Linus Tech Tips Discussion

 Dreamhack is dead. Or at least, the BYOC segment is. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winter_2004_DreamHack_LAN_Party.jpg - by Toffelginkgo   Summary Dreamhack started as a Swedish LAN event in 1997 and expanded past its roots in many ways. It has embraced esports and other digital attractions. Today it's an international event, and they now see fit to cut their BYOC roots. Several justifications for this are given, such as waning interest, logistical challenges and the fact that the floor space could be used for more attractions.   Quotes Quote In 1994, DreamHack began in the basement of a school in Malung, Sweden. It was defined by a simple idea: that you could pack up your entire digital life, haul it to a sports hall, and plug into something bigger than yourself. For three decades, that “something bigger” was represented by the glow of thousands of monitors, an ocean of screens that became the hallmark of our festivals. As we look toward the next thirty years, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to the BYOC LAN component of our festivals. Globally, the number of attendees bringing their own rigs has steadily decreased year over year, making up less than 10% of our total ticket holders in 2025. Simultaneously, the logistical complexity of operating a massive BYOC infrastructure has grown tremendously. By sunsetting the BYOC area, we are reclaiming a massive amount of physical space to dedicate to the things you love.   My thoughts When I grew up in Sweden, Dreamhack was the LAN event. It was a dream to attend it one day, and I did. I personally find it hard to believe that the interest in BYOC is waning, despite the current hardware stagnation. I'll admit that I haven't paid attention to what has happened to it during the last decade of acquisitions (MTG -> ESL -> some Saudi Arabian investment group), but it seems obvious that it has lost the spirit which started it.   Sources https://dreamhack.com/stockholm/updates/2026/05/26/goodbye-byoc/