Cloudy skies and a persistent drizzle did little to cool the excitement in the line outside the GameStop at Anchorage’s Tikahtnu Commons last week, as gamers of all ages lined up hours ahead of the launch of Nintendo’s latest gaming console.
For most, it wasn’t the one new game – “Mario Kart World” – for the $450 Nintendo Switch 2 that was the main attraction, but the opportunity to be one of the first with Nintendo’s latest and greatest gadget. For others, like myself, it was an opportunity to relive the tradition of late-night video game launches that had nearly disappeared in the world of release-day shipping and social distancing.
With a pair of old public radio-branded camp chairs and a belly full of Taco Bell, I joined the back of a roughly 30-person line for the walk-up orders around 5:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, I had done a little reconnaissance – bugging the store clerk – to learn that the store had about 80 consoles available for people who hadn’t pre-ordered.
Secure in the knowledge that I would almost certainly secure a console when they went on sale at 8 p.m. (a lucky perk of living in Alaska with a simultaneous release date across the country), I settled in and met some fellow gamers.
For 31-year-old Aaron, the launch was one in a long line of late-night launches. He attended launches for the GameCube in 2001, the Wii in 2006, the Wii U in 2012 and the Switch in 2017. He brought along a family friend, a boisterous 12-going-on-13-year-old Dom, for his first-ever late-night launch.
“It’s fun for me because I’m in the right spot to get one and play it on launch day,” he said, rattling off some of the new features of the console – better horsepower, an improved dock and new controllers that can be used as a mouse – and answering all the questions anyone else had in the line about screen protectors or other accessories.
Aaron and Dom’s enthusiasm was infectious, and the roughly three and a half hours it took to get to the front of the line for check out frankly flew by as we chatted about games, Magic cards and life in general.
“I’m excited to see it. It’s my first release date,” Dom said, listing off some of his favorite Nintendo games – many of which were released well before he was born. “It’s an experience. You get to go out and talk to people and have fun. … We’re all Nintendo fans here!”
The night was a good reminder of just how universal gaming really is. Like the state fair, the night brought together a cross-section of Alaskans who might not often gather together. Families, uniformed military members, young adults and gray-haired gamers all gathered to chat about gaming as we waited for the console release.
Behind us, a military member joked that with work the next morning, he probably wouldn’t stay up too late playing it. For him, though, it was more of an opportunity to hang out with other gamers and celebrate being on a more stable financial footing than he once was.
“I’m stable, so I think I deserve it,” he laughed.
As the night dragged on and legs grew sore, there was little complaining and even less jostling as the launch finally got underway. We cheered as the first Nintendo Switch 2 sale left the store in the hands of a young man grinning ear to ear and tried to eyeball the crowd to estimate how long it’d be until our turn at the counter.
Thanks to the heroics of the Gamestop employees behind the counter, we were out of there about an hour after launch, a Nintendo Switch 2 in my hands and some new friends along the way. Aaron and Dom ripped into their Switch 2 in the car, holding it up like trophies.
“We hope to see you again!” Dom yelled from the car.
And I’ll be there for the Switch 3.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
