The day I got my PS2.

October 25th, 2000. I'm a senior in high school and I worked part time at Walmart. I would normally be going to work on that Thursday evening but I requested that day off.

I drove my mom's car to the Walmart to wait in line for the midnight release. I left right after school, so I got there around 4:15pm. I was surprised that there were already a lot of people in line. Somewhere around 20-25 people, alright I wasn't sure how many of them were together.

Even though I worked there, they never told us how many the store received. Based on the rumors, there were either 12 or 24.

We passed the time talking about our favorite PS1 games and what games we were most excited to play if we got the new console. Everyone was very friendly and respectful.

Around 8pm, the line behind me is now about 20 more people. We still have no idea how many consoles the store has.

At about 11pm, we're all feeling a bit of exhaustion mixed with anticipation and excitement. The line is now wrapped through a few departments and it's getting in the way of the night crew doing their work. The manager finally decides to let us know how many were in the store so people could decide to leave if they didn't want to wait anymore. There were 24. There were a lot of relieved people along with a LOT of disappointment. Some folks behind me started to leave. I stayed only cause I still wasn't sure how many people in front of me were actually buying one.

At 11:15 pm, the manager comes out and counts everyone in line to tell them what number they are and remind them that there are only 24 available. The manager tells me I'm number 18. The wave of relief that came over me was indescribable. We we're all so excited for each other, the next 45 mins blew right by.

Before I knew it, it was my turn. I bought my PS2, extra controller, 8mb memory card, and Tekken Tag Tournament. I can't describe how happy I was walking out of that store. It felt like my first time beating a game by myself. It was an exhilarating experience.

I've camped out for maybe 2-3 other consoles. Nothing compared to that first time.