Gamers are a tireless breed, and yet the 24/7 BYOC (bring your own computer) hall has taxed even the most stalwart here. When I awoke this morning, I became painfully aware of the punishment I had been putting myself through over the past 48 hours by a dull ache over my entire body and a buzzing noise in my ears that seemingly came from everywhere. I could only imagine how some of these gamers must feel, as some have decided to go for broke, playing QuakeLive and Team Fortress 2 on the BYOC LAN virtually non-stop since Thursday.
After checking e-mail and grabbing a quick bite, I made my way to the hall. Outside the hotel, on the sidewalk connecting the main hotel with the exhibition hall, several gamers had succumbed to exhaustion on the lounge chairs along the way. “Total party wipe,” I thought to myself, and smiled.
When I entered the hall, many of the gamers within hadn’t fared much better, several having collapsed at their systems with pillows underneath their heads and blankets around their shoulders. Many others gamed on relentlessly, with mountains of empty Bawls cans forming veritable edifices around their rigs.
This morning, Ryan Brown from Dell Sales Chat and I were treated to an interview with several of the PMS Clan ladies; video to come later.
Afterwards, co-leader of the clan Athena-Twin took me an on-camera tour of the truck, showing off all of the wonderful toys being showcased. Early next week, I should be able to post the video by itself.
Below she took a moment during the tour to play “Poke the DJ”:
In a few moments, the tournament finals will be under way, where literally thousands of dollars will be given away to the top contenders. That’s sure to be a show in its own right.