QuakeCon shakes up 10th anniversary

For years, the fragging faithful have gathered for what has become Valhalla for worshippers of first-person shooters. The event is known as QuakeCon, and the gathering of gamers turns 10 this year.

Dates for the upcoming event were announced by organizers today. QuakeCon will take place at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, August 11 to 14. Online registration (on a first-come, first-served basis) for the free event will begin at 9pm sharp (Eastern time) on Friday, April 15.

"QuakeCon's 10th anniversary is a historic milestone and a time to celebrate the volunteers, fans, sponsors, and games that have driven QuakeCon to become the largest event of its kind," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. "We're going to have the party of a decade, and we want everyone to be there."

The event was first held in the summer of 1996 by a few IRC pals who wanted to meet face-to-face. According to the organizers, "less than 100 attendees gathered at the Best Western in Garland, Texas, that first year to play and talk games and compete." Last year's event drew a record 6,000 attendees, and this year's is expected to bring even more.

Though named after the Quake series, the roster of games featured at QuakeCon has expanded. The games of choice are as follows: Quake, Quake II, Quake III Arena, Quake III: Team Arena, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and id's latest shooter, Doom 3. The next Quake, Quake IV, was not mentioned in the announcement.