( CNN ) -- When you 're about to settle in for four days of serious gaming , while crammed into a single room with a couple thousand of your peers , there are some unique concerns . To stand out , you want your computer rig to look cool . And to stay connected , you want it to actually be cool . At QuakeCon , the bring-your-own-computer gaming fest that celebrated its 18th anniversary earlier this month in Dallas , the results of those concerns were some of the coolest-looking computer setups you 're likely to see . Nearly 10,000 people attended the event to see the latest PC games from select companies , but also to witness the spectacle of 2,800 people playing computer games against one another in the same place . Part of the allure is competing against opponents from six different continents ( Paging gamers from Antarctica ! ) and potentially being able to see them face-to-face instead of just talk over voice chat . The experience is unlike playing on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in the comfort of your home . These gamers are all in one big , chilly room and connected to each other by 63,400 feet of cable . It 's called the BYOC -- bring-your-own-computer -- room and is as much a showcase for players ' modding skills as it is a place to play . Sometimes the modifications are purely aesthetic ; sometimes they 're to increase the computer tower 's effectiveness and , sometimes , they address both . Here are some of the highlights from our visit to QuakeCon . Which ones are your favorites ? Let us know in the comments .
At CNN , nearly 10,000 of gamers show up with modified computers . The earlier this month event in Dallas drew thousands people . Modifications were meant to look good , keep computers cool .