LAN party held on Clermont UC campus

More than 30 video game afficionados gathered at the Clermont College Campus Student Activities Center to participate in a Local Area Network Party, or LAN Party, March 9.

Local Area Network parties are the ultimate sanctuary for amateur and hardcore video game players. LAN parties were designed so that individual video game players can gather together and play games against each other in real time through the use of computer networking.

Originating on college campuses in the early 1990′s, LAN parties have become more and more popular throughout the state and the U.S. over the past 15 years.

This is the first year that the LAN party was held on the campus; it was sponsored and organized by a student club called the University of Cincinnati Clermont Information Technology Professionals.

"Participants need only bring their own computer systems, we supply the LAN," said student club president Joel Boothby. "LAN parties provide a safe and stimulating environment for video game lovers to play computer games and compete directly against other individuals in a more personal fashion instead of with a faceless name that they can battle with online."

LAN party participants who compete in the video game tournaments bring their own computers and hook them up to the provided network to play any number of multi-player games.

At Clermont, there were many games that players were invited to hook up to, including personal computer games (nine p.c.'s were available), many Play Station 2 games, and for the supremely confident, a Dance Dance Revolution skill game.

Two large digital display screens were hooked up to XBox 360 games that up to eight people could play together.

"The best thing about LAN parties is the opportunity to play games in the same room with a group of other like-minded and interesting, talented people," said club vice-president Clifford Campbell. "It is not a solo experience. It is a different experience, one that is more satisfying, fun, and cool."

Some participants say that they use the LAN parties as social gatherings.

"While we sharpen our skills and have some fun, we can also just hang out, meet new people, and make new friends," said LAN Party participant Jeremy Nienajadly. "That's really what it's all about."

Because the event was such a success, Boothby is pleased to announce that the LAN Party will most likely become a quarterly event on the Clermont campus.