It almost seems like fate. Three of PC gaming's premier codeshops hosting simultaneous conventions in their honor. Quakecon, SOE Fan Faire and Blizzcon. A potent triple-threat to remind you that PC gaming is not dead, lest ye think otherwise. You can hit GameSpot News to see all the announcements.

The big news for me was at Quakecon. I'm a FPS gamer from way back, and id and its games were and are a big part of my teenage life. From the day I first saw Wolfenstein 3D played in the school library, through the years entering iddqd in Doom, learning what +mlook meant in Quake, figuring out how to rocket-jump and Railgun fools in Quake 2, playing Rocket Arena 3 with my friends, all the way spotting monster closets in Doom 3, I've been playing id games. I even played Commander Keen.

All those games: Just $70. Reliving my childhood: priceless.

But there was more to announce at John Carmack's Quakecon Keynote speech. Their new game, Rage, powered by their new engine, id Tech 5. To be honest, I don't know what to think about this game, which is probably intentional on id's part. On the one hand, I'm really excited for it, since it combines driving and FPS, two of my favorite game types. On the other hand, well let's just say id has never been good at delivering a highly polished experience. The poor voicework in the trailer and the fact that they only show a single environment are already giving me pause.

I guess we will see what happens next year. Or When it's Done.

Of course, Blizzard and SOE also had their fan events this weekend. Blizzard announced a new expansion to their World of Warcraft franchise called Wrath of the Lich King. They also showed more of StarCraft 2. Meanwhile, their archrivals at Sony Online Entertainment revealed an online Collectible Card game based on and playable within Everquest 1 and 2, called Legends of Norrath: Oathbound.

I may not be a huge fan of Blizzard or SOE's output, but even I realize the import of those two announcements. WoW now has over 9 million players who will be salivating over this new expansion, and EverQuest has a similar, if smaller, rabid fanbase.

Today is indeed a good day to be a PC gamer. Might be time for me to finally look into upgrading my rig.