cM :: MORLEY|DIGITAL

You know the old saying, “Half of life is just showing up”?  I think it’s also followed by “The other half is showing up on time.”  While both are true, the former is what benefited MAINGEAR @ Quakecon 2008 this year.  We had a prominent position at AMD’s booth, and while the competition sent machines, no one bothered to send people. 

So we got to do a lot of mingling with AMD fans and gaming enthusiasts, and were really able to bring our message of performance, reliability, and customer service to the old and young alike.  Wallace and I were AMD’s “Ask the experts” panel and we had a lot of fun talking about AMD technology, being a boutique PC builder, and I even got to talk about some of my favorite subjects like bloatware, crappy chassis, and other stuff.

But two things just blew me away.  Getting to go up on the main stage and give away a MAINGEAR PC in front of a huge crowd of people was just awesome.  Everyone was so excited to be there and the kid who won our F131 was shaking as he filled out some paperwork.  We put a brand new system in the last of the first F131 chassis we ever used.  We painted it red for AMD/ATI, and it was kinda emotional for some of us as we were really giving a part of our history.

You can see me talking about it here.

The other great experience was being involved in a documentary about gamers and the gaming industry.  Wallace, Wendel, and I were all interviewed both one on one, and at our booth about what it’s like to be in the gaming business and actually make money at it, compete with the Tier 1s, what a boutique PC builder really is, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  It was produced by a Tonight Show producer and I have no idea where it’s going to air or when, but the last one they did ended up on MTV.  So we’ll see.

Which is why it’s with a heavy heart that I must tell you that I’ll be transitioning away from MAINGEAR shortly.  MAINGEAR has been a labor of love for me over the past year and was never about the money.  Wallace and crew really restored my faith in this business and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we have done and what we have accomplished.  They are truly a force for good in this business. 

But I’ve been offered such an incredible opportunity that every day this week I have pinched myself to make sure it’s not just a dream.  The possibilities are endless and I couldn’t be more excited.  I can’t talk much more about it, and I really wanted this post to be about my love and respect for MAINGEAR, so I’ll save it for another day.