Off Topic Discussions

[red5]

My son and I debate this all the time, and since I'm currently at the beginning stages of re-doing my basement LAN, I wanted to get some objective input.

Have you ever been to an in-person LAN party?

If so, are you still interested in them, and if not, would you be?

Would it make it more likely for you to go to a LAN party if there was already a computer there for you to use?

Thanks for any replies. (my old basement LAN setup. I called it my 'LANcave'

[foment_life]

I love in person gaming, with consoles "couch co-op" was always my preferred method of playing multiplayer games, but it's sort of a dying breed of gaming in general.

I absolutely love the idea of having LAN parties again, I'd gladly go to a LAN party given the opportunity. 

I suppose with how easy it is to play multiplayer games over the internet and how good headsets have gotten it's not strictly necessary to be in the same physical location anymore but there's certainly some nostalgia to the concept that can't be captured otherwise.

[red5]

Over the years we've introduced probably dozens of people of all ages to LAN parties. I can't remember a single instance where a person was like 'yeah, I'd rather just sit at home and game'.  It's been the extreme opposite most of the time. There's just something about being together in person and socializing, having a good time, etc.

[EsojX]

Hello red5,

I definitely have been to LAN parties and love them. With a computer already being on-site it would be more appealing since some of us have liquid cooled systems that are not only heavy but risky to transport.

[heavygruff]

LAN parties bring me back to running ethernet into every room of our friends houses for halo on OG xbox 😄

Also, maybe the virus is to blame, but in person LAN should be the norm for all of these cash prize tournaments that are streamed so often. The conspiracy theorist in me can't help but think a good amount of these people have to be exploiting the opportunity with cheats that would be easy to avoid with controlled machines on a LAN. 

We've lost the sanctity of honest competition 

[EsojX]

Agreed!

[Sam_AMD]

Great question...and probably a great debate with your son! 

Yes, I've been to numerous in-person LAN parties; and enjoyed every single one of them. Being close to other gamers, being able to chat, share stories, tips, strategies...and just meeting fellow gamers are the top reasons for me. The social aspect.

Yes, I'm interested and planning to attend a PDX Lan in November this year, with my team. 

I always brought my on rig, but if there's already a computer, heck, I'll play on it. To be clear, yes knowing that there are computers already set up would be a nice incentive.

Let me know if you do end up re-doing your LAN basement, and when you'll host your party, I have ideas that I know you'll love! 😉

[red5]

@Sam_AMDI'm in the process of rearranging some things in my basement, and collecting gear to start putting systems together. Some will be strictly for retro gaming, like early to mid-2000s games, but I'll also have rigs capable of playing current games as well. I'm building some PCs using old Alienware cases from mid-2000s. You'll probably appreciate this picture 😁

[pixelghost]

I've been to a few local hosted LAN parties myself and I've always loved them.
I'd kill to find a LAN party near where I live now.
I'd definitely would go to a LAN if it had computers on standby for use, makes life so much easier.

[Key-J]

I absolutely LOVE in-person LAN parties. LAN gaming was actually how I really started playing Video Games. There is a part of me that is so thankful for all those late nights in Highschool and early University when friends and I would go to LAN Cafes and play games, at times until the next morning.

We hosted birthdays and mini tournaments, and being able to be in the same room and run to your buddies to talk about the cool **bleep** that happened during a round is a feeling that can't be replicated online. It is such a shame that big LAN cafes are becoming a thing of the past, at least in lots of placed in North America, I know they are still quite popular in S.E.A.

Most of the LAN cafes that I have been to have always had their own PCs for us to use, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be willing to take my own PC with me.

Just last year a friend of mine hosted his birthday and part of it was a LAN party, so I strapped my tower into my truck and off I went (ignore the dusty fan):

Hopefully every gamer out there gets to experience a true-blue LAN party one day! Trust me, it is an additive experience! Also, the snacks are pretty great too. 😋

[GreatnessRD]

I've never been to a LAN party, but now I'd love to go to one. I didn't start PC gaming until '14, but never been to one. I'd definitely be interested now. One day might make a portable SFF PC and see where the chips fall. That's a nice LANcave you got there. I'm jelly, lol.

[max9r]

I used to love LAN parties, and would host them regularly back in the Quake II days when dial-up was the norm and broadband was new. I'd usually end up with 8 - 10 friends over with their significant others along for the ride. I hosted LAN parties right through my Counter-Strike days as well (CS 1.6 up through Source). Good times all the time. It really only stopped because we moved into a smaller place, and just didn't have the room for it.

Now of course no one is really interested in packing their PC around (myself included) when we can just game online. That said, under the right circumstances I could be tempted hehe... 

[Swertresresult]

A LAN party is something I've never experienced, but I'd love to go to one now. It sounds interesting now. . You have a nice LANcave.

WD SN550 1 TB/860 Evo 500GB/Corsair Dominator 32GB 4x8/970 Evo+

[red5]

@SwertresresultI'm in the process of rebuilding it now.  The pics are a few years old.  Stay tuned..........

[johnnyenglish]

I used to set up network in LAN parties when they were a big hit here in Portugal.

Now, its really hard to see one, online gaming took over almost completely but I remember those days, or nights with games, food, drink, laughter and more.

Nowadays, I must admit that I probably wouldn't go to one, maybe when I son gets bigger 😄

[red5]

Just found a decent deal on a rig with a Radeon RX 5500XT 8GB in it on Marketplace, so I'm going to pick that up tonight.  One more rig for my LANcave.  I'll probably take the parts and put them into this Alienware case. I have 2 of them and already built a system in one.

[Falangist]

I miss the old LAN parties from the 90s-early 2000s. Brings deep waves of nostalgia when I think about it. All those games and good times... I think it's easier to set up now due to monitors being flatter, and the capability of fitting a serious gaming rig into a small tower. It's certainly going to be more expensive now, though. And I don't know how many people are willing to congregate in the new post-Covid world, but nonetheless it's a worthy pursuit!

[Sam_AMD]

I agree, bringing your own rig to a LAN is easier and "lighter" today. Gosh, I remember one time I forgot my keyboard and mouse - and has to borrow a set, which really didn't do the trick for me. I haven't been to a LAN lately, but I'm curious to see how many people are going with a gaming laptop. Sadly, COVID took out the "social" part of LANs, but I'm hopeful! 

By the way, Welcome to Red Team @Falangist  

[red5]

A video tour of the old LAN setup and my basement.  It's not terribly pretty when all the lights are on. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbbRX2FG5EQ

If anyone is ever interested in trying to do this yourself I can give you all kinds of tips.

[BigAl01]

I have had many LAN parties at my house (Big Al Computers) over the years since 2007. Right now I have eleven gaming machines on my home network. We plan on having a LAN party on Labor Day (05 September 2022; https://www.facebook.com/events/512693777123705) and yes, COVID-19 caused a big cut in LAN parties over the past few years. Here's a link to past LAN parties in you want to see some pictures: https://www.bigal-computers.net/#LAN They are lots of fun and I usually end up cooking chicken and such on the grill and entertaining the non-gaming guests. I don't game much anymore due to my right wrist issues - it was busted up badly in a 1983 motorcycle accident and then I broke the right arm bones when slipping on black ice in February 2019.

[NoSharkHere]

I've found that having a LAN party with friends is much more fun than simply playing online together. Being together in person really adds to the experience. It's been a lot more difficult recently because of COVID, but I'd love to get back together again with a couple of buddies.

Over the years I've noticed that one of the biggest concerns for people getting into LAN parties is whether or not they have to bring their own system and many only have a home desktop, so I can confidently say that people would be more likely to attend if they were provided a computer to use.

Also, your setup looks super dope! Love the decorations you have set up.

[Sam_AMD]

The video helps a lot. Now I see how much work you have to do 😅 Is your son going to help?

By the way, how many friends are you expecting, and how many PCs will you have in total?

@NoSharkHere about "I've found that having a LAN party with friends is much more fun than simply playing online together. " I can't agree with you more! And, Welcome to Red Team! 

[Dragokar]

In my “youth” I attended and help many LAN-Parties and since 2019 some of my friends and me revived it:

You can find them there:

https://rightontarget.de/?s=lan+libelle

Sadly not many modern games support LAN anymore, but we still have the classics like WC3, CoH, UT99 and so on. We still love to gather and have a fun long weekend, nothing is better to play in person together!

the case did not fit in his suitcase, so he brought in parts 😄

[red5]

LOL, gotta love that mobile setup!  Most of the time at my LAN parties we'll play online games together, but we also always play some 'oldies'.  Favorites are the original CoD, Quake III Arena, Warcraft 3 custom maps, Far Cry, Unreal Tournament 2003/2004, Command and Conquer Generals, Rise of Nations, among others.

[Sam_AMD]

LOL! That's the way to do it!

[Dragokar]

Well it worked and this was all that was really needed to have fun.

[red5]

As I was cleaning up the basement tonight I came across my boxes of old PC games. #nostalgia

Quite a few of these will be played at our LAN parties. 

[DazzlingCrimson]

First, your LANcave looks great!

I have never been invited to a LAN party.  I have never been in any kind of financial position to host one myself. 

Being a biological woman, I would have concerns about attending one.  I would be worried that I would either get ostracized or indirectly excluded (eg, the men talking about female char's assets, or talking about their current IRL female sexual targets, or swearing, etc), or I would get made to feel like I'm only there as a focus of male attention and not as a valued player and team member.  I'd be concerned about harassment or bullying.

Of course, I know there are plenty of emotionally mature male gamers who would treat me with the utmost respect and include me in the game...I have played with them in person before and had a great time!  But this was always 1-on-1, never in a group setting with an entire roomful of men/boys.  People's behavior can change when they are in group.

Add to that, the fact that I'm a mom in my 40's with a kid in his 20's, and I wouldn't fit in to most parties.   LAN parties are usually for the younger crowd.  I would not be interested in gaming with a bunch of teenagers or college kids - I would feel quite out of place! 

With a co-ed group of mature, responsible parents who would be respectful towards me, and who have to fit it into their busy schedules?  YES!  I would love to...but I don't see such groups forming anytime soon.  I DEF would not be interested in any event with your son and his friends...and they probably wouldn't want to invite me either! 😂

As far as providing computers to use...it really depends.  I probably would want to pack my own mouse and keyboard regardless, since I'm used to them, plus I won't have any germ concerns as I would have if using communal accessories.  If using someone else's mouse, headset and keyboard, I would probably pack some Lysol.  I'm a bit of a clean freak, and germophobe.

Hauling an entire desktop to a party would be an extreme annoyance, but many people don't have a decent gaming laptop.  I would suggest providing a couple desktops for use by people who don't have a laptop to bring, and providing empty spaces for those that do.  I don't think it will be needed to buy the accessories, just monitors and the computers themselves.  People can provide their own keyboards, mice and headsets.

I would also love to see a circular layout, or some other type of layout where people will be facing each other rather than having their backs turned to each other.  I, for one, feel uncomfortable having people behind my back.  It would distract me from the game - especially when someone gets up to go to the bathroom.  You could buy a single conference desk for that.

I love the lighting you went with in the pic.  Something similar would be nice, IMO.

That said - I'm writing these suggestions as someone with no experience.  I would love to hear other people's feedback on my suggestions.

[red5]

@DazzlingCrimson  LOL, I get where you're coming from, but I just turned 49 today.  I don't have the patience for any stupidity at my LAN parties and I don't put up with any BS.  Trust me, there was one time where my wife's nephew brought a couple people over who ended up causing some issues, but I didn't know about it until after the fact.  I told him afterwards that they were basically banned and I didn't want to see them again. We've had females at LAN parties, people of  different sexual orientation, different religions, etc...   As long as you're a decent human you're welcome at our LAN parties.  No politics, no degrading people, we're just here to FRAG!!

**edit** - the average age of people at my LAN parties is probably close to 40 years old. Bot my sons are in their late 20's and so are there friends, and then my buddies are mostly in their 40s.

[Sam_AMD]

I've played about 95% of the games you've shared @red5 ! I mean, you have FEAR, and C & C, both of which are gems in my opinion! FEAR kept me up at night - probably the first game that actually spooked me. 

[PriyanshuRai942]

I've been fixing a significant rooftop work on my home alongside an old buddy. It's been a long cycle yet will be. Ideally before the year's over we'll be finished with it. Finishing off the year with this achievement will be remarkable, yet having this incredible companionship is more adored than this hoThose who say that computer games make one confined from the world have no clue about how wrong they are. They don't realize that gamers love to party also! By facilitating LAN gatherings of differing sizes, gamers can meet new individuals and remain associated with lifelong companions who share a similar energy for gaming.

The extreme focus virtual stages are similar settings where they share encounters, help each other improve, and structure long lasting fellowships. Need to find out about playing multiplayer computer games utilizing a neighborhood? Peruse on and find how fun a LAN party is!use . He's additionally my guide! This man and I can achieve anything. There's such a lot of I've gained and can in any case gain from him. Best of luck, everybody! Get yourself a tutor! Gratitude for everything