Gaming Nerds Cause Chaos in Tokyo after Store Announces Flash Sale of New Playstation5

If you thought only Black Friday Sales and pre-Covid lockdown toilet paper shopping could evoke the images of complete chaos, then wait till you watch how gaming nerds in Japan choked a store to buy the new PlayStation5 last week.

A video shared by lead UI / UX designer and gamer Dave Gibson on Twitter showed how hundreds of gamers thronged a department gaming store in Tokyo to get their hands on the coveted PlayStation 5. With an unbelievably large crowd and limited staff, the sale had to be cancelled. Describing the scenario that unfolded on January 30, Dave tweeted that the store had to cancel the sale due to “people being insane”. He said he had never seen that kind of insanity in Japan before.

According to a report by VideoGames Chronicle, gaming freaks stormed the Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district where a limited number of the highly sought-after consoles were available on a first-come-first-serve basis. However, with the unexpectedly large number of people showing up at the store, the Yodobashi staff planned to hand out numbered tickets for the PS5 consoles. However, the situation worsened when the staff began to distribute the tickets, causing the crowds to begin pushing, shoving, and even screaming for the ticket.

Netizens and other gamers also expressed their reaction to the astounding incident.

One user wrote that this proves the power of PS5 which according to them is “the best console ever!!” They further wrote that it was pretty obvious that people went crazy and it is a massive success for the marketing of the gaming console. They commended SONY for doing a better job and requested them to be more productive, because they cannot wait anymore to get the PS5.

Meanwhile, a user from the United States said that the Japanese seem more peaceful even in the chaotic sale since people in the US get shot at during the Black Friday Sale.

Another American expressed his disbelief at the unexpected behaviour of Nihonjin (which means Japanese people). He further mentioned that he believed Japanese people to be polite and peaceful waiting in line. He even shared his experience of living in Tokyo and visiting Yodobashi many times, especially on crowded weekends, but never saw anything like that.

The situation got so chaotic that police had to be called in to contain the swelling crowd.