View source for QuakeCon

{{Use American English|date=October 2023}}
{{Short description|Annual video game convention}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox convention
| name               = QuakeCon
| logo               = QuakeCon logo.svg
| status             = Active
| genre              = [[Video game]] ([[LAN party]])
| frequency          = Annually
| venue              = [[Gaylord Texan]]
| location           = [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]
| coordinates        =
| country            = United States
| years_active       = {{age|1996|8|15}}
| first              = {{Start date and years ago|1996|8|15}}
| last               = {{Start date and years ago|2024|8|8}}<ref name="quakecon-2024-announcement"/>
| next               =
| attendance         =
| organizer          = [[ZeniMax Media]]
| filing             = Corporate
| website            = {{URL|quakecon.org}}
| footnotes          =
}}
'''QuakeCon''' is a yearly convention held by [[ZeniMax Media]] to celebrate and promote the major franchises of [[id Software]] and other studios owned by ZeniMax. It includes a large, paid, bring-your-own-computer ([[BYOC]]) [[LAN party]] event with a competitive tournament held every year in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], USA. The event, which is named after id Software's game ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', sees thousands of [[video game player|gamer]]s from all over the world attend every year to celebrate the company's gaming dynasty.
The event is highly dependent on volunteers to cover many aspects of the organization of the event. QuakeCon has historically had a reputation as the "[[Woodstock (music festival)|Woodstock]] of gaming", and a week of "peace, love, and rockets!".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5946799/a-closer-look-at-the-woodstock-of-video-games|title=A Closer Look at the "Woodstock" of Video Games|author=Luke Plunkett|publisher=Gawker Media|work=Kotaku|date=September 27, 2012 |access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.gameagent.com/peace-love-and-rockets-inside-quakecon-the-woodstock-of-gaming/|title=Peace, Love and Rockets: Inside QuakeCon|work=The GameAgent Blog|access-date=December 20, 2014|archive-date=November 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110053326/http://blog.gameagent.com/peace-love-and-rockets-inside-quakecon-the-woodstock-of-gaming/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The 25th QuakeCon event had been planned for August 2020 in Dallas, Texas, but due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic]], was canceled by Bethesda Softworks and id Software on March 31, citing difficulties in planning with vendors and exhibitors at this stage.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/360407/QuakeCon_25_called_off_over_COVID19_concerns.php | title = QuakeCon 25 called off over COVID-19 concerns| first = Alissa | last = McAloon | date = March 31, 2020 | access-date = March 31, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref> An online QuakeCon was announced in June 2020 to replace the live show in August 2020.<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Wales|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-25-bethesda-and-id-software-announce-online-quakecon-for-august|title=Bethesda and id Software announce online QuakeCon for August|website=eurogamer.net|date=June 25, 2020|access-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref> The 2021<ref>{{cite tweet |author=QuakeCon |author-link=QuakeCon |user=QuakeCon |number=1425825160347590660 |date=August 12, 2021 |title=#QuakeCon starts August 19! Join us online for three days packed with livestreams, tournaments, giveaways and more! Check out the full streaming schedule and more details: https://beth.games/3iFxCTx |language=en |access-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908083619/https://twitter.com/QuakeCon/status/1425825160347590660 |archive-date=September 8, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and 2022<ref>{{cite tweet |author=QuakeCon |author-link=QuakeCon |user=QuakeCon |number=1560311379600363520 |date=August 18, 2022 |title=It's time for #QuakeCon 2022! Tune in now to https://t.co/APayJiljBo for our welcome address with @idSoftware Studio Director Marty Stratton! https://t.co/CnoEtR7Jck |language=en |access-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818192109/https://twitter.com/QuakeCon/status/1560311379600363520 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> events were also held online. The return to a live event took place on August 10–13, 2023 in [[Grapevine, Texas]].<ref name="quakecon-2023-announcement">{{cite web |url=https://quakecon.bethesda.net/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814041542/https://quakecon.bethesda.net/en/ |title=QuakeCon 2023 Returns to Its Roots, Reuniting Fans with a Modern Upgrade to the Classic BYOC |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |publisher=QuakeCon |access-date=August 14, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Origin ===
QuakeCon originally grew out of a group of people on the [[EFnet]] [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] network, in channel #quake.  As various regular visitors to the channel began expressing a desire to meet and game together in person, Jim "H2H" Elson, a gamer from the [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] area with ties to the local Dallas-area gaming community, and Yossarian "yossman" Holmberg, a computer consultant from [[Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario|Waterloo]], [[Ontario]], Canada, came up with the idea of assembling at a hotel. The original event name was actually '#quakecon', named after the IRC channel, though this quickly evolved into just 'QuakeCon'.  Mr. Elson organized the bulk of the event for the first two years, until the number of people attending each year demanded a more organized approach.  Volunteers grouped into teams to assist in the setup, troubleshooting, and tear down of the event's equipment and network.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
=== 1996–2002 ===
[[File:QuakeCon 1996 - 13.jpg|thumb|Winner Remedy (left) and runner-up Bullyboy (right) at QuakeCon 1996]]
The first event, in August 1996, was held at a conference room of a [[La Quinta Inn]] in [[Garland, Texas|Garland]], Texas. The 1,250 square foot venue hosted around 40 people.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gallagher |first=Danny |date=November 25, 2021 |title=The Story of QuakeCon |url=https://issuu.com/futurepublishing/docs/ret227.issuu |magazine=Retro Gamer |location= |publisher= |access-date= |issue=227}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/about.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816025343/http://www.quakecon.org/about.html|title=QuakeCon 2000 - The World's Best Multiplayer Gaming Event|archive-date=August 16, 2000|publisher=Quakecon.org|access-date=December 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Attendees who had brought their computers along to the event set up a small, impromptu network, in one of the hotel meeting rooms, playing mostly ''Quake I'' and ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', testing deathmatch skills. A small tournament was held, with winners taking home T-shirts as prizes. The highlight of this first gathering came on the eve of the last day, when the entire [[id Software]] team showed up at the event in a surprise and most-welcome visit, stopping by to chat with the participants. [[John D. Carmack|John Carmack]], lead programmer for ''Doom''/''Quake'', participated in a 30–45 min. group chat with attendees on the porch of the hotel.  Some ideas discussed during that chat eventually made it into Quake's future public releases. This "Carmack's Talk" grew into a yearly keynote speech that lasted through 2013.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
QuakeCon 1997 brought an estimated 650 attendees to the [[Holiday Inn]] in [[Plano, Texas]]. It was covered by numerous Internet and broadcast media outlets, and was sponsored in part by id Software and Activision.<ref>[https://78.media.tumblr.com/4c24ab648e9cb5fccd4253ec4791f64b/tumblr_n5sc1uFRgX1s3xc9ao1_500.jpg Spring Beans on Tumbir]</ref>
QuakeCon 1998 was held in conjunction with the [[Cyberathlete Professional League]] at [[Infomart]] in Dallas, Texas. Due to poor planning and the lack of people who had helped make the first two events a success, QuakeCon 1998 is regarded by many as being only partially a QuakeCon event. However, it was instrumental in motivating a group of people to start planning QuakeCon 1999 early.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
From 1999 to 2002, QuakeCon took place that the [[Mesquite Convention Center]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/schedule.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991122015831/http://www.quakecon.org/schedule.html |title=QuakeCon 99|archive-date=November 22, 1999 |publisher=Quakecon.org|access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010515220310/http://www.quakecon.org/|title=QuakeCon 2001 - News|archive-date=May 15, 2001|publisher=Quakecon.org|access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/archive.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020601142137/http://www.quakecon.org/archive.html|title=QuakeCon 2002 - News Archive|archive-date=June 1, 2002|access-date=December 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802074629/http://www.quakecon.org/|title=QuakeCon 2002 - The World's Premier Multiplayer Gaming Event|archive-date=August 2, 2002|publisher=Quakecon.org|access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> The 1999 event was the first event in which [[id Software]] played a major role in the organization. Recognizing that major sponsors were needed, David Miller a.k.a. "Wino" & Paul Horoky a.k.a. "devilseye", both original QuakeCon 1996 people, contacted [[id Software]] and convinced them to become the main sponsor, and to help out with finding more sponsors. Together with Anna Kang (then [[id Software]] employee, now [[John D. Carmack|John Carmack]]'s wife) and a team of volunteers, Mr. Miller & Mr. Horoky set out to build QuakeCon 1999, which became the template for later years.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} A change of venue allowed the convention to grow larger than it had ever been before, and, this time, just down the street from id Software headquarters in Mesquite. id Software employees, including John Carmack, participated in various tournaments with attendees on-site as well. A large number of companies sponsored the event for the first time, including [[Activision]], [[AMD]], [[Apple Computer]], [[ATI Technologies]], [[Logitech]], [[Linksys]], and [[Lucent Technologies]]. QuakeCon 1999 was also the first time Quake 3 was used in competition as the game had not yet been released to the public.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
2002 saw the retirement of John Carney, and Brian Davis assumed stewardship of the event as executive director.  2002 was also the first year id assumed a very active role in the pre-event activities, with the arrival of Marty Stratton a year earlier. Added ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'' to the tournament lineup in a Team-based tournament. First unofficial Ms. QuakeCon event, first appearance of Doom III theater, also the first appearance of [[Mister Sinus Theater 3000]] (later known as The Sinus Show, and ultimately Master Pancake Theater), an Austin, Texas-based ''[[MST3K]]'' troupe, lambasting [[Britney Spears]]' movie ''[[Crossroads (2002 film)|Crossroads]]''.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
=== 2003–2009 ===
QuakeCon 2003 took place at [[Adam's Mark Hotel]] in [[Dallas, Texas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quakecon.org/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030409041910/http://www.quakecon.org/index.html|title=QuakeCon - The World's Premier Multiplayer Gaming Event|archive-date=April 9, 2003|publisher=Quakecon.org|access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> It was the first change in venue since the convention moved to [[Mesquite, Texas]], USA, 4 years prior. Tapper continued to coordinate volunteer activity, while id assumed much more of the pre-event planning through the capable hands of Marty Stratton. Ms. QuakeCon evolved into a tournament-based event with a sponsor, id unveiled ''[[Doom 3]]'' deathmatch. The first display of the award-winning franchise called "Call of Duty" found its way into the exhibitor area.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
[[File:QuakeCon 2004.jpg|thumb|right|QuakeCon 2004 ''Doom 3'' tournament winners]]
QuakeCon 2004 took place at the [[Gaylord Texan|Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel and Convention Center]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quakecon.org/forums/showthread.php?t=56 |title= QuakeCon|website=www.quakecon.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050210215344/http://www.quakecon.org/forums/showthread.php?t=56 |archive-date=February 10, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberfight.org/site/news/26114/?highlight=quakecon%202004 |title=QuakeCon 2004 - Day 3 |website=www.cyberfight.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315002412/http://www.cyberfight.org/site/news/26114/?highlight=quakecon%202004 |archive-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref> Yet another change of venue brought QuakeCon into the record books as the largest LAN party in North America, with over 3000 BYOC attendees. Tournaments prizes totaled over $150,000 and saw the world's first Official ''[[Doom 3]]'' Tournament, won by [[Johnathan Wendel|Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel]]. The event also had a live performances by [[The Sinus Show]], and [[Tweaker (music)|Tweaker]], featuring [[Chris Vrenna]], former [[Nine Inch Nails]] drummer. This year also saw another significant change in leadership, as a result of an injury to Brian Davis just weeks before the event. Aaron "Alric" Ferguson was appointed to fill in for Tapper at the last minute.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
QuakeCon 2005 was another large event which saw the unveiling of ''[[Quake 4]]'' multiplayer. It was Aaron Ferguson's first complete year as executive director, and the first time at QuakeCon featuring an all girl gamer tournament with major cash prizes. It was the first year of Intel's sponsorship of QuakeCon, beating out AMD.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
QuakeCon 2006 took place at [[Hilton Anatole]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quakecon.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5694 |title= QuakeCon|website=www.quakecon.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822204754/http://www.quakecon.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5694 |archive-date=August 22, 2006}}</ref> QuakeCon 2006 was the first time [[Enemy Territory: Quake Wars]] was playable by the general public. Longer than normal delays leading up to the official event announcement fueled Internet speculation that the event was actually canceled for the first time ever. It was also discussed publicly earlier in the year by id Software executives that the event had a possibility of not being held inside Texas, nearly breaking a 10-year tradition since the convention's start. The entire event was also announced, planned, and executed in little over a month, a much shorter timeline than prior years. The first QuakeCon to feature a Team Deathmatch tournament. It was the first event to include the Nvidia Quickdraw tournaments, which pulled random people from the BYOC area to compete for 1,000 dollars.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
At QuakeCon 2007, Aaron "Alric" Ferguson continued in the role of executive director for this event, which sported a 5x increase in vendor space (25,000 sq ft) over the 2006 event, {{convert|7000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. total event space, and the return of the popular "Quick Draw" tournaments for all general attendees. The second public beta of [[Enemy Territory: Quake Wars]] was released to BYOC attendees on the first day of the event. There were just two featured tournaments, both with $50,000 purses, and both sponsored by NVIDIA: ET:QW, and the new Quad Damage Tournament, which combined all four Quake games into one competition. The event was also highlighted by a slew of major announcements, including [[id Software]]'s new intellectual property RAGE, a sneak peek at the "id Tech 5" engine, a February 10, 2007, release date for ET:QW, updates on the new [[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]] game title and major motion picture, the revelation that old id Software titles were to be made available via Steam, the upcoming debuts of Quake Arena Arcade, Quake Zero (now officially named Quake Live), and Quake Arena DS, also—in an unprecedented move—the announcement of the dates and venue for the next QuakeCon before the current year's event was even finished.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
QuakeCon 2008 marked the debut of the first-ever [[Quake Live]] 1v1 and CTF tournaments. (sponsored by Intel) As well as the Activision Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Team Championships (featuring competitions on both PC and for the first time on Xbox 360), The Alienware Quick-Draw Challenge, and the QuakeCon Ultimate Power Up.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
=== 2010–present ===
QuakeCon 2010–2016 returned to Hilton Anatole. The 2012 event was the first year to ever fill BYOC on Friday. This year marked the first year for several Executive Staff including a new executive director of Michael "TnT_Trash" Wolf. Also [[Oculus Rift]] showcase.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
==Past events==
=== Past results and records in Duel Tournaments ===
[[File:Rapha at Dreamhack Winter 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rapha (gamer)|Rapha]] is the winningest player at QuakeCon.]]
*'''Most wins'''
** [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] : 7 (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023)
** [[Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky]] : 4 (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014)
** John "ZeRo4" Hill : 3 (2000, 2001, 2003)
** Dan "RiX" Hammans : 2 (1997, 1998)
** Johan "Toxjq" Quick : 2 (2006, 2007)
** Nikita "clawz" Marchinsky : 2 (2017, 2018)
** Marcel "k1llsen" Paul: 2 (2019, 2022)
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Year
!Champion
!Runner-up
!Game
|-
| 1996 || Richard "Remedy" Reed || BullyBoy || Quake
|-
| 1997 || Dan "RiX" Hammans  || Forego  || QuakeWorld
|-
| 1998 || Dan "RiX" Hammans || Victor "Makaveli" Cuadra || Quake II
|-
| 1999 || George "DieharD" Myshlyayev || Tim "1134-Bane" Santaniello || Quake III Arena
|-
| 2000 || John "ZeRo4" Hill || Terrel "Matador" Garret || Quake III Arena
|-
| 2001 || John "ZeRo4" Hill || [[Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel]] || Quake III Arena
|-
| 2002 || Alexey "LeXeR" Nesterov || Sean "Daler" Price || Quake III Arena
|-
| 2003 || John "ZeRo4" Hill || Alexander "Z4muZ" Ihrfors || Quake III Arena
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2004 || Paul "czm" Nelson || John "ZeRo4" Hill || Quake III Arena
|-
| [[Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel]] || Sean "Daler" Price || Doom 3
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2005 || Fredrik "gopher" Quick || Yang "RocketBoy" Meng || Doom 3
|-
| Jamie "g0d-Missy" Pereyda || Alana "g0d-Ms.X" Reid || Quake III Arena (Women only)
|-
| Mikael "Purri" Tarvainen || Brad "Doze" Herrlinger || Quake II
|-
| 2006 || Johan "Toxjq" Quick || Anton "Cooller" Singov || Quake 4
|-
| rowspan=2 |2007 || Johan "Toxjq" Quick || Magnus "fox" Olsson || QuakeWorld, Quake II, Quake III, Quake 4
|-
| Kevin "Kev!" McShane || Zach "MrGreen" Segal || Doom 3
|-
| 2008 || [[Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky]] || John "ZeRo4" Hill || Quake Live
|-
| 2009 || [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] || Sebastian "Spart1e" Siira || Quake Live
|-
| 2010 || [[Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky]] || Anton "Cooller" Singov || Quake Live
|-
| 2011 || [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] || Kévin "strenx" Baéza || Quake Live
|-
| 2012 || [[Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky]] || Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty || Quake Live
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2013 || [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] || Sergey "evil" Orekhov || Quake Live
|-
| Jefferson "JKist3" Kist || Chris "DevastatioN" Felix || Doom II
|-
| 2014 || [[Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky]] || Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty || Quake Live
|-
| 2015 || [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] || Sergey "evil" Orekhov || Quake Live
|-
| 2016 || [[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]] || Sergey "evil" Orekhov || Quake Live
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2017 || Nikita "clawz" Marchinsky || [[Sander "Vo0" Kaasjager]] || Quake Champions
|-
| Dawid "David" Gryglewski || pthy || Quake II
|-
| Dennis "LocKtar" Larsson  || Marcus "dirtbox" Cooke || QuakeWorld
|-
|2018
|Nikita "clawz" Marchinsky
|Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty
|Quake Champions
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2019 ||
Marcel "k1llsen" Paul
|Anton "Cooller" Singov
|| Quake Champions
|-
| Jeff "Thump4" McShane || Dead Beat || Quake II
|-
| Jeff "Thump4" McShane  || Dan "RiX" Hammans || QuakeWorld
|-
|2020
|[[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]]
|Adrián "RAISY" Birgány
|Quake Champions
|-
|2021
|Marco "vengeurR" Ragusa
|Adrián "RAISY" Birgány
|Quake Champions
|-
|2022
|Marcel "k1llsen" Paul
|Adrián "RAISY" Birgány
|Quake Champions
|-
|2023
|[[Shane "Rapha" Hendrixson]]
|Adrián "RAISY" Birgány
|Quake Champions
|-
|}
== Sponsors ==
QuakeCon is primarily paid for by [[ZeniMax Media]] and fees paid by attendees in conjunction with the sponsorship of leading technology companies. Past sponsors of the event include [[Activision]], [[nVidia]], [[AMD]], [[Aspyr]], [[ASUS]], [[Ventrilo]], [[Apple Inc|Apple]], [[ATI Technologies]], [[AT&T Inc.]], [[Alienware]], [[Ageia]], [[Ziff Davis|1UP Network]], [[FragArcade]], [[Intel]], [[D-Link]], [[Logitech]], [[Linksys]], [[Spike TV]], [[Newegg.com]] and [[Lucent Technologies]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.quakecon.org Official website]
{{Quake series}}
{{Doom series}}
{{Esports}}
{{Video Game Trade Shows}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quakecon}}
[[Category:LAN parties]]
[[Category:Gaming conventions]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1996]]
[[Category:Annual events in Texas]]
[[Category:Video game trade shows]]
[[Category:Quake (series) competitions]]
[[Category:Video game conventions]]