Help and information on LAN parties.

Question

Help and information on LAN parties.

Answer

Going to a LAN party
Hosting a LAN party

Going to a LAN party

Visiting a local Network LAN party can be one of the most gratifying experiences for people who enjoy the challenge of playing with or against other human players. At LAN parties you will get the opportunity to meet with other people who enjoy games as much as you do, rub in the fact any time you kill someone, see everyone's gaming rigs, and get exposed to games you may not be familiar with. Some of the bigger LAN parties with sponsorship may even have prizes and awards that can be won.

Almost all LAN parties you attend will require you to bring your own computer. Before going to a LAN party make sure your computer has a Network Card (NIC) installed in the computer. A network card is what enables your computer to connect with the other computers and play games.

Below is also a short list of things you will want to make sure you bring to a LAN party to make it a more enjoyable experience.

  1. As mentioned above, you will need to bring your computer, this includes your monitor, keyboard, and mouse (may even wish to bring a mouse pad) .
  2. Network cable - In order to connect your computer to the network you are going to need to have a straight through network cable.
  3. Network hub / Switch / Router - If you have an extra network hub, switch, or router bring that to the party just in case.
  4. Power Strip / Surge protector - With everyone at the network party requiring at least two power plugs, always make sure to bring a power strip or surge protector. If you have extras also bring those, you may save someone else's day.
  5. Headphones - Make sure you bring a good pair of headphones, no one likes to hear dozens of other computer with their speakers playing and often you can give away your position or strategy if you have speakers playing.
  6. Virus protection program - Who knows what may be on the other peoples computers who are attending the party. Make sure you have an up-to-date antivirus protection program on your computer.
  7. Games - If you plan on playing games at the network party make sure you have all the games that plan on playing and that you bring any CD's that the games require.
  8. Updates - Make sure you have all the latest updates for all games you plan on playing and that your drivers are up-to-date.
  9. Network shares - If you have a home network and have any network shares or anything shared out that you might not want shared, make sure to close the shares. Additionally make sure you are not granting full access to your shares unless you want people to send you files as well.
  10. Drink / Food - If the person hosting the party is permitting you to bring food or drinks to the party make sure to bring something to snack on or something to help keep you awake.
  11. Chair/Table - Usually almost all LAN parties will have enough chairs and table space for you. However, it is always a good idea to make sure you verify this before going. In addition some people may not want to sit on a folding chair, and wish to bring their own comfortable chair.

Hosting a LAN party

Hosting your own network LAN party can be as gratifying as going to a LAN party. However, to help make sure your experience is as good as everyone else's there is some required setting up that you will need to make sure you have done before the LAN party starts.

Advanced notice - If you want a good crowd to show up to your LAN party it's always a good idea to give plenty of notice to everyone you would like to show up. Usually sending out an e-mail a few weeks before the LAN party containing information about what day the LAN party is going to occur, the time the party starts and the time the party ends, what games you plan to play, an address and even better a map, other contact information such as phone / cell, and finally anything people may need to bring to the party. Feel free to link everyone you invite to this document for a listing of what they should be bring to your party.

It's also a good idea to request users who plan on attending let you know so you have a better idea of how many are really coming. 

Network setup - Once you have scheduled the LAN party you will need to begin preparing your network so people will just be able to come to the party and connect into the network without having to wait for you to troubleshoot the network. If you have broadband access it is highly recommended you have a router that is capable of sharing your Internet broadband access. There is always someone who will need to get on the Internet to browse, read their e-mail, download updates, etc. If you do not have broadband but still want to share your dialup access you can setup a proxy to share your dialup Internet access. If you do not have Internet access make sure you make people aware of this before they come to the party not prepared.

Make sure you have enough ports to connect into the network; if you do not have enough ports you will need to add an additional router, switch, or hub to your network setup. If you do not have a spare network router, switch, or hub request that someone else attending the party bring one.

Tables / Chairs - Make sure you have enough chairs and table space to accommodate everyone who plans on attending your LAN party. If you think you will need additional tables or chairs make sure to have people bring some.

Additional hardware - Get out any additional hardware you may be able to share with anyone who doesn't bring everything they need. For example, any extra monitors, headphones, network cables, power strips, surge protectors, etc.

Game updates share - Download all the latest game updates for all the games you plan on playing, create a share on your computer that contains all the updates. This will get you and everyone else playing games faster because anyone who does not already have the game updates downloaded and installed can easily copy them from your network share.

Virus protection program - Who knows what may be on the other peoples computers who are attending the party. Make sure you have an up-to-date antivirus protection program on all your computers connected to your network.

Network shares - If you already have a home network and have any network shares or anything shared out, make sure to close the shares if you don't want anyone leaching from you. Additionally make sure you are not granting full access to your shares unless you want people to send you files as well.

Sponsors - If you plan on hosting a big LAN party (25+ people) try getting local computer or gaming companies to sponsor your event. If you have large network party (50+ people) try getting computer manufacturers, hardware manufacturers, software developers, or food or beverage companies to sponsor your network party. Often sponsors will help with the cost of the LAN party, send you gifts to give out at the event, etc.

As much as we would like to Computer Hope does not have the resources to sponsor any LAN party.

Additional information

  • see the LAN party definition for further information and related links.