It's the little people you have to appreciate, and whenever a great video game goes on sale, those little people are us. It doesn't matter if you're a millionare businessman, a lowly teenager, or even a video game website editor, we are all lumped in the same group on the midnight releases of extremely popular games. It's during this moment that video game store managers become the guardians of the gates of our entertainment. I've done my fair share of camping for video games, probably moreso than the average player, so I know what to expect and don't freak out when I see long lines. I also know better than to not have a pre-order ready (although that doesn't mean you don't have to sit in the long line).

I think the key to the overall experience is who manages the store you are going to and how they intend to manage the crowd that appears. Of course, for many obvious reasons, you need to judge the game and audience and adjust appropriately. For example, as a store manager I would probably be more lenient at the midnight release of Mario Galaxy than GTA IV or Halo 3, but again, that's just a personal preference. There's really three different types of managers and how they handle popular games and I'm sure any midnight buyer has seen all three within the last two generations.

1.) The manager that doesn't do a midnight release. Simple. The guy is obviously not very into the job he has or keeping it, as skipping the midnight release of any game that has a large number of presales means that your store won't get the revenue from the midnight release (and it's always all about the midnight release) and will fall behind those that do, you'll suck, yada yada...
Basically, these duchebags ruin the opportunities for local gamers to waste an entire 8 hours (approx) before morning. They don't count as they won't be in business, or employed at that business, long.

2.) The big box manager. These guys are a little more understandable. These managers are usually older, probably more focused on sales and management than they are on playing video games, therefore they lack the passion of the local guy. They don't care that GTA IV is coming out, they won't buy it, and they have no problem blocking people from buying it. Sales of software probably bring in a decent profit, but even if they sell 1,000 units, Best Buy will turn a large enough profit without the launch. Most managers in this category are more annoyed by the fact that they have to be present and deal with avid gamers at midnight, and being an avid gamer that camped out by a Wal-Mart for 2 days for the PS3, I don't blame them. We're hardly a positive reflection of their store. These guys are dicks, don't care what happens to you in line, and pretty much don't want to deal with you. In their defense, I wouldn't want to either.

3.) The local store manager. This includes all your small gamestops as well, since lets face it, those guys have taken over the local video game market. They've got almost as many locations as Starbucks in some cities! These guys are usually cool because they love video games as much as you. They're great at controlling the crowd and they've done this many times before. It's usually the most controlled, quick, and best behaved group of people, which means a lot when you've got a line a block and a half long to purchase a game that's all about robbery and violence.

Last night, the store manager at my local gamestop had an awesome and controlled environment that moved like an army bootcamp. At 11:45 he moved everyone out of the store and to the sidewalk (which was kind because it was freezing out) and lined us up. He made sure everyone was full pre-rung up and he even offered a quicker, shorter line if you wanted to buy a strategy guide (how the hell else is he gonna move those things and when you can jump ahead of 100 people, $18 isn't so bad). He set up the products and set two controlled lines with the best two register people in charge. He then had one guy outside for crowd control (and that guy probably had a cell phone to call the cops in crazy situations) and that guy sent people in 5 at a time, confirming receipts while the others get rung up. I had my game by 12:04 and that manager called me later and successfully moved over 150 presales in less than an hour. He was in bed by 1:30. I tip my hat to him, he knows how to run a store. It's situations like that that make me appreciate the local store manager, without them it'd just be a rough mosh pit outside Best Buy.