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Frag Party

Gamers converge on QuakeCon, the biggest bring-your-own- MARTY STRATTON SAYS HE’S NEVER HEARD OF A BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A computer LAN party in North COMPANY AND A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS. Stratton is executive producer for game America. Meet the geeks who developer id Software (creator of the classic fi rst-person shooter Quake), and he’s make it happen. referring to the tech-convention alchemy that goes into realizing QuakeCon—the Woodstock of gaming, the largest BYOC LAN party in North America. It’s an inter- national gaming spectacle that attracts fl oods of software and hardware sponsors and BY GEOFF JOHNSTON tournament competitors, but QuakeCon’s beginnings were much more humble.

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Connections_Oct.indd 32 9/21/10 2:27:49 PM WHO: Marty Stratton, id Software Brian Davids, “master crimper” EVENT: QuakeCon 2010 Aug. 12-15 Dallas, Texas

In summer 1996, a few dozen Quake devotees decided to rent out a hotel With the exception of the very fi rst meeting room large enough to house their home computers and a relatively QuakeCon nearly 15 years ago, every small homemade network to support their online death matches. Word-of- meeting has been a product of the con- event spread through online chat and message boards, attracting a total 100 centrated efforts of corporate software guests. The id Software and hardware companies and the hard- team then surprised at- working volunteers who just happen to Glossary of Terms tendees with a visit, and make up their customer base. FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER: a mutually benefi cial re- Nine directors comprise the all-vol- Games in which players shoot lationship was born. unteer staff along with about 70 team QuakeCon allows oth- members, Stratton says. Another 400 enemies from fi rst-person erwise home-bound gam- workers volunteer for anywhere be- perspectives. Examples include ers, hackers and tech tween four and 80 hours during the Doom, Quake, Bioshock, Call types to gather in a loca- week of the show. of Duty and Halo. tion and trade tips, tricks One such volunteer is 31-year-old and generally talk shop, Brian Davids, who pays the bills as a BYOC: Bring Your Own effectively obliterating retail cell phone buyer. But once a year, Computer the otherwise airtight no- he proudly steps into the role of Quake- tion that gamers are Con’s volunteer master crimper, leading completely devoid of in- a team that creates the brain-and-heart LAN: Local Area Network terpersonal social skills. of the LAN part of the LAN party. As Attendance has increased leader of the all-volunteer CrimpNation dramatically since that Army, he’s the go-to guy for all Quake- fi rst meet-up in 1996, Con crimping needs. FRAG: To “kill” online gaming and the 2010 event wel- “CrimpNation’s primary responsibil- opponents. comed more than 8,500 ity is creating (or crimping) and main- guests. taining the thousands of patch cables

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Connections_Oct.indd 34 9/21/10 2:28:06 PM that connect the computers in the BYOC area to the switches on the ta- bles,” Davids says, and depending on cable needs, he’ll require as many as 60 volunteers. This CrimpNation serves as part of a larger impromptu, in-house IT de- partment that manages the event’s elec- tronic vital signs and ensures that QuakeCon attendees can frag freely and with little to no disruption or dis- traction. In just two days, the team builds a world-class, ultra-high-speed network for 3,000 people, and then manages it 24 hours a day for four days with vol- gamers. But QuakeCon wouldn’t thrive we enjoy the show itself,” Stratton says. unteers who are some of the best net- if it was a solely fan-based affair or a “And the event simply wouldn’t exist as work engineers in the business, Strat- gigantic corporate laser light extrava- it does today without the mutual re- ton says. These nonpaid workers plan ganza that’s only purpose was to sell as spect and appreciation that we have for and manage arguably half of the event’s much product as possible. What it’s be- each other.” success. come is a symbiotic relationship in Perhaps most rewarding, if ultimately which the line that separates consumer a bit ironic, is the feeling of community and corporate entities blurs, if only for GEOFF JOHNSTON is a frequent contrib- that permeates every aspect of the event, a few days. utor to One+. He has also written for despite its base in mercilessly destroying “We’ve all grown to be friends. We Quick, the Dallas Observer and Texas the pixilated representation of fellow all enjoy working together as much as Music.

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