I don't understand some of the herd mentality at airports.

For a long time, the budget airline Ryanair used to seat its planes first-come, first-served style. This meant everyone would stand and queue at the gate immediately, sometimes hours before the flight, just so they could get good seats. Fair enough, if that's what you want. But Ryanair switched to allocated seating over a year ago, and yet people still stand and queue long before the gate opens, even though there's little benefit. Can it be worth it just to get to your assigned seat slightly earlier?