I guess a few Swedish gamers didn't get the memo that you can actually pre-order games in this dazzling 21st century. The above image is one of several insane Swedes who are actually camping outside a store for Grand Theft Auto IV -- damn near two and a half weeks before it even arrives. In comparison I could head into town and most likely pick up two copies on launch day.

Maybe there's some videogame shortage I didn't hear about in Sweden, but this borders on the slightly braindamaged as far as I am concerned. I don't know what's sadder, that these people feel the need to spend over two weeks outside for a videogame, or that they have so little going on in their lives that two weeks are simply that disposable.  

I guess this is what hype does to the human psyche. I can understand camping out a few days for a launch console -- barely -- but over two weeks for a continually pressed disc? That, my friends, is ridiculous. You can see more pictures of the insanity at the source -- a Swedish retailer that has captured these crazy people on camera.

Oh well. They're happy ... I guess. They really shouldn't be, though.

[Update: Apparently the first ten Swedes to buy GTA IV win prizes like consoles and things, which is why they have taken half a month out of living to camp there. Whatever. I still think it's pretty stupid and have filed it under the "win at contest, lose at life" category. Seriously, how can you take two and half weeks out of life for a console? Maybe there just isn't much to do in Sweden]