Mega LAN VI delivers virtual dancing and "deathmatches"
Date 9/30/2004 12:00 AM | Topic: NewsIf your idea of a "cold one" is Mountain Dew or when you "go out" you take your computer with you, you were probably at Mega LAN VI at Valders last Friday and Saturday.
Mega LAN VI was the sixth time that Luther students hauled their computers to the science building to play computer and video games with their friends from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The first LAN parties were organized by Luther graduate Matt Jansen ('04). This year's gathering was passed on to Matt Jordahl ('06).
"[A LAN party] is a good thing to do on a Friday night," said Ann Jensen ('05). "You can come hang out with your friends and drink as much pop as you can stomach for a dollar. There's nothing better in town."
LAN stands for local area network. It allows computers to connect to other computers to initiate games of more than one player.
Gamers set up their computers on the tables in the lower commons area in Valders to play games such as Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Command and Conquer.
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat and Unreal Tournament 2003 are games that are played from a first-person perspective. In Battlefield 1942, players recreate battles from World War II, controlling historically accurate models of soldiers, planes and tanks.
Unreal Tournament takes place in a futuristic setting, allowing players to exterminate each other ruthlessly in games called "deathmatches," using space-age weaponry.
For the students who didn't bring their computers, console videogames and televisions were popular additions to the gaming atmosphere, allowing students to play games such as Halo and Mario Kart: Double Dash.
Halo, played on the Microsoft X-Box, was one of the more competitive games played at the LAN party. It is also played from a first-person perspective, pitting as many as 16 players against each other in a futuristic setting much like Unreal Tournament 2003.
Mario Kart: Double Dash, for the Nintendo Gamecube, is a cartoon-style racing game that allows up to four players to throw objects such as shells and banana peels to disrupt the progress of the other racers while they ride down an obstacle course in vehicles built for two.
Some gamers opted to compete with their feet instead of their thumbs by getting their groove on to Dance Dance Revolution, a two-player game played with a plastic floor mat that senses dance moves. Players move their feet to different sections on the mat in time with fast-paced music to determine the winner.
"If you don't have good rhythm, you should go play Mario Kart or something," said Garrett Blomgren ('06). "This is not a game for the weak of foot."
Gamers were able to play all night, thanks to a steady supply of caffeinated soda and Pizza Ranch pizza.
"Video games rock, hanging out with friends rocks," said Will Viner ('05). "Combine the two and you get a Luther College LAN party. I just can't wait for the next one."
--
Lora Strey
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
