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Why are LAN gaming centers so popular nowadays?

S

sadb0i

Golden Member
Theres a local LAN gaming center and it is ALWAYS jam packed. There are 40 computers and there's almost always a waiting line all the time. It's the worse on the weekends.

As highspeed, (cable, DSL, satellite...etc) internet becomes more and more a standard in todays internet speed connection, why do these gaming centers still continue to do so well?

I've come to 2 conclusions:

1: The atmosphere. At the local center theres trance/rave/techno music blasting away in the background with neon lights here and there setting a mood of being at a RAVE party almost. The sound of the games are cranked up to practically FULL volume and the sounds of Counterstrike as well as some other games add a bit of craziness to the atmosphere.

2. A place of gathering/hanging out. I have a cable internet connection at home and in the past had no real interests in playing at a gaming center because I had the highspeed internet and a decent gaming PC. However the first time I went to one of these gaming centers with my nephews and played Warcraft 3; it was great being able to just shout over the sounds/music to my fellow teammates and what the next plan of attack would be. We pretty much hung out at the center the whole day(6 hours) for about the price of a movie.


What do you guys think makes them so popular?
 
Eh? They're popular in Europe where few people can afford DSL at home, but I've not seen something like that in the States. My friends and I either go to a LAN party at someone's house or just use TeamSpeak.

Edit: :camera: of chicks at said centers?
 
There was one of those here in atlanta. It failed horribly. I went there once, just to see what it like inside, paid my $8, and left after talking to the owner for an hour or so.


fwiw, half the computers were being worked on at the time.
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Eh? They're popular in Europe where few people can afford DSL at home, but I've not seen something like that in the States. My friends and I either go to a LAN party at someone's house or just use TeamSpeak.

Edit: :camera: of chicks at said centers?
Click to expand...

It's only the 3rd world countries in Europe like Italy, France, Spain and Greece where people haven't discovered the internet yet. More to the north broadband is very common. I think more than half the people in holland has broadband nowadays, and even more in Sweden.
 
Heh, we had a lan in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last place you'd think people would show up for a lan party. We had a head count of 153 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Eh? They're popular in Europe where few people can afford DSL at home, but I've not seen something like that in the States. My friends and I either go to a LAN party at someone's house or just use TeamSpeak.

Edit: :camera: of chicks at said centers?
Click to expand...

It's only the 3rd world countries in Europe like Italy, France, Spain and Greece where people haven't discovered the internet yet. More to the north broadband is very common. I think more than half the people in holland has broadband nowadays, and even more in Sweden.
Click to expand...

Bah! The best gaming center I've been to in Europe was in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was packed full of gamers...blond gamers...blond and beautiful gamers...FEMALE GAMERS! I thought I had died and gone to heaven and even walked up to one and asked her to marry me. She just laughed...oh the torture!

 
I believe it's counterstirke that spawned the popoularity of lan centers... most of the people i see that go to them play that. I only played tried it twice with a few of my friends 4 years ago... It wasnt to popular then and it was just a bunch of computers in the room facing each other with some crappy leathreete chaiirs.

I recently checked out a lan center that opened a few blocks down my house and it was totally diffrent from the one i went to 4 years ago... it fits yours discription with the sorta club feel making it more of a place to chill out and hang with your buddies... and it wasnt such a susuage fest.

As for going to one instead of staying at home even with boradband... It's alot more fun being with other gamers then sitting at home playing online games over the internet... you can yell at your enemy telling them how much they suck and yell at your teammates to stop sucking.

 
Originally posted by: FuZioN
I believe it's counterstirke that spawned the popoularity of lan centers... most of the people i see that go to them play that. I only played tried it twice with a few of my friends 4 years ago... It wasnt to popular then and it was just a bunch of computers in the room facing each other with some crappy leathreete chaiirs.

I recently checked out a lan center that opened a few blocks down my house and it was totally diffrent from the one i went to 4 years ago... it fits yours discription with the sorta club feel making it more of a place to chill out and hang with your buddies... and it wasnt such a susuage fest.

As for going to one instead of staying at home even with boradband... It's alot more fun being with other gamers then sitting at home playing online games over the internet... you can yell at your enemy telling them the suck and yell at your teammates to stop sucking.
Click to expand...

I can agree with your last comment. An internet/cyber cafe/relaxed club/starbucks/LAN gaming center sounds cool. I can even see a little section for a live DJ. Would be expensive...and location would have to be key.
 
A lot of kids go, because their parents still don't see the need to upgrade that old Packard Bell. Another thing, is they can game with friends, and not worry about their parents telling them to get their homework done, clean their room, feed the dog, etc...

When you are sitting at home, you are accessible, and since you are just playing a game, most people think its just fine to ask you to get up and do something. At a LAN /cafe, your are there to game and you can do it relatively undisturbed.
 
I still don't see these could be popular... You have no control over your network or machine or programs... Why not just get Road Runner for $40 and buy a cheap ass computer?
 
Originally posted by: MogulMonster
A lot of kids go, because their parents still don't see the need to upgrade that old Packard Bell. Another thing, is they can game with friends, and not worry about their parents telling them to get their homework done, clean their room, feed the dog, etc...

When you are sitting at home, you are accessible, and since you are just playing a game, most people think its just fine to ask you to get up and do something. At a LAN /cafe, your are there to game and you can do it relatively undisturbed.
Click to expand...


Very good point about the parents not wanting to upgrade the existing PC's. Also, when parents do decide to upgrade they usually upgrade to a faster processor PC with an integrated graphics card that unable to decently play any of todays games. i.e. emachines...etc

 
Originally posted by: edro13
I still don't see these could be popular... You have no control over your network or machine or programs... Why not just get Road Runner for $40 and buy a cheap ass computer?
Click to expand...

cable and DSL in my area is at least $60 dollars a month with a hefty installation fee(basic). The best is to get on the deals where the first 3 months are $20 dollars or free.

Cheap ass computers are not good for playing games. A 17in monitor, a 2.4ghz pc with at least 256 ram(recom 512) and ti4200 @1024x728@85hz@32 bit is the standard i think nowadays for games out there. I'm pushing it with the 4200. I think a 4600 would be more the standard, but Im being nice.

I dont know what cheap is to you, but I cant afford to throw around $500-600 just to play a video game, I'm sure theres others in my shows too. I can, however do $2/hour.
 
I've gone to one on and off for years. Made some really good friends. We'll grab dinner or check out a movie every now and then too.

Share a lot of laughs, and a lot of taunts when playing on the same team for Starcraft or Warcraft or Counterstrike or whatever. A sense of comaraderie. Lots of fun playing together, on the Net or on the LAN.

We played Ultima Online for a while....nothing like staying up until 10am to camp that uber mob that dropped all the uber items to create some memories and lasting friendships. Course my sleep schedule was foobared for the next 48 hours...

Plus, the big bonus is to be able to scream a taunt at the guy sitting next to you who you just killed. For example, "I just deagled your ass motherfvker, want some more b!tch!?!?!?!?

:beer:
 
I've really considered starting one of these here locally (southern Indiana, Louisville KY area) but haven't for the fear of it failing horribly.
 
Originally posted by: Ghost


Plus, the big bonus is to be able to scream a taunt at the guy sitting next to you who you just killed. For example, "I just deagled your ass motherfvker, want some more b!tch!?!?!?!?

:beer:
Click to expand...


WORD!
😎
 
Theres one in College Station, its fairly new, opened within the last year. Ive never been there, so I dont know how busy it is/gets.
 
None in my area. They spawn and die shortly afterwards.... I'm surrounded by people who use computers as a means to an end rather than a way of life.

omg...That was geekish...I'm a geek.. I'm unplugging now.....
 
I LAN game nearly every weeked with a few friends. It's the CO-OP stuff that really goes for us and being in the same room is very helpful for that.
 
I have been to this Cyber Cafe in Athens, Greece with 400+ Computers!

Oh you should have seen it.... it was amazing... and it was so packed, we had to wait for 20 minutes. Cheap as hell, too: 1 Euro/hour.

 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Eh? They're popular in Europe where few people can afford DSL at home, but I've not seen something like that in the States. My friends and I either go to a LAN party at someone's house or just use TeamSpeak.

Edit: :camera: of chicks at said centers?
Click to expand...

It's only the 3rd world countries in Europe like Italy, France, Spain and Greece where people haven't discovered the internet yet. More to the north broadband is very common. I think more than half the people in holland has broadband nowadays, and even more in Sweden.
Click to expand...

Bah! The best gaming center I've been to in Europe was in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was packed full of gamers...blond gamers...blond and beautiful gamers...FEMALE GAMERS! I thought I had died and gone to heaven and even walked up to one and asked her to marry me. She just laughed...oh the torture!
Click to expand...

haha. DENIED!
 
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