In my latest masterpiece, I would like to take you a bit into my past gaming days and let you sniff a little nostalgia. How do I intend to do this? Well, with the column trilogy “Campfire Stories”. There, I address prehistoric topics that have lost significance in the 21st century, starting with the good old LAN parties.
The good old LAN parties
I would almost say that everyone has been to a LAN party at some point. For those who missed the experience, Wikipedia has the following definition: “A LAN party (or simply LAN) is a gathering of personal computers connected through a local area network (Local Area Network, LAN). Participants compete in computer games.” A formal description, considering what actually happens at a LAN. It is much more of a boozy calorie orgy mixed with plenty of fun and action in front of the PC.
In my opinion, LAN parties are rather lacking nowadays. In times of broadband internet and a pervasive online mode, LANs hardly receive any attention anymore. Especially we as MMO fans practically have a small LAN every day, just without the players in the same room. It’s a shame, really. I can remember exactly 100% of every session today.
But let’s first move on to a little anecdote about how our LAN parties always went…
Fundamental question: Public or private?
First, one should be clear about whether to hold a public or a private LAN. I have been to both public and private ones. The familiar four walls of some buddy’s place had much more charm for me than the community center and 200 geeks. Besides, the organizers of a public LAN have a certain degree of responsibility. And with the responsibility come the rules. These, in turn, are just annoying. That’s why we mostly held private LANs back then.
The planning
I was young. We were young. We really didn’t plan much back then or even now. We needed only a location. And that’s where Peter always came into play. His parents had their honeymoon every other weekend. Additionally, he lived in a large house and had no annoying little sister. Thus, Peter’s home was the perfect location for a LAN. Of course, one should clarify in advance how long the LAN should last. A weekend is best, from Friday to Sunday, since by day 3 the smell gets strong.
The hurdles
At every LAN, there are exactly two hurdles to overcome:
No. 1: The network. At least that was the case in the past. There was no internet and no YouTube tutorials explaining step by step how to set up a gaming network. No! You needed a bit of luck and at least one friend who had some knowledge of the subject. Moreover, the old operating systems were far from user-friendly.
No. 2: The power outlets. There are generally too few of them. Therefore, everyone should bring enough power strips to ensure the power doesn’t run out.
The selection of games
The selection of games was left to everyone. The main thing was there had to be a multiplayer mode and a LAN version so that everyone could play the game. Over the years, classics have obviously crystallized that not only offered great gameplay but were also suitable for a LAN. Here are my LAN party game favorites:
Counter-Strike
Warcraft 3 + Fun Maps
Serious Sam
Call of Duty
Quake
Age of Empires (all imaginable parts)
Anno XXXX
Command & Conquer
Battlefield
Mount & Blade
Stronghold
Our rules
Yes, I initially spoke out against rules, but there are at least important principles that should be followed.
No cheating – At least not before day 3.
No women – Back then, there were hardly any female gamers, so it would be distracting, and they shouldn’t get a bad impression of us.
No sleeping – After all, we arranged a gaming marathon, not for cuddling.
You don’t say a word about the LAN club.
In addition to the principles and rules, there are also virtues that contribute to a “good” atmosphere. Avoiding social media and annoying smartphones is part of good manners. They should not see the light of the world too often.
The big feast
The catering during the LAN could be described as one-sided and unbalanced. There’s no time to cook, and thus the phone line of the local pizza service is melting. You can, of course, order other foods, but our favorite was always the classic pizza. The advantage is clear: you can still enjoy it cold. We always ordered pizza in family format – that’s where the price-performance ratio is right.
The liquid nourishment consisted solely of beer or energy drinks. The caffeine in the drinks helps against sleep deprivation, and beer promotes togetherness or even competition. The best is a combination of both. I am still convinced that manufacturers invented energy beer especially for LAN parties. Otherwise, that brew has no justification for existence.
The low point
At some point during the LAN, we encountered what we called the “low point”. The reason was either that Klaus was the best in every game or that the first side effects of sleep deprivation were setting in. The usual remedy for us was to change games or get some fresh air.
Everything has an end
No matter how much fun a LAN is, marathon gaming is exhausting and remains so. We usually broke down our tents Sunday morning, so we could catch up on sleep for the rest of the day. Still, it brought nothing, as only half of the crew sat in class the following day.
Enough about me. What I want to get to…
Why exactly have LAN parties fallen by the wayside today?
Unfortunately, lacking statistics and studies, I can only speculate, especially concerning private LANs. In what capacity these are still held remains for everyone to answer for themselves. However, it has noticeably grown quiet around the major LANs. In the past, even magazines like Gamestar & Co advertised the big events. Nowadays they seem to have vanished from the face of the earth.
There are many factors contributing to their extinction. On the one hand, the “new” generation of gamers meets on the web instead of in gyms. Broadband internet is widely available, and DSL lines with 100K and above are inexpensive to acquire. So why move away from home when I can just bring my friends into my home via the internet?
The Dreamhack: One of the few larger LAN events that are still running successfully (Photo: Gabriel Kulig, Flickr)
On the other hand, game manufacturers also contribute significantly to the misfortune. Which of the games released in recent years still has a LAN mode and for what purpose? Everything runs over the internet. This has its reasons, of course, but is it so hard to implement a small LAN mode? Or do we not want it at all? Sure, The Dreamhack is still a thing. But especially with classics like Battlefield and Call of Duty, nothing runs offline in the new editions. I still remember how well the LAN parties were attended after the release of Battlefield 2. Insane.
Now I ask myself: Is it the industry’s fault or our own? After all, what gets produced is what we wish for.
