RE: [-empyre-] games experimentation

["Melanie Swalwell" <Melanie.Swalwell@vuw.ac.nz>]

Absolutely, it's a lot of fun looking at cases and people's setups, and that's actually one of the things that gamers have reported liking about lanning to me - the chance to check out other peoples' setups, presumably something that goes for the external bits as well as the files.  The hotrodding idea is probably quite an apt comparison for casemodding.  I know marginally more about what goes on under a bonnet than inside a box so I really like the windows in the side so you can see the components.  I remember how things have changed, even over the last 5 years - I didn't think much of it at the time, but I remember seeing lots of "case mods" of a sort in 1999 when I began research with lanners.  It seemed to me more down home then (but then I haven't seen any shoebox computers!)  Some people had painted their cases but others had stickers or action figures or fluffy toy mascots that would sit atop their screens.  Looking back you could see these as precursors to contemporary case mods.  But what I liked most was being introduced to one guy's PC by name.  The relations and investments we have with/in these computer things are not insignificant, and certainly defy the stereotypes of technology as sterile and non-affective.

Melanie

-----Original Message-----
From: Helen Stuckey [mailto:hstuckey@acmi.net.au]
Sent: Friday, 18 June 2004 5:27 p.m.
To: soft_skinned_space
Subject: RE: [-empyre-] games experimentation


Melanie sorry to drill you on this but I am very interested in the concept of LANNING in this context. How may were involved in the LAN? Was there many modded boxes? One of my favourite boxes I saw at a LAN was this guy who amongst the glowing blue lights, chrome and other fancy boxes had the guts of his machine loose in a shoe box - it was very punk! Another had a the most ancient beige case complete with hole cut for a bag of ice rather than a slick refrigeration unit. there was also one machine built in a samsonite suitcase for ease of LAN attendance.
I really enjoy the innovative hot rod culture of these boxes.