Host a LAN Party: How?

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A LAN party involves connecting two or more people via a LAN to play the same computer game, either cooperatively or competitively. The concept has grown in popularity since the release of Doom in 1993, and can be organized in a few hours for a day or weekend. Larger LAN parties are sponsored by corporations, and it’s important to have adequate space and cooling for the computers and players. It’s a fun way to play games with friends and show off your skills.

Organizing a LAN party is a great way to get together with friends, play computer games and have fun. A LAN party involves two or more people but can have hundreds of participants. Partygoers are connected by a LAN, or local area network, and play the same computer game, cooperatively or competitively.

While a LAN party has been theoretically possible since the days of Atari, it wasn’t until the Doom game came out in 1993 that a game was really designed with a LAN party in mind. Doom allowed up to four players to work cooperatively during missions or face off against each other in a death match.

As gamers learned the fun of breaking friends when they were an incredible distance apart, LAN parties became more popular, especially given the slow speeds of Internet connections in the mid-1990s. Local area networks don’t have the lag that Internet gaming suffered back then.

Since that time, the LAN party concept has blossomed. Inexpensive Ethernet systems, hubs and switches have made it even easier to host a LAN party in your home. A small LAN party can be organized in a few hours and last a day or a weekend. Competitors or cooperatives engaged in the LAN party may include those physically present at the party, or in-game bots, or even other live players on an online server, if the host has a broadband Internet connection.

The size of your LAN party is determined by the size of your hub and how many ports it has. One door is required for each player. Larger LAN parties are usually hosted by a corporate sponsor, who offer prizes to winners and a chance for everyone to show off their modified machines. All you have to do is pack your computer and games, settle into the venue and enjoy the LAN party.

If you plan to host a LAN party, make sure you have plenty of space for all the people expected to attend. Remember that computers, monitors, keyboards and mice take up a lot of space and need flat and stable surfaces. Make sure there’s adequate cooling for both the machines and players and plenty of high-sugar, low-nutrient snacks to carry around.
Hosting or joining a LAN party is a great opportunity to show off your fragmenting skills while your friends or others are close enough to tease you when they get a good hit. Game start!




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