Hey, Kids, Remember LAN Parties?
These days, multiplayer endeavors are everywhere in the gaming world. Skull and Bones just dropped today and is focused on going up against pirating buddies, and Helldivers II continues to make quite the impact. (I’ll be snagging it sometime this weekend, hopefully.)
But, to some, multiplayer hit much differently a few years ago. Because, back then, there were LAN parties.
What is a LAN party, you ask? It’s defined as “a social gathering of participants with personal computers or compatible game consoles, where a local area network (LAN) connection is established between the devices using a router or switch, primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer video games together.”
Back in the 90s, these were the way to go when it came to playing with friends. Hell, when I lived with my buddy James so long ago, he actually had a room set aside with two computers connected together for quickie matches of Doom and what-not.
LAN parties were so much the rage back in “the day” that there were even gaming centers where people would bring their own set-ups to play with others, for the sake of showing off their nice new CPU unit or monitor — all while whooping ass at something like StarCraft and Halo.
Alas, they’ve died down a little, for a number of reasons. First off, COVID. For several years, they wiped out the notion of being able to go to a LAN center and enjoy games with others. It’s gone away a bit since then (still lingering, so be careful), but it just seems like the LAN craze has faded in favor of just connecting with match-ups at home.
That’s not to say they’re completely dead, however. There are some devoted people that still get together to game, God bless ’em. And one big feature that continues to stand out at Bethesda’s QuakeCon event is the BYOC, or Bring Your Own Computer. Every year, this show continues to be a big hit, with many bringing their gear from cross-country just to enjoy three non-stop days of playing with others and doing weird sound noises with one another.
I still recall a few years ago when I attended a QuakeCon event and the BYOC was jumping because someone had ordered the Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather fight. We all crowded around this kid and it was something else. But then someone started a match of Fight Night Champion and we went along to watch that. Fun evening.
Anyway, I think the idea of LAN gaming is definitely alive and well, depending on what circles you play in. And, hey, there’s even a book that talks about the glory of what they’re all about — LAN Party.
Written by Merritt K, the book is a “loving photographic celebration of the energy drink-fueled, furniture-rearranging, multiplayer gaming trend and its nocturnal participants.” It takes us back to a game when gaming wasn’t about the politics and was just instead getting a room of geeks together, booting up a round of Quake and seeing who could down a can of Red Bull the fastest.
So yeah, I’ll be picking up this book soon, and you likely should as well. That is, if you’re not knee deep in your latest round of Heretic. Take a break and let’s dip into some nostalgia!
Have a great weekend, and see you in the LAN gaming room!
