The Mod Squad
Computers revolutionized the art world with digital editing and digital effects. Now, artists are revolutionizing the computer world with custom-crafted computer cases.
These self-named “modders” are transforming their computers, inside and out, creating final products that hardly resemble your beige office rectangle.
The budding modding phenomenon started with computer gamers trying to stand out at game tournaments, says Johan “Mashie” Grundstrom, a modder and gamer whose case mods have won national competitions.
Now, these modders profit from their art and receive corporate sponsorships.
The computer corporation Intel commissioned Johan, 25, to produce a custom case mod to promote its new computers in 2003. His creation, called “3,” was well-liked and used by Intel for the promotion of its new products.
For the first time, Intel had built computers which could go faster than three gigahertz. To commemorate the feat, Johan designed a case in the shape of the number three with one of the new three gigahertz computers inside it.
Johan has completed seven other projects since he started modding in 2001, and just finished his latest creation in November 2004.
One of his case mods, called “Anemone,” won a national modding competition sponsored by the Cyberathlete Professional League.
With a burnished wooden case, a glowing red pinwheel design in the middle and gleaming brass dials for the power and reset buttons, it could double for a radio from a 1940s science fiction movie.
“Sometimes you just wake up and realize, this is what I want to build,” he says about the retro-futuristic radio design that came to him overnight.
The final result, after more than six months of work and design, is a full-functioning computer that doubles as a jukebox and DVD player when Johan has it hooked up to his television.
Although Johan has received much recognition from competitions and online communities, he still works as a senior network engineer, but says that if there were more money in modding he’d rather be doing that.
“I don’t even play games anymore,” he says. “I used to play 2 to 12 hours a day back in ‘99. Now there is more fun stuff to do, like planning new mods.”