I just finished hanging out with hundreds of hardcore Windows gamers at the NVIDIA GeForce LAN 4 event in Alameda, California. I was only there for a handful of hours, and really before things truly got started (most people start showing up after work/school), and would be very curious to see how things develop over the next 48 hours, but I at least got a taste of what they going to be up to.

The event lasts for two straight days, with food and drink provided as well as air mattresses for those not hardcore enough to power through. Attendees got a copy of Crysis, and many of them were playing it for the first time on their own rigs that they brought in. NVIDIA also had some demo stations set up playing Crysis on super high-end machines with dual GeForce 8800 GTX cards in SLI – pretty stunning stuff.

I also participated in a gaming panel with other “Windows gaming luminaries” (which was a trip – I’ve never been called a “luminary” before) where we discussed the Windows gaming market, competition with the console market, and what makes Windows gaming so great. Interesting point – when asked how many of those in attendance had a PS3, a few raised their hands. When asked how many owned an Xbox 360, nearly half raised their hands. Not a commentary, I’m just sayin’...

Below are some pictures – they’re not great because my camera doesn’t really do well in low-light conditions, but I tried. You can, as always, check ‘em out on the Flickr feed.

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to check it out, get your butt over to the Alameda Point Navel Base and check it out! Full details are here: http://geforcelan4.nvidia.com/.

Again, sorry for the blurry photos!

Demo Stations and Gamer SetupGo Games for Windows!Where the panel took placeLineup with 1 hour to go before doors openThe Entrance to the PartyPanelA panorama of the Bring Your Own Computer areaGuys playing Crysis