"Small, unmarked bills" is the clichéd demand of an armed robber. Not in Jacksonville, Fla. A holdup artist told a GameStop employee to fill his bag with games - Madden NFL 10, to be precise.
According to a Jacksonville cop report. a robber went into a Gamestop on Monday night, pretended like he wanted a 360, and then produced a firearm as his method of payment. He demanded copies of Madden NFL 10, and then any Xbox 360 games, presumably declining any NHL 2K10 pre-order solicitations.
Local TV news crusading truth avenger WJXT-TV said the robber made off with 23 games valued at $1,300 total, plus $600 and two 360s. Cash and prizes, the hood's $2,500 richer. But in doing that shoeleather reporting of the mood of the street, the quotes WJXT got sound a little worshipful, and fairly reek of viral marketing, except for the fact filing a false report is also a crime.
"I just heard it was good," video gamer Brian Fletcher said. "I mean, Madden's Madden. Come on. Everybody loves Madden. Can't beat it."
"It's very realistic, followed by you get to create your own teams and rosters and do all sorts of things," video gamer C.J. McCloud added.
Jax cops, however, said the circumstances mimic those of an earlier robbery elsewhere in the city.
Robber Demands Madden NFL Video Game [WJXT-TV via Evil Avatar]