For the 18^th straight year, QuakeCon will host North America's largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, with thousands of fans connecting their systems to play on a world-class network!

Taking place August 1-4, 2013, the event once again returns to the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX and TAW will be there.  You can make reservations at the hotel by calling 1-800-Hiltons or 1-800-445-8667 or by going online to the hotels' reservation page.  Special room rate of $159 per night is available when you reference Quakecon 2013.

What started out as a celebration for id Software's Quake series quickly grew to become a venue for a variety of events. First and foremost, QuakeCon holds the titles of North America's largest LAN party and the largest free LAN party in the world, but it is also an exhibition hall showcasing the latest products in development by sponsors including Alienware, Cooler Master, Intel, Logitech, Nvidia, Razer, Western Digital, and many more (last year, QuakeCon attendees got to try out the Oculus Rift live). The convention hall is also full to the brim with booths where game developers show off playable demos of their newest games and where companies have multiple raffles daily to give away their products absolutely free! If raffles are your interest, you might also find it appealing that for the last few years, Ventrilo has been giving away a brand new car to one (very) lucky winner!!

Booths and raffles aside, the convention hall hosts world-class tournaments touting cash prizes in the thousands to attract professional gamers from across the world (in 2012 there was nearly $30,000 worth of prize money to be won across just the Quake Live tournaments). The BYOC LAN party also hosts its own tournaments sponsored and shoutcasted by the Cyber Sports Network, spanning games from across every genre (and even console gaming, too). If you're tired of walking around the convention hall or weary from too much gaming in the BYOC (hah!), QuakeCon also stages a variety of panels by industry professionals such as John Carmack, founder of id Software, and leaders from game developers and publishers to talk about everything from upcoming breakthroughs in technology to modding workshops.

The convention hall may close at a decent hour, but the BYOC is open 24 hours a day during the full length of the convention, so that's where you can find your fellow TAW clanmates gaming into the wee hours of the night. This year, the TAW presence at QuakeCon is being felt more than ever; you just have to take a look at a section of the seating chart to see that our group will be visible from a distance (https://registration.quakecon.org/?page=byoc). We managed to snag a few extra seats during registration, so contact Wizard if you need a seat. The TAW group that will be meeting at QuakeCon 2013 includes: Acekiller, Archangel, Baggerman, Buleltstopper, Calidrin, Cullen, FencingMaster, Flydog, Forkyeah, Navychief, Nemesis, ShmeeCow, SpaceJunky, Sweet, Todbot, WackyK, and Wizard; we'll also be joined by friends from Quake Wars and other divisions as well. Come join us for four days filled with fun and fragging!!

For more information, visit http://www.quakecon.org/, or talk to Wizard, SpaceJunky, or Todbot, local Dallas residents, for any questions you might have about travel or accommodations. We hope to see you there!