rAge 2013 broke its own attendance records, with 32 626 gamers, tech consumers and computer fanatics – 13% more than last year – attending the expo.
At rAge, gamers got the opportunity to hold the controllers of unreleased consoles in their hands for the very first time – including the Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4. They also had access to new games, many not yet released internationally.
At the NAG home_coded Make Games SA stand, local game developers showcased their own games, proving that local talent is rising fast.
Meanwhile, more than 2 100 gaming enthusiasts converged with their PCs, keyboards, sleeping bags and energy drinks into the Coca-Cola Dome to take part in the 52-hour BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN.
The super-fast Internet connection provided by Internet Solutions gave these gamers the means to play online, with the mighty Intel powering the servers and HP switches connecting them all to one network.
Ultra-competitive programmers battled it out at the Entelect R100K Challenge – the tournament hosted by Entelect Software and NAG Magazine. Pierre Pretorius, the winning software developer, walked away with R100 000 in cash after the gruelling challenge.
In addition, this year’s cosplay ccompetition (hosted by Legion Ink) attracted 87 entrants – up from 70 in 2012.