I've always been fascinated by video games. Though film, music, and literature have great opportunity to artistically flourish, the interactivity of games has also been incredibly creative and immersive. With an endless amount of defining video games that have showcased the brilliance and ingenuity of their medium, I became fully engaged by video games very early on.
When I heard that QuakeCon 2011 was taking place during a time that would be ideal, my head starting planning everything out immediately. Since it was during the first week of August, I wouldn't have to worry about school or work. The event would also be taking place in Dallas, only a mere 6 hours away. With my Uncle also visiting from overseas, it would be a great opportunity to show him the madness of a gaming convention, granted I'd never been to one either. While I've attended my fair share of film, comic, and horror conventions in the past, gaming conventions are a whole new beast.
QuakeCon was created by the developers of Id Software, the development studio behind classics as Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein. They started this convention waay back in the early 1990s. Since then, as the studio has grown into a huge and prominent developer, the convention has also grown to a humongous level. No longer is it just a bunch of small geeks discussing their next title, it’s now an elite fraction of the gaming industry converging to showcase all their upcoming gear, tech, and software. Although the convention only holds a small exhibition area for the studios like Id, Alienware, and Bethesda, the true star of QuakeCon is the BYOC.
What is the BYOC might you ask?
Well the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) is one of the world's biggest LAN events. Attendees tow in their gaming rigs and set it up in a massive hall. Then for the next 4 days, the hall is packed with dedicated gamers playing night and day. During this weekend, you game hard in a wonderful atmosphere of likeminded gamers, who are also reveling in QuakeCon wonder. And panels, prizes, and signing sessions heighten the convention to a WICKED level of coolness.
From hearing all this, I know QuakeCon might sound a bit weird. But trust me, it’s something that has to be experienced to fully understand and appreciate. So you know what? Let's experience it!
We loaded our gaming rig into our Odyssey, stocked up on music goodness (iPhone), and began our two-man journey to Dallas on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Since the convention wasn’t starting till Thursday, we were getting a very bright and early start.
While my Uncle isn’t as clued in on the gaming scene as myself, he remained interested in what wondrous wonders lay at QuakeCon. For me, it was perfect chance to covert him to the darkside!
The trip was quite pleasant. We listened to great music, discussed various topics that ranged from directors, games, books, to British history, Elizabeth I, and Guy Fawkes. Trust me, the discussions were about as varied and random as you'd think.
Check out all the amazing sites traveled by:
We arrived into Dallas at about 8pm (Dallas traffic is WAR) and smoothly checked into our hotel. Our stay was only 2 miles away from QuakeCon, so traveling in the morning would be cake. Plus, GPS is quite possibly the greatest invention of all time. After unpacking, we slipped into sleepiness quickly; we would need to be as energized as the Energizer Bunny for tomorrow’s game-fueled event.
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