With PlayStation 5 supplies running low across the country, many gamers are turning to third-party vendors to access the latest and greatest in interactive entertainment. Unfortunately, online scammers out there are taking advantage of buyers like Andrew Friedman, a 33-year-old Sony diehard who thought he was getting an authentic PS5 on eBay, but instead received an original of Mark Rothko’s monumental work 1957 #20, also known as Brown, black on maroon.
Buyer beware! Some people will do anything for a quick buck, even if it means ripping off gamers at their most emotionally vulnerable hour.
“All I wanted to do was play Cyberpunk 2077 and maybe check out the Demon’s Souls remake, and instead, I’m out 1,200 bucks and don’t even know where to put this thing,” said Friedman, sitting in his living room in front of the massive seven-and-a-half-foot-tall work that showcases the Latvian American artist’s mature later period. “At first, when I pulled [Rothko’s masterpiece] out of the box, I thought it was just packing material, and the PlayStation and copies of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Sackboy were way at the bottom. But the longer I looked, the more it dawned on me: The only thing I got was this stupid painting.”
“God, I feel like such a sucker,” he continued, sighing as he gazed back at the mid-century masterpiece of abstract expressionism.
Boy, we’ve heard some horror stories out there about gamers being duped in their quest for next-gen glory, but it’s still painful imagining Friedman’s excitement turning to disappointment as he realized he’d lost over a thousand dollars on this prime example of Rothko’s somber but evocative expressionism. Worse still, the eBay seller has gone cold and isn’t responding to any refund requests, leaving Friedman stuck with this eyesore out back in his dumpster until the junk guys come to haul it away.
So be careful out there, gamers! It might be tempting to fork over money online in the hope of joining the next-generation, but you could wind up with nothing but a painting worth $87 million to compensate you for your effort. That’s something no self-respecting gamer would ever want.
