Newbies

General LAN info

A LAN is a whole heap of fun. If you haven't been to one before and you like playing multiplayer games (Quake, Starcraft, Tribes) then you'll fit in just nicely.

Basically people bring their computers to such an event, plug it in to a LAN (Local Area Network) and play against each other. A LAN is usually confined to a small space, sometimes in one room (such as UCL) or a whole campus. A LAN links up the computers together via a series of devices called hubs.

Over the course of the weekend, people rarely sleep and can be found amongst piles of empty Coke bottles and V drinks still playing a game of Quake 2 or Tribes against 10 or so other people, eyelids making very few involuntary twitches at 4 in the morning.

If you are after an indication of what LANs are like, check out these links.

F.R.A.G.

F.R.A.G. (Fraternity of Retrobates Addicted to Games) is a group up in Tamaki, Auckland which has hosted at least 16 LAN's to date, and they are pretty good (speaking from the experience of the one I have been to.)

Lanparty

Lanparty is considered to be one of the worldwide information points about LAN's. Any info, pics, upcoming events cam be found on their page. It's albeit U.S.-biased though.

SV_RANTMODE 1

If you are after a more Kiwi site with much of what Lanparty.com offers, check out this site. It has reviews of all the major LAN's around the country and other goodies.........

If you are after lans in Christchurch as well as UCL and Whorelan, check out this one. From the looks of some of their photos, there is some dodgy crazy action going on.