I used to go to LAN parties all the time. If you don't know what a LAN party is, it's when a bunch of people get together to play computer or video games with/against others. It may not sound like much, but if you've every felt the thrill of playing with friends in a 4-player game in front of a TV, imagine a 32-player game where everyone has their own screen! Many a time, I've turned away from my computer monitor to shake my fist at another head that popped above their screen to see the reaction of the player they just carpetbombed.

LANs are a lot of fun, and the best I've been to has to have been from SpokLAN.net, hands down. They are my only large-LAN experience, but they're into the fun more than the competition. Having been able to help them set up a LAN, I have a newfound respect for the work that goes into the fun occasion.

A Few of the Many Ingredients of a successful LAN:
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FOOD! Generally you see pizza at a LAN, but you also sometimes get the homegrown goodies like the ones shown here (thank you Mrs. timmeh!!!) Some LANs charge a fee for the overhead of setting up the LAN, often including the food costs. Others take your money and tell you where to buy fast food. : /
<--- Good eats. I had a little of everything, and a LOT of some things.





SPONSORS!
Larger, more established events are able to get vendors to send prizes*, goodies, food, decorations, or other novelties. Good LANs give away the best prizes randomly, so not all the good gamers get the best loot. The bottles pictured at left are caffeinated drinks; the poster is advertising for a company that gave a USB memory stick for a prize. I helped set this LAN up for the people over at 2404.org, so I was not eligible for the swag. Minor loot overall, but much fun was had.



GAME BREAKS:
The eyes have to rest at some point, and the blood has to flow somewhere besides your arms and head. Some kind of game or activity is usually planned, getting people out of their seats and moving around. The gents at left are shooting foam rockets at targets. Best aim netted a prize. The foam rockets were fun, but eventually found themselves being fired at moving targets once the official game was over.




INSANITY:
Certain players tend to dominate in certain games that are played. To level the playing field and create some fun chaos, sometimes the rules are changed. Players here are in the midst of "Eyes & Drivers", where one player controls the mouse/keyboard, while the other player calmly** gives instructions on where to move/shoot. The outcome is a blast. "No, no, NO!! Shoot over THERE!" (um..they can't see, they have a PAPER PLATE on their face). This is a SpokLAN event favorite.



POWER & NETWORK !
To fuel large numbers of computers, you have to have a ton of power. One LAN I attended had 96 people in attendance, and required connecting spider boxes to two individual 100-Amp power panels. In order for the gamers to play together, network cables connect switches and hubs, spindling out more cable to each computer. This particular event had a tragic moment where one player jumped up from his seat to stretch, only to find that a primary power cable linked to his chair had been yanked out by his movement, darkening the screens of more than 20 players. There needs to be a word for the sound exasperated gamers let out in unison. It is a very funny noise.

I've lost my taste for overnight LANs, as most usually go into the wee hours of the morning, but I still get together with some friends and do the mini-LAN Saturday here and there.

* Also known as "Swag"
** Vigorous shouting, shaking