The Crazy, Tricked-Out Computers and the Gamers Who Mod Them

Amongst hardcore gamers, "BYOC" means "bring your own computer." Some of them take that invitation very seriously, building custom rigs packed with powerful processors, graphic cards, and monstrous hard drives. They're gorgeous, if you're into that sort of thing.

Alex John Beck is. He's so fascinated by the DIY of BYOC that he spent a day photographing gamers and their personalized machines. He found that no two are the same. "I like seeing how people approach the same task but do it differently," he says. "It's a subtle expression of individuality during an action that doesn't require it."

His shot the images in Case Modders during the annual GoDS, Xtreme Players and LanSynergy (GXL) Titan Event in October, 2015. More than 500 gamers from Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania descended on a convention center in Philadelphia, jacking into a massive server to spend 48 hours playing games like Counter Strike, Rocket League and *Team Fortress *nearly nonstop. If this sounds boring, you've obviously never attended one. “When one team scores, you can hear the cheers,” Beck says. Gaming in groups is “a much more visceral experience" than playing at home.

Beck is a recovered gamer who was addicted to the hobby in high school. He was doing a little research on how to modify a computer for coding when he discovered that gaming is one of the leading reasons people customize computers. A little googling led him to an ad for the GXL Titan Event, and he couldn't resist. He found gamers packed into a convention hall brimming with more than 150 folding tables, each straining under the weight of computers peripherals. The most serious players brought their own chairs, and sleeping bags for catnaps.

Still, Beck found the gaming less interesting than the hardware. He erected a white paper backdrop and studio lights in a corner and invited gamers to stop by with their rigs for portraits. He photographed 50 or so people, asking each of them to jot down a description of their machine and mods. They're included, verbatim, with each image.

The computers are, like the people who built them, unique. Some feature conventional cases, while others fill acrylic towers and a toolbox. Inside you'll find leading-edge components, whisper-quiet fans, and even liquid cooling. They provide a whole new meaning to the term "personal computer."