Webedia is the official media partner of the CAGGTUS 2023 in Leipzig. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus is part of the team that is live on-site and visited the huge LAN party. Much of it reminds him of what he missed during the Corona years: real festivals.
I traveled to CAGGTUS in Leipzig with our editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski and around 20 people from the teams of GameStar, GamePro, Video, and Co. We streamed live from there for 3 days, played games, or got into arguments directly on stage.
For those who don’t know: CAGGTUS is a new event that basically follows the Dreamhack in Leipzig. Thousands of gamers gather in several halls, admire cosplays, watch streamers, or play games. With their own computers.
The heart of the event is the huge LAN party, where hundreds of tables are lined up. People bring their machines, set them up, and play a variety of games shoulder to shoulder.
Sleeping is done right behind on brought-in beds, mattresses, or just on towels. Yes, I don’t know either, but I can’t imagine the back pain of that guy.
When Leya obliged invited me to come along, I didn’t really know what to think of the event that also markets itself as a festival. By the second day, I was really excited.
LAN parties have been around for many years. Back then, people typically met with a small group and played, but also experienced unforgettable things. Nowadays, there are huge events like CAGGTUS. In the talk, MeinMMO author Mark Sellner, GameStar editor Géraldine Hohmann, and I discuss our best moments at LANs:
“It’s a completely different feeling here”
I love metal festivals. Even in the biggest mud, you always encounter happy faces and friendly guys who offer you a beer when you accidentally stumble into their camp. Everyone gets along, you meet many cool people, and can just do what you enjoy for a few days in a row. And of course, I’m also a huge metal fan, which is why I really celebrate Kalle Koschinsky.
CAGGTUS is surprisingly similar. The feeling of “I belong here, everyone here is like me” comes through strongly. The image of gamers sitting alone in dark basements is completely dispelled here. You don’t have to be ashamed to play for 15 hours on your day off. Instead, you might get laughed at because that sounds minimal.
Everything is played. From shooters like CS:GO, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Overwatch to strategy games like Civ 6 and Humankind to survival and building games, I really see every genre on the screens. Amazingly, LoL is played quite often.
I even just approach a few guys who are actually playing WoW and ask if I can watch. We immediately start talking, and after their dungeon, we continue the conversation because I’m interested in what fascinates people so much about a LAN.
We were here in 2018 and just wandered around. That’s when we saw the LAN area and thought we’d like to do that too. In 2019 we were here for the first time and planned to come back the following year, but then the big C came. That’s why we’re back here now.
Richard
It’s a completely different feeling here. Usually, we only play at home via Discord because we’re also geographically far apart. Here, we can just play for 3 days, sit together … you already mentioned it, this festival feeling. That’s part of it. You sit together, drink together. It’s just a different atmosphere for playing than at home.
We play WoW because we’re missing some alternatives. The last time we played Call of Duty, but no tournament is currently happening. In WoW, we all find some common ground.
Kai
“HELGAAAAAAAA”
What particularly surprised me is the effort some of the guests are making here. There are PCs on stands displaying cool case mods and RGB lighting. On the wall, E-sports clans shine their advertising and member recruitments, or someone is streaming memes on a loop.
Even flags and pavilions are set up, just like at Wacken and SummerBreeze. Curiously, I asked one of the young women sitting in the group why on earth she has a pavilion with her. The cheerful answer comes, “I don’t know, but it’s cool.” We also start a conversation:
Dead by Daylight is my highlight game. We’re a mixed bunch of about 18 people here. Met through university, childhood friends … we also have a friend from England joining us. We have people from the Dresden area, but also from Munich, from the north, Hamburg, we come from NRW. So really a wild mix.
Chrritina
I then strolled a little further over the LAN and just enjoyed being there. Someone hits the table because he got caught in a shooter. Someone else shouts “HELGA!” and dozens respond. An ancient tradition from Wacken.
Suddenly, a person somewhere seems to applaud a good play. Two more join in, then the line, and finally half the hall cheers … just someone and shouts their approval.
I step over some people who are peacefully sleeping on their sleeping mats. At 3 PM in the afternoon. Right next to them, someone laughs at his colleague who is causing mischief in a game.
As I leave the area, I encounter people in dinosaur costumes, pajamas, or cosplays. Nothing I would wear on muddy festival grounds, but something that could also happen at my beloved metal events.
I feel very comfortable – and walk back to our stand with a smile.
