ROGCon stands for the Republic of Gamers Convention.

The concept for the Republic of Gamers Convention started with leaders at ASUS who set out to find a group that could do justice to gamers and live up to the Republic of Gamers philosophy. Vibrating Brain was selected with a record of putting together the biggest and best professional gaming events. With over 30 gaming events under their belt, Vibrating Brain is going to team with the best partners to bring old school gaming fun back to gamers.

The Republic of Gamers Convention plans on making it self different from other LAN parties in many ways. First and foremost is the attention that will be paid to the people who count: the gamer. Not the elite few professional gamers or your little sister's web pet, but you and the things you as a computer gamer care about. Fun gaming competitions open
to all who want to try out their skills against other gamers, awesome workshops hosted by the biggest and best names in computer hardware, upcoming software titles to try out, an extremely fast Gigabit gaming
network, exhibition areas showing the latest in the industry, and much
more.

ROGCon will open its doors for the BYOC at 9:00AM CST on Friday August 8th and run 24 hours a day until Sunday August 10th at 4:00PM CST.

If you are planning on attending ROGCon and bringing your laptop or desktop computer the cost to register for the event is $20.00. Once you register for the ROGCon BYOC or BYOL you will be able to enjoy free or heavily discounted food prices that ROGCon is going to offer registered attendees. You will be allowed to win prizes in tournaments, get free swag from sponsors, win raffles and come and go 24 hours a day.

If you are NOT planning on participating in the BYOC or BYOL and would like to come to a workshop or explore the exhibition areas you can register at the check in desk at the event for a Day Pass for free. Day Passes are only good for a single day and the day pass will not allow you in the event after 9pm. Day Pass attendees are not eligible to participate in raffles, sponsor giveaways and tournaments.

ROGCon Summer 2008 will take place at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, located downtown at 300 Reunion Blvd. West, Dallas, Texas 75207. The Hyatt can be reached at 214-651-1234 and reservations can be made by calling 1-800-633-7313. Mention the Republic of Gamers Convention for discounted room rates of $99 per night.

Registration is done through our website at www.ROGCon.com. If you plan on sitting in the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) area, you will have to choose your seating location during the registration process. If you don’t plan to bring your computer/laptop to ROGCon, you must still register online but can skip the BYOC and seating selection section of the registration form.

Once you have registered online, you MUST print out the confirmation page and bring it to the event, whether you have chosen to be part of the BYOC or not. This online registration conformation form must be presented, along with valid photo ID, at the registration desk before you are allowed to enter ROGCon. These are required to get your welcome packet and badges.

Yes you can. If you are one of a group attending ROGCon and want to make sure that you all have seats next to each other, you can place the additional seats on temporary hold for up to 72 hours. After 72 hours, if the seats have not been claimed by those you are holding them for, the seats will be released and become available again for others registering to chose from. Only your seat will remain on hold beyond the 72 hour hold period.

Due to the limited availability of seating in the BYOC, spots will go fast. If you plan on sitting with friends, you must register ASAP to guarantee sitting close to each other. Registration will be allowed at the check-in table as long if there are still seats available in the BYOC. However, it’s likely that most seats will be reserved before the event opens and there is no guarantee any seats will still be available at that time.

Day Passes are available to those who have not pre-registered online, do not want to bring their computer and sit in the BYOC, and a Day Pass will allow you limited access to the event. If you register for a Day Pass, you will only be able to use it on the day you purchase it, between the hours of 10AM and 9PM. Should you decide to come back another day, you will have to purchase another Day Pass and the same restrictions will apply.

Badges are given out at check-in and must be worn at all times when attending ROGcon. Security Guards will be posted at all entrances and exits and no one will be allowed access to the event without their badge.

Yes. To attend ROGCon, you must be 18 years of age or older, with a valid ID. Everyone attending ROGCon that is under 18 years of age may still attend, but will need to have a Parental Waiver co-signed by your parent or legal guardian at the event during check in. This form MUST be presented at the time of check-in and will be kept on file by Vibrating Brain.

A valid ID’s must not be expired and must have a picture on it. Those accepted are state issued Drivers Licenses, Federal ID’s, Passports or Government issued ID’s. A school ID of any kind, with or without photograph, IS NOT accepted.

The tournaments at ROGCon will be focused on gaming enjoyment for all and will offer prizes comprised of computer hardware, computer systems, clothing and other items. Large cash prize tournaments tend to draw elite professional gamers who intimidate the casual gamer and take the fun out of it for them. ROGCon will focus on bring old school gaming fun back to everyone with classic gaming tournaments, survival challenges, and BYOC voted on tournaments. Watch our main page for news on exciting events that are going to take place at ROGCon.

There will be systems setup for tournaments that will have gaming software loaded on them, but you are required to bring your own games for your personal computer. The Republic of Gamers Convention will allow any PC game that you would like to bring on your computer in the BYOC. Limited internet access will be provided in the BYOC but do not plan on playing online games like Worlds of Warcraft, Everquest, DAoC, Second Life or other online MMORPG games. Ports will be blocked to prevent online gaming. The focus of the LAN will be on-LAN not on-line gaming.

Yes, anyone who has registered online prior to the event may attend the workshops. Please remember if you wait to register at the event available seating in the workshops will be limited so it is suggest to pre-register online.

Yes, you can do both. There will even be a video contest for you to enter your videos and post them to our Youtube ROGConTV page. Voting will take place on Saturday night and winners will receive prizes.

All networking will be provided at ROGCon. Each seat in the BYOC will have a single 10/100/1000 copper Cat5e cable and you will need to plug it into your networking card on your computer. If you are planning on using wireless I would suggest you also bring a wired connection. Wireless in the BYOC will be limited do to the interference from the venue and structures.

If you are shipping your computer you might want to remove your cards from the case and place them in static bags. Some people remove their processor, video cards and hard drives before shipping or transporting. Just make sure you use static bags that are for computer parts and pack the removed parts up carefully. Remember to make sure all items inside the case that are going to remain are securely fastened before you transport you system. Large CRTs are tough to transport so if you can bring an LCD. A good method of transporting your system would be to use the CaseACE geargrip type of products.

Game servers will be provided but you can bring a game server of your own. Just realize that there is a limited amount of power and networking per seat. If you insist on bringing a game server, please contact an Admin at ROGcon in the forum and let them know the details of what is needed.

You will need to bring your pictured ID, waiver form and parental form if under 18, computer for the BYOC, monitor, mouse, mouse pad, keyboard, video/power cables, headphones, clean clothes, deodorant to remain pleasant for others, and money. There will be an ATM in the hotel if needed.

The BYOC hall is kept colder than some people might find comfortable so it would be wise to bring long sleeves or a light jacket if needed.

It is also suggested that you bring software to rebuild your OS in case the worst happens. Bootable CD/DVD, drivers for all of the installed hardware, your operating system, and any games that need to be in the drive to work should also be brought with you. Keep your software with you at all times or leave it in your room so it is not misplaced or borrowed with out your knowledge

You will not need to bring a power strip but you will be limited to 5 or 6 power slots per table which is shared by two people. You can bring a UPS if you’d like, but please remember how heavy they are.

All insurance for your personal items, including your computer, should be arranged before you attend ROGcon. Travel and home owners insurance offer protection against damage or loss so check into your policies if you are unsure about coverage.

Bit torrent access from the BYOC network will be blocked. File sharing over windows SMB/CIFS will also be blocked. Due to the rampant spreading of viruses windows file sharing will be disabled. Before you setup your computer on the BYOC, it is highly suggested that you turn off any shares that you might have. A DC++ (Direct Connect) server will be setup in the NOC to allow file transfer and patch distribution. You will be able to download the installer of DC++ from here and it will be available at the event for.

Yes and no. You will be allowed to eat in the BYOC at your seat or in a public lounge area but you will not be allowed to bring a microwave, fridge or other methods for cooking food. If you bring a water bottle or small ice chest for drinks be sure to protect them from leaking or sweating. Remember: there will be a lot of cables and electrical devices in the BYOC and they do not work well with liquids.

Nope

You are allowed to be upset, grimace and even shake your fist in the air (fingers closed though) but you will not be allowed to scream out vulgar remarks every time the girl across the BYOC owns you and cracks your skull with the butt of her gun. Remember, this event is for fun, not to lose your mind and upset others. If you offend others you will be removed from the event with no refunds.

No, it is best to bring your computer closed with all of the cooling fans cleaned. If your case is left open that might attract unwanted attention and parts might fall out. It is suggested that you secure your case with a case lock and cable locks for laptops.

No, you cannot bring any weapons of any kind into ROGCon. If you are suspected to be caring any illegal items, the fine officers from the Dallas Police Dept will work with you. The only weapons allowed in ROGCon are virtual and will remain in your computer.

The Republic of Gamers Convention will employ Dallas County police officers to patrol the event and make sure everyone is having a great time and feels safe. All exits will be under video surveillance and all non authorized exits will set off alarms in the security office. Security at the event will be on duty 24 hours a day so you can enjoy the event.

No smoking will be allowed in ROGCon and the Hyatt is a non smoking venue. All smoking will have to be done in designated areas. These areas have seating and ashtrays. If you decide to find other areas to smoke other than the ones designated, the Hotel will ask security to have you removed from the venue. Propping open doors will set off alarms in the security office so do not risk being kicked out by the venue with no refunds. Enjoy your smoking in the comfortable provided designated areas.

No drinking of alcoholic beverages will be allowed in ROGCon. If you would like to drink, please do it in your room or at the hotel bar. Please do not come in to the event intoxicated either. If you are deemed to be disorderly you will be asked to leave.