QuakeCon 2003

Can Dan Elektro survive the ultimate fragfest in Dallas? Well, his journal made it through...

Wednesday August 13, 2003
8:10 pm
Well, I'm off to meet my Doom. Ha, ha. I'm in the Phoenix airport waiting for a connecting flight to Dallas. I'll get there really late (or early depending on how you look at it) and only get a few hours of sleep before the biggest LAN party in the country kicks off-QuakeCon.

For the uninitiated, QuakeCon is a huge multiplayer fragfest, organized independently by fans of id's shooter Quake. In many ways, it's the prototype for the modern LAN party, where people bring their own PCs and play in enormous networked games of first-person shooters. Over the years it's grown in scope and respectability; this year it spans four full days and corporate sponsors include Activision, AMD, Nvidia, and of course, id Software itself. It's no coincidence that id headquarters are located in Mesquite, about a half an hour from the event at a downtown Dallas hotel. The company has been supportive of the gathering since its inception. And this year, id is planning a special treat.

The thing to remember about id is that they kinda know they don't need anybody. The press can beg all it wants, but ultimately, it does not matter what kind of coverage or previews or features any magazine or website runs on id games-the fanbase is built in, and frankly, programmer John Carmack and company have little, if anything, left to prove. A good preview or a bad review from GamePro ultimately makes little difference-you're still going to see the game fly off store shelves when it's released, no matter what it is. So I'm going to be here as press, but there's no red carpet; my GamePro t-shirt will be hidden underneath my Quake III hockey jersey.


(yes, that's actually Carmack in the Ferrari)
The company's next release, Doom 3, was not on display at E3 this year, and aside from a big closed-door theater presentation at the 2002 show, the game has been only seen in a handful of screenshots and some test renders. So imagine the world's surprise when id said it was letting QuakeCon attendees play an early multiplayer build. On the show floor, for free. Just for showing up. As a thank-you for their support. Sure, they're looking for early feedback too, some constructive fan criticism that will ultimately help the game develop between now and its vague "2004" ship date...but this is not really about that. This is about the love and mutual respect between a company and its fanbase. This is because Carmack knows exactly who bought him his Ferraris. And that's why this is cool.

10:15 pm
As I type this on an iBook that does not even remotely fit on the tray table, the guy across the row from me is watching an obvious bootleg of Bruce Almighty on his laptop. Piracy is bad! Movies - They're Worth It!

Thursday August 14, 2003
2:15 am
Gimme a break--$50 for a ride from the airport? Welcome to Dallas, y'all.

Outside the hotel lurk a small pack of gamers, who seem stunned to see a car pull up. The uniform is in effect: black t-shirts (preferably with horror movie images or logos on them), cargo pants, and a wired "when do we start" expression. These people are dressed for comfort and here to play, dammit, and you can't blame them for not being in bed.

One guy made it this far, but has no money and therefore no room at the hotel and place to sleep. Hell, Doom III's public debut is mere hours away--who needs sleep?

7:30 am
Just woke up, and now that the sun is out, the first thing I see is a skyscraper through my hotel room window. It looks so familiar. I can almost place it. Oh, wait...is that the Ion Storm building? I thought I smelled Daikatana!

8:27 am
The gamers have landed. The entire upstairs lobby is filled with people and PCs. The bring-your-own-computer area has not opened up yet, and won't for a half hour, so everybody is just milling around or napping next to heavily modded PC cases-aluminum, plexi, windows, you name it. Everybody's got their own 17-inch monitor too--a major pain in the ass to lug around. To kill time, someone's hooked up their system and is playing a DVD of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back for a small crowd.

Just to counter the stereotypes a bit, there are three females within shouting distance. And they're not hangers-on. They've got gear.

The hotel staff looks nervous. I'm nervous too. I'm the only one so far in a Quake jersey. Nerd.

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