LAN parties can be seriously fun. Unfortunately, they’re getting less and less common. Our tip for LAN party lovers? Be the change you want to see in the world! There’s no reason you can’t host your very own LAN party.
While it takes some effort, the experience is so much more fun and social than gaming together remotely. By connecting to a local area network, you can also enjoy low latency while gaming. While technology is good enough these days that we can easily enjoy gaming with a group of friends from a distance, LAN parties are seriously old-school fun and deserve to live on.
If you want some tips on hosting a LAN party of the highest caliber, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s dive into your beginner’s guide to hosting an epic in-person gaming night.
First Things First: Setting Everything Up
We won’t focus too much on the technicalities in this guide, but we’ll cover some basics before diving into our other tips for making the night seriously great.
Firstly, you’ll need a place to host the party.
The easiest option is generally to use someone’s garage or living room if it’s big enough for all participants. Everyone brings their own setups; the game plan for the night is provided.
Also consider renting a venue if you need more space, or heading over to an internet café if you don’t want to host at home.
If you are hosting at home, you’ll need to ensure you have enough desk space and at least semi-comfortable chairs. You’ll need power outlets for everyone and gather the necessary network equipment (if used). While LAN parties traditionally have people connected by Ethernet cables, it’s possible to host a LAN party without any extra hardware.
Depending on how many people are participating, you’ll need to be careful to distribute the power circuits in the right way. If you plug too many computers into one circuit, you might trip a breaker.
Prepare a Line-up of Fun and Varied Games
Most likely, you won’t just want to play one game throughout the evening. In fact, we’d recommend not just a lineup of different games, but a lineup of different types of games.
Introducing some more casual games here and there doesn’t just switch things up, but also pulls people out of the competitive mode that can sometimes lead to sore losers and heated accusations.
One fun way to get a break from the regular first-shooting person games that are typically played during LAN parties can be through everyone playing a round of poker or blackjack – offline or online, with real money or without. Sites like Stake casino offer not just live poker and blackjack, but also thousands of slots and quick registrations, so everyone can get started without unnecessary delays.
Some other unconventional but fun games to break up the classic games can include platform games, weird simulators or a classic fun one like Among Us.
Be Ready With the Grub
It’s going to be a long night, and you’ll need fuel to keep going.
You want the food experience to be as frictionless as possible, so it doesn’t detract from the true fun. There’s nothing wrong with asking participants to pitch in and pay for themselves, but if you do, try to make the process as smooth as possible – order together even if people are paying individually, for instance.
If you’re unsure, it’s best to ask all participants about dietary preferences and offer options that work for everyone.
Besides the food, you’ll also want to offer some easy snack options and drinks for everyone.
Worried about a mess? You can keep the food out of the LAN party room, and instead enjoy it during a break in another room or even outside, like a picnic. Everyone will need to get up and stretch their legs anyway, which brings us to our next point.
Plan for Breaks and Cooldowns
While the highlight of the evening is obviously gaming, it’s best to plan both breaks and some other activities altogether to ensure everyone gets moving every few hours. Some fun and easy party games or a playful game of soccer could be a good interlude to all the time spent in front of the screen.
Besides some longer breaks to really get everyone out of their seats, you should also plan for short bathroom and stretching breaks every hour or so.
At the end of the night, you’ll want to finish off with something more relaxed. We can recommend a casual but fun game like Mario Kart or finishing up with a favorite movie to cool off at the end of the evening.
Final Checklist for Your Party
Think you’ve got everything? Here’s your final list to go through one last time to ensure you’ve thought of everything for your LAN party:
- Download the latest patches, mods and maps for the planned games. Ensure everything is set up and you have digital copies or links to the games in case someone experiences issues. You don’t want to get stuck on technical issues while trying to enjoy the game.
- Keep the cables out of the way. Tripping on a cable isn’t just annoying, but can cause serious damage to equipment. Make sure all the cables are neat, organized and out of the way, and don’t let people daisy chain. Provide several power sources so that cables don’t have to crisscross all over the place.
- Don’t drink or smoke. Drinking and smoking don’t mix very well with gaming. Stay sober to keep your head in the game.
- Have tissues and wet wipes available to clean up any mess. If you’re eating and drinking, chances are sooner or later someone will spill or make a mess. Keep tissues and wipes close by. Alternatively, and maybe better, break for food and drink to keep the technology safe from liquids.
- Consider the best platform. You can host a LAN party with consoles or even phones if that’s the preferred method of playing – it all depends on the preferences of the participants. Or let people choose and pick cross-platform games.
- Protect against theft if hosting a public event. If your LAN party isn’t just some of your trusted buddies, you need to be careful to protect against theft and damage.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Truly Memorable Night
While you don’t want any of the logistics getting in the way, the true focus of the evening is, of course, just enjoying gaming with friends. While some rules and the like can help keep things organized, they shouldn’t distract from why you’re really there: to have fun.
Be prepared for things going wrong – something always does – and don’t take little mishaps too seriously. At the end of the day, everyone’s there to hang out and have fun together. The rest is less important.
That’s all the advice we have for you today. Now that you know what you need to get started, we wish you the best of luck!