Graphics by Nick Lupo

Building a demographic

The LAN atmosphere is an incredible one. Whether it is just four computers side-by-side to play a game with a group of friends or a rented out hall to play for thousands of dollars, it has revolutionized the way professional gaming is played. The LAN has evolved into the highest of all gaming arenas from which all of the participants are equalized to show true talent and teamwork.

The transformation from a basement with tables into a whole hall took some time to complete. It started off as an idea to bring a group of gamers together and has now been turned into a place where gamers are truly put to the test in their individual games. The LAN centers are also becoming a thriving center of gaming; twenty computers placed in one room to provide a utopia of gaming possibilities. From a random pick-up game at a LAN center to thousands of dollars in winnings at the CGS World Finals – gaming has changed.

The modern LAN facility has become an epicenter of the gaming atmosphere. The casual gamer cannot afford nor has the access to attend and compete in large events such as the World Cyber Games or the CGS. Because of this, the non-professional gamer is playing in the most basic setting that the LAN scene has to offer. LAN centers give the casual gamer the best idea of what the professionals deal with every time they compete. The dimmed lights, the expensive gear, and the atmosphere alone are enough to make any “regular joe” choke under the pressure of attempting to clutch in a 1v3 situation. As a result, this is how the most basic of gamers learn to become more in-tune with their skills and the game itself.

The Progression

The earliest LAN parties were done on college campuses where the capability was first available. The earliest games to have LAN parties hosted were Rogue, Larn, Hack, and Quake. In 1995, the LAN scene busted out with Quake which was coupled with new Ethernet technology from Linksys and the release of Windows 95.

Although the LANs didn’t become big until around 1997-’98 with the introduction of tournaments such as the CPL and QuakeCon there was an ever-increasing need to have large tournaments to generate money and publicity for games such as Counter-Strike, Quake 3, and Day of Defeat. Although, during the early 2000s games such as Call of Duty came into the public eye and like Counter-Strike provided a much more spectator friendly experience during game play. With these team-oriented games, came a much better understanding on how hard professional gaming really was. The gaming life was no longer about just playing a game; Practice, Dedication, and Teamwork now determined the success or failure of a team.

Once CPL started competing around the world, the gaming community was again transformed into a whole new sub-culture. Now you could play a team from China while you were sitting in your house in New York. The competition became extremely tough and with it came more sponsors and more prizes. Brands such as nVidia, ATI, Razer, and Logitech all started sponsoring teams who were good enough to promote their products. In 2004, Call of Duty was featured as a primary official tournament of the Winter CPL, holding a grand prize of $100,000. This was huge for gaming because Call of Duty had only been out since October of 2003. The publicity this gained the Call of Duty community was astronomical because the community, while growing, was still rather small compared to the Counter-Strike communities that boasted teams from all over the globe.

From the basements of nerds in the early 90’s to the CGS arena today gaming has went above and beyond what most thought it could be. With the help of gamers, game developers, and people such as Andy Reif, Angel Munoz, and Aaron Ferguson the gaming scene would be a lot smaller than it is today. It’s imperative that we as gamers and fans of the sport help provide the best possible atmosphere to newcomers so that they are not overwhelmed when they enter the sport. The game has changed dramatically with the newer hardware and software as well as the games themselves. The games have been made to be more competitive-friendly as well as spectator-friendly to promote gaming as a sport and not a lifestyle anymore.

What can you do?

Today, the CPL is no longer in the forefront of the gaming scene, but the CGS, QuakeCon, WCG, ESWC and DreamHack are thriving and keeping the hopes of many gamers alive; to become a professional. Although it takes talent, time, effort, and some sheer luck the professional gaming community is not impossible to join. You just need to hone your skills and make a few good connections to make yourself heard. Become friendly with everyone you meet and when you get a chance, show everyone why they should have picked you to be on their team. So, put your headset on, load up your game and play your heart out because if you do you might become LANtastic.