect), and you're using it for personal entertainment.

In fact, it's worse, because you're misusing it.

[MadHound]

184. Ah, but I didn't buy it, many many other people use it

And while I do indeed use it for diversion, unlike a PS, it has many other more serious applications than entertainment. Oh, and unlike the vast majority of people lining up for PS3, when this computer has finished its life, the computer folks will recycle it properly. PS owners, the vast majority, will simply toss it in the trash so it can sit in a landfill leeching out toxins for the next few dozen years.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

185. So you're mooching it, eh?

Helping other people destroy the environment, hmm?

[MadHound]

191. No, it's sitting in the computer lab, open to all students

And since it will be properly recycled and disposed of, it won't be destroying the enviroment once it's useful life has ended. Again, unlike the vast majority of PS3s

[porphyrian]

10. Don't be messin' with the video games, boomer.

No one's giving you shit about your preferred distraction, are they?

[kysrsoze]

70. Videogames: The SCOURGE of society.

I'm so tired of people whining about videogames. They're evidently mindless, childish, too violent and a huge sign of how materialistic society is. The machines cost less than many designer purses, first-class airline tickets, front row concert tickets and are nothing compared to the cost of an SUV. If you want to whine about how society is throwing its wealth away on videogames, concentrate on that first.

Some of us just like to have relax, challenge our brains and have a little bit of fun. Guess that's not allowed.

[porphyrian]

153. Everyone's entitled to their opinion...

...but mine's right. ;)

[Dora]

11. I hear you.

Get rid of your television and toss out the catalogs, listen to cds instead of commercial radio. You'll be much happier when Marketing's Roar has quieted down.

[City of Mills]

12. I'm with you!

What ever happened to using your imagination to have fun? I'm sick of hearing about this thing as well. When is our culture going to rediscover books? I'm 32 and outraged by the attention this plastic electronic device with ooh ahh graphics is attracting. :tv:

My sister always gets sucked into this type of promotional hysteria. She gets a rush from buying crap like this and then a year later they come out with a new one. I usually inherit systems like this from her when she gets bored with them. Then I give them away. Who has time for video games??? :shrug: Did I mention she's 34 and still lives at home?

[ChiciB1]

44. Thank You... I Feel Better Hearing That From Someone Your Age...

I'm not advocating we go back to 1966 or that we promote toxins with old tires, that IS NOT the point! I guess I should have left the "tires" out of it! I can walk to my beach and even it has problems today, but why not try FIXING the beach for those who will live after us??

I live in DISTRICT 13 in Florida and we can't even run a FAIR election here!! Maybe I'm upset that I have to fight so hard for what should be a "Constitutional Right!" It could ALL be meshed together, but as an activist.... these things matter to me!

I could say so much more, but this is not about me wanting to stop PROGRESS, I'm not stupid! But to some, I say STUPID things.

I need to go do some house-cleaning.

[mondo joe]

13. It doesn't bother me because I am pro-choice.

If people want to spend money and attention on toys it doesn't concern me.

[William769]

15. I am from the same era as you.

I know many of people that spent days in line to buy tickets to rock concerts. Sorry, I don't see a difference.

[kysrsoze]

85. Finally! Some sense from our elders. Thank you.

[Orrex]

107. The difference as I see it

Is that the frenzy preceding the release of Playstation 3, by virtue of being such a widespread phenomenon, garners more high-intensity news coverage than does the average concert. It's not the frenzy of the wait-in-liners that's disturbing so much as the saturation (buzz-generating) news coverage of those who are waiting in line.

A closer comparison might be the fans who line up for weeks prior to the release of the various Star Wars films. That particular frenzy also receives an inordinate amount of coverage because, I think, it's likewise more widespread than ticket sales generally are.

My $.02.

[Gormy Cuss]

124. Key difference : rock concert ::limited edition.

That is, you had only one opportunity to enjoy that particular show. With some bands, every show was pretty much the same so that argument would hold no water but for most the experience was unique to the event. That said, I never understood standing in line for concert tickets.

The Playstation hoopla is the annual contrived shortage to create buzz for a new product. Six months from now the system will be in stock in large quantities if past hypes are any indication. It's extraordinary to me that people have such a strong desire to be first to own something like that, but I can't say that it surprises me anymore. I remember when someone made a small fortune by selling rocks as pets.:+

[trumad]

16. This has got to be the whiniest thread in the history of DU....

my God...

[Bobbieo]

27. What is Play Station Three???

I've never heard of Play Station One!!!!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

211. It's a videogame system.

[TheCowsCameHome]

36. It points out how American consumers are such sheep.

[Pugee]

47. Yes, this is a major ruse used every Christmas by companies

Remember Cabbage Patch dolls, Tickle Me Elmo, and dozens of other toys that our modern companies "just couldn't make enough of in time for Christmas even thought they hyped it for months? There is something every single year. This just happens to be one that is out of the reach of most families this year. The hype changes all that and some families that cant afford one will join in the "game" People would never stand in line for hours if the market were flooded with them, and they would not sell very many compared to what they will now.

Standard Advertising ploy.
This was taught in college in basic advertising/psychology classes. It is designed to make a product scarce. Parent promises the child the toy, cant deliver, so buys other toys instead for under the Christmas tree. In a couple of months, they flood the market and voila, the parent has spent twice the usual amount on toys, and half of it in a slow month for the industry, usually about February.

I also could care less if people want to spend money on stuff, but it is the way that the companies go about it, playing on human emotions to sell and manipulate them to buy.

[TheCowsCameHome]

52. Create a demand, then have parents afraid to tell their kids "No"

and Viola!

This is what you get every Christmas season.

[stopbush]

61. Can you blame the advertisers for taking advantage of a fault that

lies in the American psyche? If Americans were better citizens - rather than rabid consumers - such ploys would
have little if no effect. In fact, even if Sony had a million PS3s ready for market and sold every one of them, that
would mark a pitiful penetration rate of American households.

It's like the movie industry heralding a film that opens with a $30-million weekend. At $10 a pop, that's 3-million
admissions paid. That translates to only 1% of the American public who went to that movie, yet the pop media treats
the event as if it were something of global significance.

[TheCowsCameHome]

63. They play the American consumer like a violin, that is for certain.

[jsamuel]

78. .

mispost

[trumad]

96. No it doesn't

It points out that people just look for shit to bitch about.

[TheCowsCameHome]

106. Bitchin'? Naw, It just points out how foolish some seem to be.

Camping out for days on end in the rain and sleeping on the sidewalk to buy a friggin' plaything.

Yeah, that's normal.

Duh.

[Occulus]

125. Have you EVER wanted anything badly in your life?

Do you feel the same way about people who had tickets to the World Series? I understand some of them camped in the parking lot.

By your definition, they're just as bad. Talk about labeling people.... geez.

[TheCowsCameHome]

170. To pay $14,000 + for a $600 game on eBay? Sorry, Never that badly

Anyone who is that stupid deserves to get taken. And you can be sure some of them will get taken.

[trumad]

165. It may be foolish to you

then again...some may think that posting on DU is foolish...

[mondo joe]

215. God forbid someone do something they enjoy. Who let the Puritan bus off on DU?

[Strelnikov_]

115. "People Just Look For Shit To Bitch About"

Glad we could be of service.

Ever think of just ignoring a thread, instead of bitching about it?

[TheCowsCameHome]

118. Must not have a play station 3 to occupy his time...........

[trumad]

166. I never ignore threads or posters.

[sniffa]

208. teLL me about it

don't get me started on those uppity gays.

[madrchsod]

18. i`d like to have one even though i don`t play games

free download of linux and linux based apps in one month. yup a linux based computer and game player-take that microshit

[EllenZ]

19. Dangerous

Hop-scotch is a good way to break a leg, encouraging your children to do it makes you a child abuser. Same with the monkey bars except the arms are involved as well. And a tire swing? Who knows where that tire has been, it likely is contaminated with toxic chemicals and/or the possibility exists that the steel cord could be exposed and injure a child.

At least playing video games the child is safe at home. There is a risk of carpal tunnel, but attention to your child's posture should lessen that risk.

/sarcasm off/

I actually know people who think like this. I manage to get by with no video consoles at all. The games I do play take at most a deck of cards, like my weekly duplicate bridge group.

[NotGivingUp]

34. i'll tell you where the contaminated toxic tires are...

they are in the children's playgrounds! at least here in florida they are. i couldn't believe it when i saw that they had shredded tires covering the playground in the park. how frigging pitiful.

[SoftUnderbelly]

21. pity my housemate

you in america are lucky compared to him, he nearly died of a broken heart when he heard that the release of the ps3 in britain has been put back until march!

[LibDemAlways]

22. And next year those old Play Station Threes will

be shitcanned in favor of Play Station Four. It's the American way. And people are sheep. The herd mentality knows no limits. There's a new McMansion tract near me in which 99% of the nearly identical houses have an enormous new SUV in the driveway. No one apparently in possession of a brain with which to think outside the box.

A couple of years ago my daughter pleaded with me for an iPod Shuffle. She had to have it and eventually, when she earned the money to pay for half, I bought her one thinking that was the end of it. No, a few months later, she was making noises about the iPod Nano. The shuffle still worked, but it wasn't good enough anymore. The relentless marketing used on the public is very effective - especially on kids. The new rule around here is: You want something. Earn the money to pay for it. Save. Then see if you still want it. Often by that time, she's changed her mind or forgotten why she wanted it in the first place.

[DaveJ]

30. The same is true in apparel and other industries

Why attack video games and not marketers then?

[LibDemAlways]

54. The marketers are largely responsible for

creating the hype, and then the gullible public goes into a damn frenzy. I'm old enough to remember the near riots that broke out over cabbage patch dolls in the 80's.

It isn't the products, themselves. It's the media in cahoots with the marketeer pied pipers leading American consumers to spend money on new versions of stuff they bought last year and which still work just fine.

[DaveJ]

71. There is no sense of responsibility in media

When I was in college the students in media would laugh at the idea of responsibility, and these were the ones interested in journalism. One can only imagine the lack of social responsibility advertisers have.

Like you said though this not an issue involving video games. They just happen to be among the most popular toys these days.

[ChiciB1]

53. I Think Your Way Of Thinking Is Very Intelligent....

I do the same thing. Our future generation needs to learn the value of money and for the most part I don't see much of it. It worries me, but then I'm just an old hippie liberal who came from a large family and we HAD to earn it.

[kysrsoze]

102. Actually it's not. The lifecycle of these machines is roughly 5 years

Over 5 years, the cost of the machine is $5 a month. Even with the additional games you buy, the cost is a fraction of what it costs to buy new cellphones every year or the cost of cable TV. Know what else? They're fun. Now you want to talk about not knowing the value of a dollar. I've seen PC gamers spend thousands on their machines, continually upgrading to play the newest games. You don't have to do that with a console.

[LibDemAlways]

177. Who needs a new cellphone every year?

My husband's been using the same phone since 2001. I got my first cellphone in 2004 and it's still going strong. Just don't understand the throwaway mentality. If it works, use it. When it breaks, fix it or replace it - whichever makes more sense.

What happens to someone who bought Playstation 2 last year? I assume it still has 4 good years left, but will soon be relegated to the dumpster anyway.

[kysrsoze]

195. I have lots of friends who get new phones each year. Gotta have the latest, i guess

I agree that this is WAY too much of a throwaway society.

I think people who bought the PS2 last year will be OK. They're still making some games for it, plus there's a HUGE catalogue of cheap new and used games out there for them. If they do like they did with the PS1 (and they're smart), they'll do at least another year or two of continued PS2 releases. I may pick up a used XBOX1 and some used games to keep myself occupied until I can get hold of a PS3. The last generation is still great.

[nonconformist]

212. Unless it's very old and broken, I don't know of anyone who tosses a game console

They either keep it and keep on playing it, even if they get additional consoles, or trade it to a store like EB Games for credit, or sell them (even broken ones... some like to fix them).

We still have, and play regularly, our N64 (which launched in 1996). No new games have been made for years obviously, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to play the games we already had or continue to buy new-to-us used games for it. And we play our Gamecube often too, which launched in 2001. They're still creating new games for this console too, even with the launch of the new Wii system this weekend. We would still play our old NES and Sega Genesis if they hadn't finally broken on us.

[LibDemAlways]

187. Thank you for the compliment. You'll see that

another poster thinks I am apparently not intelligent for being of the belief that a person shouldn't toss away something simply because a newer version has been introduced.

I am in total agreement with your post and can't believe that you're being flamed by people who apparently think it's their duty to boost Sony's already hefty profits come hell or high water.

[Occulus]

150. That's the reasoning my parents had when I paid for half of a piano and

they refused to get me lessons. I ended up teaching myself, but I don't play anymore because my mom won't get the thing tuned like she promised me in writing when I was 18 (in leiu of an actual gift). I know I learned a lot of bad playing habits, too, and that just pisses me off to no end.

And yes, it still depresses the shit out of me. Considering I was a damn fine musician, you'd think they would have had a little more heart. Considering I eventually went on to play on a Steinway in a jazz festival, well.... there's something called "deserving of a gift". "You don't deserve this gift because you'll eventually want a better version" sounds more than a little cruel. Did you offer to sell her iPod Shuffle to help raise the money for the Nano? Did you even suggest doing so?

Maybe everyone wants a PS3 because that's the only way you can play PS3 games? Hmm. Not to mention, it's the very first "cheap" bluray player, and it plays in true HD.

This isn't like a car, where you have many, many, many makes and models to choose from that all have the same basic function. There is ONE system that can play PS3 games, and that's a PS3. You can't put a PS3 game into a Wii and expect it to even fit in the console, much less function.

Oh, and it'll probaby be four or five years before this system is deprecated, which is a better value than most consumer products on the market- including cars AND iPods.

[LibDemAlways]

172. Of course the PS3 will only play PS3 games. That's all part of

the racket. Why continue to make new games for PS2 when you can con the sheep into buying the new player and a whole new set of games to go with it? The old player, which you may have paid big bucks for last Christmas, then just sits gathering dust until the next yard sale. Not passing moral judgment, by the way, on any of this. Just saying big business has the consumer's number.

I'm sorry your parents didn't come through for you on the piano lessons - especially after you showed good faith by paying half the cost of the piano. My daughter takes electric guitar lessons. Last year we bought her a starter guitar. We've been shelling out $25.00 a week for lessons ever since, and this Christmas her dad is springing for a much nicer guitar for her. We're not cruel, believe me. It's just that she has to learn to understand that she can't simply toss away something perfectly good and servicable (like an iPod) every time the manufacturer comes up with something "new and improved." If she wants it, fine. She can save for it. That way she'll hopefully learn to appreciate it more.

[fishwax]

202. It's been six years since the last Playstation launch

The PS3 won't be outdated in a year. It won't be obsolete for several years.

[LibDemAlways]

204. Well, that's a good thing. I feel for people who bought

PS2 last year and will now watch as PS3 takes over. I guess the people who buy in the first year are the most likely to get their money's worth out of the thing before the next new and improved "must have" version comes along.

[Sydnie]

23. Local news here reporting someone was shot by muggers

after getting their game system. Also, many people trampled as the stampede for better places in line after the doors opened, as well as police being called all over the country. It's just nuts! Make enough for everyone, then release it. The people waiting in line here locally were interviewed and most said that they were hoping to triple their money by putting the system on Ebay instead of waiting in line for the system for themselves.

[Ezlivin]

24. Read "American Mania: When More is Not Enough" by Peter C. Whybrow

If you want to see what's happened in our country take a look at this book.

[ChiciB1]

49. I'll Consider That As A Christmas Present For Some People I Know!

Thanks, this is what I'm saying!

[City of Mills]

57. Thanks!

This sounds like an interesting read, thanks for the link :-)

[zbdent]

25. I wonder what the percentage is of those sold which actually go to

the purchasers' homes to be used there ... and how many show up on ebay for profit ...

[NotGivingUp]

26. it bothers me a lot, too...i'm also a boomer

it seems these corporations are raising a nation of children....to remain children. most of the people i used to work with...my husband still works with them...they haven't a clue as to what's going on and really don't give a hoot either. they're mostly people in their 30s and 40s and you'd think they were in their early teens...nobody would talk about politics or what was going on in our country or about anything of any serious matter. they would only talk about 'survivor', video games, etc. it was very frustrating. corporations have thoroughly convinced a lot of people to care about nonsense. and...omg...heaven forbid if they would actually be caught reading a book where they could learn something. no..there shall be no learning...if any of them read a book, it's gonna be harry potter. i don't know...maybe it was just more pronounced at that company and the type of people i worked with. i'm hoping it's not as bad at other places.

[ChiciB1]

35. I See That You Get My Point... It's NOT The Game I'm Talking

about. I suppose that's why we get more of the Terri Schiavo, O.J. Simpson stuff to ponder.... it's what America seems to find more interesting.

I am truly "out of touch" here! Guess I can get over it, I have before.

[NotGivingUp]

40. i'm tired of getting over it. i'm seriously considering moving

to another country.

[ChiciB1]

45. I Have Been Thinking About Costa Rica For Some Time Now! n/t

[Beelzebud]

100. You're going to move out of the country over PS3?

And your handle is NotGivingUp?

LOL

[NotGivingUp]

109. I'm not giving up on living a fulfilling life and standing by the

things that I believe in...be that living here or elsewhere.

LOL

[mondo joe]

214. Newsflash: people in other countries aren't that different.

Just FYI.

[Occulus]

121. It's a system, not a game,

and by that, you obviously have no clue what you're talking about.

Go read a book. You can't handle the complexity of, say, FF-12 or Oblivion.

By the way.... those two games have a plot as rich as any book. And- they run on SYSTEMS.

x(

[kysrsoze]

74. Please stop labeling people

I have a graduate degree. I do volunteer work. I read books and magazines as much as I can. I have a fiance and raise a child. I manage my condo building. I exercise regularly. I've been to two other continents. I ride my bike to work. Oh yeah, I PLAY VIDEOGAMES! My friend also has a graduate degree and he plays videogames too.

Perhaps you being a babyboomer is the reason why you don't understand people these days. Might I remind you that it's your generation that started the nonsensical spending.

[NotGivingUp]

104. Obviously, you never learned what 'labeling' means.

[kysrsoze]

112. I know exactly what it means. I was pointing out a fact

You assume something others enjoy and you don't should be considered worthless to everyone else. You just sound like someone who is angry at the world.

[NotGivingUp]

127. You should've signed up for that reading comprehension class

that was being offered while you were in grad school.

[Occulus]

129. You sound like Mr. Benchley n/t

[kysrsoze]

183. Bwaaaahaaaah! I just got it. Right on!

[kysrsoze]

175. Oooh. That was a really deep-cutting insult. You should've taken a class on wit.

[Name removed]

114. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JoMama49]

31. IMNSHO - i believe people are so traumatized with everything

going on politically in this world -- they are just trying to escape into some mindless activity -- I have to admit I too succumb every once in a while, but I'm aware of it and always come back to a sometimes painful reality!

[ContraBass Black]

73. A good game is no more mindless than a good book.

I don't think it's directly related to current events or a need to escape, but rather excitement and anticipation to see and experience the next piece of artistry and technology.

[kysrsoze]

75. Precisely. It's one of the most creative media around - and a lot of fun

It's not all just killing people. Some games take a LOT of thought to get through.

[ChiciB1]

32. Just For the Record.... Obviously I Got Past The Horse & Buggy!

I actually have a computer... I use a cable connection and I'm NOT against progress or anything like that. I think some of you have missed the point. And if you didn't get it, then I guess it doesn't matter.

Sorry if I upset the old "apple cart!"

[City of Mills]

38. Just did a "ps3" search on Ebay....OMG

I'm embarrassed for humanity. Lots of PS3 systems are 'buy it now' listed for over $5000. :argh:

Check it out!!!

http://search.ebay.com/ps3_W0QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQsbrsrtZl

[Catchawave]

87. $10,000 !!!!

Was the top entry now from your link....eBay should shut these down, I smell scams!

[txindy]

101. Maybe some are scams, but there's limited distribution.

I believe there are only about 400,000 nationally in this first release which will make it extremely hard to get at retail. There was an interview here recently where one young man in a line waiting for the release said that he's putting out $600 for the machine, but has already pre-sold his on Ebay for thousands. He's paying his college tuition with that money. I may think the person who is buying it from him is vastly over-paying, but I won't fault him for an excellent plan to further his education.

[nonconformist]

33. Sure, it's extreme, but most of the people dying for a PS3 are way beyond the hop-scotch stage

Plus, it's not just an American phenomenon. Many other countries are freaking out over this too, namely Japan. And seriously, there's no way in hell you'll be able to buy a PS3 for $60 in a year or two.

[txindy]

59. You're right, plus it's a very powerful machine that's capable of more than game-playing.

I don't want one for that price, but I can see why some people might. And this PS3 mania did start in Japan and has spread to other countries. As you said, it's not just us.

[NotGivingUp]

37. i'm basically tired of much of american society...it's been

dumbed down for so long that much of what's left is a nation of idiots.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

39. To Each Their Own. If They Want One That Badly That's Their Choice. Nothing Wrong With Having A

passion towards something. To many people there is much excitement in being the first to have a new technologically advanced device. To some, that's where they find joy. We all have the personal right to enjoy and feel joy in whatever ways we like. If for some, they choose getting joy out of a gaming system, then god bless em and it's none of my business. Obviously this isn't something that you get joy from, but that doesn't mean someone else shouldn't be able to get joy from it. Like I said, to each their own. Though we may not be able to understand the concept of waiting out all night for a PS3, those who choose to are not any less of a human being than the rest of us. They just have their own personal ways of getting through life and finding moments of joy and excitement while doing so.

To each their own and God bless us all.

[Brazenly Liberal]

41. I'm a boomer, too, and don't think this is all that new.

I remember the hysteria over cabbage patch dolls. Fist fights broke out in a store near us over them!

If it's any comfort, the young children I know still play hopscotch and jacks and jump rope and climb trees. An awful lot of the people going mad over the newest gaming system aren't children at all. My own husband bought a Play Station, bought two games for it, played them to death for a week, got tired of it, then bought Play Station II, bought two games for it, played them to death for a week, got tired of it, was mumbling something about Play Station III and finally got a grip on himself and decided not to buy it. He's not always such a slow learner.

[AndyTiedye]

42. More Like What is Wrong With the Media. Commercials Disguised as News

And a whole lot of real news that they REALLY don't want to talk about.
:kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick:

[TheCowsCameHome]

43. Check eBay under "play station 3" PT Barnum was right.

[boolean]

46. LOL!!! It's not a game!

It's a game console. :rofl:

[Occulus]

133. My hypothesis:

The people here at DU who most complain about video games and the systems they play on are also the most likely to have never owned a game console or played any recent video games.

These people, as clearly evidenced on this thread, have absolutely no conept at all of how much time goes into making these games, how much artwork/modeling/animation/programming needs to be done to create these games; they think of video games as cabinets in arcades (and think the games are still that simple), and for those reasons refuse to educate themselves.

I can personally guarantee everyone here that not one of these clueless schmucks has ever once played, for example, a Final Fantasy game. They probably never will, because games twenty years ago didn't interest them, so there's no way a brand new one- like Oblivion, the best PC RPG ever made- could ever hold their interest.

And then they have the unmitigated gall to bag on those of us who happen to enjoy them. So, for everyone here who thinks it's all a waste of time and money: go rent a system, a PS2. Rent a copy of "Final Fantasy 12" and watch just the intro. Better yet, try to find the intro movie on YouTube. After seeing that, try- just try- to say "it's all a waste of time and money." That intro movie is a major accomplishment from a modeling and animation standpoint all by itself, and anyone who would dismiss it as a waste... is a waste, devoid of any appreciation for the creativity necessary to pump out something like that.

Why am I wasting my time arguing this, anyway? These people don't even know how to make a sphere in Maya. Talk about clueless...

:D

[kysrsoze]

190. Bingo - they don't know what they're talking about. --> "Such a silly game!"

I think peoples' jaws would drop if they checked out games like Resident Evil 4, 007 Everything or Nothing, Indigo Prophecy, Metal Gear Solid, etc., etc. No friggin' clue

[Touchdown]

197. See, I'm kind of the opposite.

I remember my teens with Atari. I had about a dosen games, and went through them all in about 2 hours. Picked them up to play again a couple of days later. There was no complexity, no intros and no endings. They just went on and on and on, until boredom set in, but people still play Centipede and Galaga to this day. Saw bboth of those in a pub the other day. No Ghost Recon to be found.

I can appreciate the artistry and realism of Todays games, but the silly, simple joy is gone from it. I have to buy a $20 book to get through even the earliest stages, which is on top of the $50 disc itself. They are too complex, and I don't have the spare time or patience to finish the latest Zelda game, much less a new FF.

I miss shooting aliens on a 2D screen, stomping on mushrooms, eating yellow dots, throwing stars at cartoon ninjas, fitting blocks in a stack, or running Sonic through the loops. I think the best systems still are the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. Not much graphic power, or graphic violence for that matter, but those games were fun, and I didnt' need to be a Mensa member to figure the puzzles out. The violence was cartoony too. What good is alll the processing power, if we have a limited choice of this photo-realistic WWII game complete with severed arms down to the squirting arteries, or that Zombie game, where we get to see the "artistry" of bare hand disembowelment and brain eating?

[boolean]

205. Fo realz...

Games these days just aren't what they used to be. It's all about the graphics. I've noticed that gameplay value has steadily declined over the years.

There are still some great new games out there, but a hell of a lot of crap has flooded them. I remember when 90% of all games were good. Now it's more like 20%, if even that.

Nothing beats the sheer entertainment I got out my Commodore 64 back in the day. Rambo III, Frantic Freddie, Jumpman, Batman, Boulderdash, Bubble Bobble, all those fucking Epyx games...sigh! And whatever happened to the adventure games like Leisure Suit Larry, Goblins, Swiss Family Robinson, etc??

And then came the glorious 90's. Doom, Quake, Quake 2, Half Life (THE best shooter ever. EVER. Nothing has beaten it yet), Dune 2, Command & Conquer, Warcraft 1 and 2 (Warcraft 2 = The greatest real time war game ever. EVER), etc etc etc...

And of course, the consoles. The little rectangle controllers of the NES. The "hip" Sega Genesis. Super Mario 3. The greatest game of all time......

SIGH.

[praeclarus]

48. some of the eBay "Buy Now" prices are a joke...

...(like $25,000) but one did sell for $6100.

[TheCowsCameHome]

50. Wonder how many are going to get screwed after they send the $$$

This has to be a scam artist's dream.....................

[NightOwwl]

51. You sound like my grandparents talking about...

THE INTERNETS!!!!

[Bombtrack]

55. If you still call a console a game I guess you've had a higher than average isolation from gamers

people get way too invested in this shit I agree. They need to get weened off of them by those who want good from and for them.

[Mike Daniels]

56. Do you honestly think this is going to be limited to America?

If so, you have a lot higher impression about the rest of the world than is warranted.

I guarantee this exact same scene is going to be repeated in Japan as well as the majority of Europe.

[Annces]

60. Yes - it is creepy how addicted people are to this stuff

So much of their brain power goes into a silly game.

[Emit]

62. ChiciB1, did you catch this thread!?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2741964

PUTNAM, Conn. - Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who refused to give up his money, authorities said.


In other states, customers pushed and shoved their way to the shelves to get at the limited supply, and in Kentucky, four people were grazed by BBs fired from a passing vehicle as they waited for a Best Buy store to open.

The two gunman in Putnam confronted 15 to 20 people standing outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance.

"One of the patrons resisted. That patron was shot," Vance said.

He said the two gunmen fled after shooting a 21-year-old Massachusetts man in the chest and shoulder. The victim was taken to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. There was no immediate word on his condition.

MORE >>>>

[ChiciB1]

113. Yes... I Did & Posted... But Got attacked There Too!

Got called a moron! I just checked back in here and thought this would be dead by now!

I'm not keen on being called names and an out of date HIPPIE! My kids would most definitely disagree with THAT notion even though some might call me an "elder" because I'm a Boomer! Guess some today don't know "some" Boomers! Hey, guess what?? I actually own a 30GIG IPod so I can STILL listen to my Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Bruce "The Boss", and even more! I like to listen while I walk, run or ride a bike. I'm NOT over-weight and the beach is just up the road, so I actually swim too! My bones still bend....EVEN!

Hey, I even LOVE R.E.M., CONTINUUM & Jack Johnson! And guess what.... I still know how to PARTY! And I also BLOG too.... many younger people I know don't do half as much! Sorry for getting a bit "snarky" here, but I guess I was wearing my STUPID Liberal hat when I woke up this morning!

[kysrsoze]

117. BTW - how much did you spend on that 30gig iPod?

Isn't a walkman cassette or CD player good enough? It's all situational, isn't it? BTW - I don't consider "Elder" to be a bad term. I think it carries a respectful connotation.

[ChiciB1]

126. I Didn't Buy It... " I " Had A Birthday...

My daughter bought it for me because I had bought myself a CD player at a garage sale. God, am I cheap!!

This was NOT about the PRICE of something... See Ya!

[AngryAmish]

64. I blame the Japanese

Actually I don't. There have always been manias (see Beatles in Shea Stadium, etc.) for consumer products and the such (Cabbage Patch kids). This is a worldwide phenomena.


Just because you don't understand something is no reason not to let other people have fun.


(BTW, by any objective standard life is better in the world right now than it ever has been in the history of mankind. Relax and enjoy life.)

[The Anti-Neo Con]

65. I find it very silly.

I only play games on my PC...it can do anything a PS3 can do and more, except that I don't have blu-ray.

I didn't have to camp out or wait in crazy lines for my PC either. In fact, I built the darn thing myself!

[Occulus]

136. And THAT would be a GOOD reason to not get one

Happens to be why I either won't get one, or will wait until there's a good, solid base of games to choose from.

That, and the cost. $600 is too much. Maybe I'll be able to find a used one a year from now.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

152. So...

How much did you pay for you PC?

If it can out-perform a PS3, I imagine you must have spent a pretty penny.

[The Anti-Neo Con]

201. Maybe $150-$200 more than the PS3.

I got a lot of discount deals & used some parts from a friend's old system.

[ecstatic]

66. Unless in the top 5%, its disgusting to pay $600.00 for a freaking video game!

Any family without an average income of at least $100,0000/per family member/per year has no business with this game.

[kiahzero]

68. Did you mean to say 1 million or 100 thousand there?

100 thousand is nowhere near the top 5% of the population.

On edit: Though I suppose it is closer to 200,000, which is the threshold for 5%, than 1 million is.

[ecstatic]

83. LOL, I meant at least 100K PER family member

So a family of 4 should have an average income of $400,000 / year. I'll explain why I think this in my post below.

[kysrsoze]

72. Unless you're paying for it, you have no business telling others what to buy

Are you the decider? I guess only the top 5% of earners are allowed to enjoy certain luxuries, eh?

[ecstatic]

88. No, I just think kids should be taught to respect money

And I just don't see how a $600 game machine does a good job of teaching a child (especially a poor child) how to respect money. I do not have kids though, so I could be wrong.

ETA: I don't have kids, but I do have a 19 year old brother who was spoiled rotten growing up. He still lives with my parents and I don't see him moving out anytime soon. There is absolutely nothing wrong with living with one's parents, but even now, he is still receiving a weekly allowance for doing nothing. He still has not learned the value of money. He might continue living with them well into his late 30s because he was coddled way too much.

[kysrsoze]

93. Kids? A huge portion of the buyers and users are adults

I'm 37. I love videogames. Sure, my 14 yo daughter will play it here and there, but she's much more interested in myspace. I'm the one who is going to wear the thing out. I'd rather she played videogames than spend a couple hours on myspace. Not everything I do has to be a lesson to my child. There are always going to be a small portion of people who go nuts about something. Now the fascination with Paris Hilton is what I don't understand. Ick.

[txindy]

81. It's a machine. It's a game console that plays games.

It also has other capabilities like Ethernet and wireless Bluetooth. It's very impressive, but I'm not about to pay $600 for it.

[Occulus]

139. GAME SYSTEM!!

It's not a game in and of itself, it's a system, and it plays bluray discs.

Bluray players alone are more than $600, so as a bluray player alone, it's a deal at the moment.

Now go educate yourself about the gaming industry, because you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

[Little Wing]

67. Is your problem with hobbies or the media hype around them?

[sniffa]

69. americans are seLfish

and stupid

[Mike Daniels]

76. How do you come to the conclusion American's are selfish?

Do you have some way of knowing what else the people buying a PS3 have done with their money? Is it possible that someone could buy a PS3 and also contribute to a charity or volunteer time for a cause or are the two mutually exclusive?

If you honestly think it's going to be any different in the rest of the world once the PS3 is released in other countries you are sadly mistaken and due for a major disappointment.

[sniffa]

82. sure

this is a worLd wide phenomenon every xmas.

and donate them to charity? bwahahaha.
i wish i Lived in your fairy taLe Land.

[Mike Daniels]

119. Perhaps you should learn to read posts a little better

I never indicated in my post that the person was giving the game to charity.

I asked if it was not possible for someone to spend money on a PS3 and also give MONEY to charity.

Get back to me when you can respond to the situation I presented.

And again, why the sole focus on America when this is going to be repeated everywhere the system is released?

[sniffa]

122. fine

i'LL focus on america, and you can Let me know when the japanese stab each other for the Latest, must-have toy.

[kysrsoze]

180. OMG! I can't believe the amount of intolerance in this thread

You and others around here are starting to sound like a bunch of bellyaching freepers. Don't we all come to this site to begin with because we are focused on this country? Grow up, already.

[sniffa]

200. excuse me?

do i know you?

[slutticus]

77. A Game?

Shows how much you know about it.
:P

Just so you know...The PS3 is currently selling on EBay for about $14,000

http://cgi.ebay.com/PS3-SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PREMIUM-60GB-SYSTEM-CONSOLE_W0QQitemZ280044007577QQihZ018QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Now THAT'S ridiculous

:o


Edited: 'cause I can't spell

[jsamuel]

79. First of all, it is a video game SYSTEM, not a video game.

2. People spend $3000 every day just to buy computers that they just end up playing solitaire on anyway. (and maybe some use of Word)
3. This system is high-tech as it displays in 1080p (full-hd) and is a BlueRay player for movies.
4. A blueray player in Bestbuy is now 1000 dollars.
5. The cheap version of the PS3 is 500, but is still a blueray player.
6. Do you begrudge a young man his 600 dollars to entertain himself for a large amount of time during the year?
7. How much does the average American spend on cable/satellite every year? (Probably way more than 600 dollars)
8. Can you sell that cable/satellite for anything when you are done using it?
10. When the PS2 came out in 2000ish, it was 300 dollars and still costs 150 today at stores. So it has better depreciation than many cars.
11. People pay 5000 dollars just to upgrade to a DVD player in their cars that they can't watch while driving.
12. Just because you don't find something enjoyable doesn't mean that people who do are demented. You don't have to lash out for feeling left out.

[txindy]

84. A very succinct summary.

:toast:

[ComerPerro]

80. Hey, baby boomer. You raised this terrible generation, remember that

you guys talk about how great things were when you were kids, and how you weren't into all this, and how you never acted the way kids today do.

Well, guess what?

Your "do-no-wrong", perfect generation raised this generation of shiftless, lazy, no-good slackers. And your generation is the one that sold out and made materialism and the acquisition of wealth fashionable.

So why don't you explain yourself?

[kiahzero]

86. ... what?

Wanting a PS3 makes one a "shiftless, lazy, no-good slacker?"

I guess I'm a lazy bum too because I want a Wii. Guess I'll drop out of law school now. :shrug:

[ComerPerro]

89. well, according to the OP, if you want one, there is something very wrong with you

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

103. Dude, a Wii is a hell of a lot more reasonable.

The starting prices for video game systems just keep going up and up. Yeah, they're including extras, but it's ridiculous. I already HAVE a computer and a DVD player, I don't need to buy one every time I buy a console, so Xbox and PlayStation prices seem unnecessarily inflated to me.

[kysrsoze]

111. It's actually not a whole lot of money - check this out

The original Atari 2600 was $200 and games were $40. That was 25 years ago. A good gaming PC runs well over $1,000 and after awhile you have to upgrade to play the latest games. The console will last 5 years and you don't have to worry about upgrading during that time. The newest iPod costs $350 and doesn't play BluRay discs.

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

164. well, I guess that just depends on what your definition of

"a lot of money" is. :) $350 sounds ridiculous for an iPod, too - I bought an mp3 player last year for $90. It's probably not as big, but you can only listen to so many songs in a day!

[FlaGranny]

94. Hey there,

what are you trying to do, make war against Christmas? :-)

But, yes, I do agree. Consumerism whipped to a frenzy by hysterical "news" reports. It's kind of sick.

[sakabatou]

98. This is why the Wii is gonna smoke the PS3

[FVZA_Colonel]

138. In Japan, there is no question.

In America... I wish it would be so, but I do believe that, ultimately, the 360 will win out here, and win out big, but with the Wii maintaining a sizeable following.

[Javaman]

110. We are called consumers for a reason...

since post WWII a whole new breed of ad exec was born.

We are all told to strive for the "american dream".

There never was such a thing.

Once upon a time, the dream to live for in this country was to live free.

Now we are told to buy everything we can get our hands on in hopes that one day before we go on a killing spree that we attain that "american dream" of owning more and more stuff. (that is before we realize that material posessions really don't give you any real happiness)

And just like moron* said, "See in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

And that my friends is what we as a nation have been feeding on these last 60 years.

Buy why, you ask? At the close of WWII, it was noticed by the U.S. Government, the republican red scare nut jobs and money grubbing capitalists, that there was a lot of money to be made on fear.

So after years of war and depression, people were ripe for a new world and a life of ease... or at least that's what we were told.

So for the next umpteen years (decades), it was pounded into us as part of the cold war brainwashing our government did to us. "Strive for the American dream! We are better than the soviets! we consume more because we make more!" (viscous circular logic)

After the cold war ended there was a very brief period of time (like about 3 hours) where the american public actually said, "Hey, why do I have to buy this crap? The soviets are old news..." but then in steps bush the first to scare the crap out of us by invading saddam (the evil mean guy du jour), thus giving us someone new to hate and materialistically out do.

So here we are, wondering again, why do we buy shit we don't need. In a nut shell, to make other people rich and us perpetually broke and/or deeply in debt.

There is the 50 cent answer. :)

Now stop buying crap you think you need!!!

Sigh

:banghead:

[Strelnikov_]

120. Which Is Exactly The OP's Point - The Consumer/Media/Corporatist Complex

Not a jihad on video games like some seem to be spinning it into.

Not to mention all those dollars leaving the country instead of being spent on things such as, say, energy transformation.

Oh, well.

[ChiciB1]

135. Sank You... Veddy, Veddy, Much!

Now, I'm really done here. I really don't like arguing all that much.

[Javaman]

161. I hope it wasn't me who put you off...

I was more answering your rhetorical question as to "why we need all this stuff."

I'm a big fan of the cold war and it's continual effect it has upon our present society.

So many things are the way they are because of "the American way" being shoved down our throats, it's an sort of odd existence when you think about it. (but then so few do, otherwise there would be people going postal every other week...wait a second.)

That, "we must all believe or die under the commie threat", type of mentality that it was thrust upon us and not allowing us to live a "normal" way of life is what is bizarre about it.

I too am saddened by societies "must-buy-that-shiny-thing-now-otherwise-I-will-just-die" mentality.

My philosophy is: there will always be a new shiny thing waiting behind the latest shiny thing. So why make oneself crazy by thinking it will never be replaced or never have anything "better"?

Eventually, when the shine of this latest craze wears off, people will then start complaining about how it's not shiny anymore or was never shiny enough. I live for that. LOL

[trumad]

167. buy shit we don't need

I just like playing Super Mario.

[Javaman]

188. LOL That by and large is the most honest answer I have ever heard

Bravo to you. :)

Cheers and peace always.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

134. Taken a vow of poverty, have you?

No? Then mind your own business.

Jeee-sus, you talk about how you sit in front of your TV, then you sit your ass on the computer and complain about other people doing the same thing.

[trumad]

168. Actually I lay in front of the TV

and my legs are kind of up on my desk at the computer... Say I really wouldnt say it's sitting.

[MrSlayer]

141. I'm waiting until after Christmas to get mine.

After the hype dies down and there are more in stock the price will drop a little. It's a must have simply for the Assassin's Creed and Oblivion games alone.

And quite frankly with the way things are today I'm happy to have my kids off the streets and inside playing games. Jacks and hopscotch aren't quite as fun when bullets are flying around you.

[Hippo_Tron]

143. To a certain extent, some of today's video games are works of art

Granted it's certainly artwork for mass consumption. But look at the latest final fantasy game. The music is well composed, the artwork is extremely well done, and the storyline is as good as any typical adventure novel or movie.

I think that to a certain extent Play Station 3 doesn't appeal to our desire to have expensive toys to show off, and it's not so much an enhancement of jacks and hop-scotch. Video Games this advanced are like movies except that you get to interact with them. Certainly you went to see fantasy-set movies when you were a kid.

George Lucas created Star Wars from watching movies and reading comic books. My generation will create their own fantasy works partly from comic books and movies but also from the storylines of video games. Granted this is how I view video games, and perhaps others just view them as an opportunity to blow things up. While Mortal Kombat is known mostly for its violence, I played the game because I thought the story of a Sorcerer coming to earth and challenging its greatest warriors in a tournament that will decide their world's fate is a great plotline. Granted it was poorly executed in the films because they hired terrible actors and spent all of the money on special effects, but that's another story.

Anyway, that's my random thoughts on the subject. Also I won't be purchasing a Play Station 3 and haven't had a new video game system since I was 9 (10 years ago). I simply don't have the time to warrant purchasing one.

[ContraBass Black]

148. "To a certain extent,"

Why the qualifier?

[earth mom]

146. This thread is ridiculous.

Not because of the OP since I happen to agree with it as a late boomer who has long felt that this country has taken materialism to such an extreme that many have lost sight of what's really important in life.

However, that people justify bat shit crazy behavior about the PS 3 strikes me as downright ridiculous not to mention dishonest. Aren't these the same morally righteous people who diss Walmart and all their worthless and useless made in China crap-OMG why would anybody buy that crap?!-who are now outraged about disrespect toward their precious overpriced hobby?! :eyes:

IMO the only good thing about the PS 3 launch is it should bring the prices way down on PS 2 games which will help parents like me this Christmas season. Now that is something to get psyched about! :woohoo:

[Odin2005]

149. I'm willing to bet most of the narrow-minded video game bashers are Boomers.

I'm sick of being told by a bunch of moralistic boomers who never owned a video game about how "evil" my generation is because we play video games instead of hopscotch and tag like they did back in the "good old days" where everything was supposedly perfect.

[ChiciB1]

154. My Request! Will Someone Lock This Thread?? It's Taken On

so many different meanings from what I intended! Sorry to EVERYONE, this stupid Boomer must have forgotten her medication or something, but I don't know how to LOCK it!

Now, what medication am I supposed to be taking????

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

156. Apology accepted.

[LanternWaste]

206. How dare you!

You experessed a negative opinion of a lot of people's guilty pleasure. How dare you give anything other than glowing accolades of a consumer choice and prclaim it as the "Second Coming of Christ". You may as well piss on Pong (oh, wait-- that's not the consumer's first choice anymore. Well, I guess in twenty more years, you'll catch some slack for this thread).


:}

[TheWraith]

155. I don't get it either.

I enjoy playing a few computer games, but I could never imagine spending $500-$600 on a dedicated system to do that. PLUS the cost of games, PLUS all the add-ons they sell, and it's all completely devalued in a year or two. For that matter, there are maybe one or two games for these systems when they launch--if people waited just a couple months, there would be many more games and it would cost them maybe half as much.

I've asked people who go in for this sort of thing why they do it, and I still don't get how a toy could be worth that much. Maybe I wouldn't feel that way if I were upper middle class and had a lot of disposable income, but that's not stopping a lot of the people who are buying these. I guess I just don't get rampant consumerism.

All that said, I think this has always tended to manifest itself some way over the years, so it's not some endless slide, just an ugly and recurrant phase of capitalism.

[Sapphire Blue]

157. I'm a Boomer, too... living in what feels like a world of yuppies on steroids.

As I look around, I see rampant greed in the midst of so much poverty & hunger (not 'food insecurity', bush, it's hunger). It hurts; it just plain hurts.

btw, if you haven't yet done so, please Vote for Your Top 3 Human Needs Priorities for the New Congress: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2720597 (the deadline is Nov. 20)

[jeanarrett]

163. I have to agree with you completely. It's absolute Bullshit.

I had the very same thoughts on the matter you did and it wasn't just over the PS3 video game SYSTEM either. Last year an IKEA store opened in our area and people were camped out for TWO days beforehand in front of the store. Who needs STUFF that bad? I work full-time and make about $42,000 per year, but with 5 kids, I am barely scraping by. How do these young people (and others) come up with the extra $500 to buy these things and why do they feel they are so important to have? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I buy the occasional game system for all of my kids to share, but they use it for a few years and I don't upgrade. This year I bought them a bunch of books for Christmas. No electronics at all.

[let us vote]

174. kick

[Strawman]

179. Wait until they come out with "Tickle Me Play Station 3"

That ought to be really nuts.

But seriously, yeah, I don't get it either. People ought to be lining up to sponsor a needy child whose community lacks things like, oh, basic sanitation.

[LanternWaste]

182. My personal opinion...

My personal opinion is that the PC- & console gaming industry has finally realized that they produce not just games, but the New Altar that Americans choose to worship at.

As much as some people hate television as a tool for numbing one's brain into a flatline of activity, I tend to feel the same way about electronic games as they are produced and marketed today.

I suppose it's the flavor-of-the-month for "tune in, turn on and drop out", replacing drugs a generation ago.

Chances are, it'll get a five-minute spot on the local news and a 1:30 spot on the national news tonight, and that's exactly what I don't understand... people buying a popular thing is news?

Yeah, we're just a product of American consumerism. You're gonna get a serious flame-job on this post (if you haven't already), but I'm right there with ya, bud...

:)

[PreacherCasey]

192. Video games and AIM. I have 2 young brothers

who do almost nothing besides play these mind numbing games and "chat" with their buddies online. I find it disturbing and talk to them about it frequently. Hopefully their interests will grow as they get older.

[carlydenise]

193. My kid didn't want a PS3 *thank goodness*

He wants to wait out for the wii. I was glad to hear that Nintendo will ship more units than PS did, so maybe he stands a chance of getting one on Sunday. If not, we will get one later, no worries. Early this a.m. I saw a PS3 auctioned on Ebay, final bid 10,000.00! What is WRONG with people, this is social insanity at its finest, those people who paid that much for a PS3 will feel like idiots when PS finally gets their stores stocked.
Carly

[TheCowsCameHome]

196. One just went for 15K. Bid now, they'll only appreciate in value over time.

Yeah, right.

[Catchawave]

207. LOL...they'll be out-of-date this time next year.....

Maybe these well meaning "parents" should buy their kids a kickass computer instead :shrug: I would.

[Solon]

199. Only 500,000 PS3s WORLDWIDE, yet about 2 million Wiis, at launch...

For the Wii, about 4 million worldwide by end of year, and for the PS3 maybe, and this is a big IF, 1 million by end of year.

[treestar]

198. Why do you hate America?

Just kidding, ITA. Good post.

I'm lucky my ten year old nephews love to play outside. They have a play station but they spend a lot of time outside and always have to be dragged in.

[LibraLiz1973]

209. I agree- and, I lets talk about ebay.

It has been a huge news story for days. OMG!! PS3!! Forget the war!! Forget the bad President!!

It's insane. I don't begrudge anyone buying the system. If you want it, awesome!! I have an XBOx 360 and I love it.
I wouldn't have waited in line for it, but I love it.

But I don't think the release of a video game player qualifies as major news. I really don't.


Today I went on ebay and the IT item of the day was the PS3. I saw 3 auctions as they ended.....
One for $3550. One for $4360 and one for $5800


WTF???


Does anyone realize they could have donated that money to charity? Is it really more important to get a game system NOW than it is to help people who are starving or homeless?

I'm pretty sure that this countries priorities are way out of whack.

[joe_sixpack]

210. Sitting in front of box, is good

The big box gives me pictures. The big box gives me sounds and music. Instead of thinking, I can sit in front of big box. It doesn't feel bad. It doesn't feel at all. The big pictures move fast. Have lot's of colors. Life is hard. Big square box make me forget. For a little while at least. What's wrong if I'm ready to hurt someone to get a bigger, better box? The more real the picture, the more real the sound, the more exciting the box is, the less I have to worry about reality. The big box is my drug.

[bdamomma]

213. Americans love their toys, big and small, it is really sad.

[pdxmom]

216. On CNN this morning, they interviewed a woman who had lost

everything she owned in the tornadoes in North Carolina. She and her kids are living in a shelter because she has no family or friends to take her in. She was very strong and my heart broke hearing her story.

Then, they cut to the next story, which was about the new Sony system. And about the violence out there regarding it. People waiting days to buy them, just to resell them on ebay for thousands of dollars. And the juxtaposition of these two stories and the values exhibited by them made me ill. I had to turn off the TV...it just made me sick to see so blatantly how our values have devolved to this point.

Do I begrudge anyone their game system? No way. That's fine. But before you plunk down your $600, think about that woman who lost everything and what she would spend that money on. Not saying that anyone should give their money away, but just to think about it, and try to do something to balance the scales.

[leftofthedial]

218. By cracky! Them damned whippersnappers!

they've been trained well by the capitalists, haven't they?

[onenote]

219. its not just an American craze

Instead of asking "what's wrong with America" ...why not ask "what's wrong with people who wait in line for new products" Its hardly all Americans, and its hardly a uniquely American pasttime. Waiting on line for a new playstation happens elsewhere, including in Japan. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6142576.stm Probably happens in Europe as well.

[kineneb]

220. the consumer society

new, shiny toys to squander yet more money upon... gee, we don't even have a TV, nor do we want one (never mind not being able to afford cable or dish to actually get a signal...).

...even saw a line waiting at the local MallWart for the PS3... out here in the boonies!

...dang, if someone just gives me yarn for Christmas, or even roving to spin, I will be happy. Have needles, will knit. (With apologies to Paladin.) Even better, a couple of those gift cards that can be used at a grocery store.

[joe_sixpack]

221. Without a TV, you miss the annual ritual

every year about this time, the media come out and proclaim which piece of plastic, wires or cloth is going to be crowned the "must have toy" of the season. A manufactured shortage of said toy is then created. (manufactured, I say, because there really isn't a shortage of plastic, circuits or cheap foreign labor, is there?) The people then do their part by acting like fools, queing in long lines and generally behaving rudely and spasticly. We may not have time to give our kids our full attention, time to protect them from a banal pop culture or even ensure they have a quiet place to think, but hell if they are going to be denied what experts agree is the one thing every kid will want for Christmas this year!

[kineneb]

222. guess the kiddies will have to do with socks

...hand-knit socks at that. No shiny high-tech toys this year, or next, either.

The closest we will get to "shiny" is the rock hammer Hubby will get under the tree, for his new hobby of "armchair" geology. If he is a very good boy, the family might spring for an inexpensive rock tumbler.

Ya' know, I just don't miss the Tube or the crap on it. Our one splurge is a cable modem, from which we can access radio broadcasts from around the world.

[AZBlue]

223. It bothers me that people spend all their free time on these games instead of going out and getting

a real life!!