Happy Haloday!

Or should I say have a Master Chiefmas?

That's right, folks, Halo 3 has arrived for the Xbox 360! The third and (supposedly) final installation of Microsoft and Bungie's wildly popular first-person shooter is on store shelves today after years of anticipation. Personally, I preordered it and am going to pick it up on my lunch break. Unfortunately, my stupid sense of responsibility is keeping me from taking today (or the rest of the week) off to play the game. But according to USA Today, lots of gamers don't feel that same responsibility to put work and other adulthood commitments above playing Halo 3. Although really, I can understand that decision. As one person on digg said, "Of course I took a vacation day. This is like a gamers super bowl that only happens once every 3 to five years." Although wouldn't that be more like the World Cup?

Other funny posts from digg users about taking today off to play Halo 3:

Hehe, Half my school is gonna be absent tomorrow. Of course I go to an IT high school....and everyone is a total geek......and even the teachers are gonna be absent...

Hell just make it a National Holiday and get it over with >_>

Let's see... 1) Save earth from the Covenant, or 2) making sure my TPS report has a cover sheet...

I work in a senior technical department with about 25 other people. At least 8 of those people have had their vacation planned for this specific reason. Yesterday was a cesspool of standing up, leaning over the cube and yelling: "HEY, YOU GONNA BE ON XBOX LIVE TOMORROW?!?!"

we had about 5 guys in my department put in vacation day requests as soon as the release date came out. They got approved, and it wasn't untill about a week ago that the boss man put 2 and 2 together and figured out what was going on. He wasn't happy, but theres nothing that says they can't take a vacation day or 2 (or however many they want) for something like this.

And lastly:

Women get maternity leave. Men should get gaming leave.

It's only fair.

To which a female digg user replied:

I'm a woman, screw maternity leave, I want gaming leave...