{"id":58553,"date":"2021-10-12T20:54:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T00:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savard.work\/2021\/10\/12\/quest-ce-quun-lan-party\/"},"modified":"2021-10-27T11:32:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T15:32:16","slug":"what-is-a-lan-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/2021\/10\/12\/what-is-a-lan-party\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a LAN party?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The origin of the term LAN party is quite simple. LAN is the acronym for &#8220;Local Area Network&#8221;, and then party, which is a celebration. (Ducrocq, 2011)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Note<em>: This article is a translation. For the original article, click on Fran\u00e7ais in the menu.<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a video game context, the LAN party was initially a festive event where participants played on a local network. Although the majority of competitive games no longer allow for LAN play and require an Internet connection to connect to servers managed directly by the game studios, the term LAN has remained. The notion of being face-to-face, i.e. directly on site and not on the Internet, is one of the key elements to fully understand the phenomenon. In addition, although the term &#8220;party&#8221; is often removed in favor of using only the expression &#8220;LAN&#8221;, it brings a necessary component to the event. The atmosphere of a LAN is festive, whether or not there is competition. Central to the development of electronic sports, the LAN phenomenon has also been studied from several other perspectives. We leave you some references in the bibliography (Jansz &amp; Martens, 2005; Taylor &amp; Witkowski, 2010; Witkowski, 2012; Witkowski, 2013).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"THIS IS YOUR WORLD\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vBUa0Cg6CoY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Vid\u00e9o de pr\u00e9sentation du DreamHack (Su\u00e8de, 2020)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Differences between LAN<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several variables that distinguish LAN from each other. The following elements are not mentioned in any particular order of importance: duration, number of participants, types of activities, and the logistics surrounding the gaming devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Duration<\/strong> \u2013 LAN generally last a minimum of 24 hours (e.g. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/350672265123609\/\" target=\"_blank\">LAN Montmorency 2015<\/a> or <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.feufou.net\/grandlan\" target=\"_blank\">Le Grand LAN Drummond 2021<\/a>), and can extend over several days (e.g. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/project\/lan-boreal\/\" target=\"_blank\">LAN Boreal<\/a> or<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/lanets.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\"> LAN ETS<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Number of participants<\/strong> \u2013 while a LAN can be composed of only a few people in an apartment, LAN in Quebec have on average about 50 to 200 participants. At the moment, the biggest ones in Quebec are  <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/dreamhack.com\/montreal\/fr\/dhmtl\/\" target=\"_blank\">DreamHack Montr\u00e9al<\/a>, LAN ETS and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lanjdl.ca\/\">LAN JDL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Types of activities<\/strong>  \u2013  obviously, playing video games is the main activity of the event. However, there are some nuances. For example, the JDL LAN consists of tournaments with teams made on site where there are no scholarships, but rather participation prizes. While the LAN ETS has tournaments where competitive teams register in advance and the winners receive cash prizes. Some LANs, such as DreamHack, also have a variety of activities organized in parallel, which are not necessarily related to video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Gaming Device Logistics <\/strong>\u2013 Most LAN parties are BYOC (bring your own computer). Basically, LAN participants are expected to come to the event with all the necessary equipment. At some places (e.g. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leskyzo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Le Skyzo<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/esportscentral.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Esports Central<\/a>), it is possible to rent the room and organize a LAN where all the equipment is already provided. In 2009, the realization of a small LAN party was relatively simple and could even be done in a school library (Peterson, 2009). Today, however, the need for an excellent Internet connection complicates matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The importance of LAN in Quebec<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While this may be true in other parts of the world, I prefer to avoid overgeneralizations as much as possible. Therefore, in Quebec, LAN parties have played a catalytic role for many organizations by giving them a goal to achieve. Indeed, on the local scene, the victories at DreamHack Montreal, and before that at LAN ETS, are what mainly allow to know who has the best teams at this or that game. For many gamers, the LAN is a unique opportunity to meet in person people they often see online all year long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are two videos of the LAN ETS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lan ETS 2006\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4aUDC5N0__4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>LAN ETS 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lan ETS 2013\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JW8fMARYeY4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>LAN ETS 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Opinion: <\/strong>Although some LANs were done online as a result of the health measures put in place during the pandemic, they will likely return to the in-person setting as soon as possible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>In summary, the LAN party is a festive in-person event where video game enthusiasts gather to play together, competitively or not, on their own gaming devices or not.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bibliography<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-small-font-size\"><li>Ducrocq, Samuelle (2011). \u00ab Les tribus ludiques du &#8220;LAN party&#8221; : perspectives d&#8217;apprentissage et de socialisation en contexte de comp\u00e9tition de jeux vid\u00e9o en r\u00e9seau local \u00bb Th\u00e8se. Montr\u00e9al (Qu\u00e9bec, Canada), Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al, Doctorat en communication.<\/li><li>Peterson, J. (2009). LAN party, anyone? School Library Journal, 55(3), 26-n\/a.<\/li><li>Jansz, J., &amp; Martens, L. (2005). Gaming at a LAN Event: The Social Context of Playing Video Games. New Media &amp; Society, 7, 333\u2013355.). Gaming at a LAN Event: The Social Context of Playing Video Games. New Media &amp; Society, 7, 333\u2013355.<\/li><li>Taylor, T. L., &amp; Witkowski, E. (2010). This is How We Play it: What a Mega-LAN Can Teach Us About Games. In Y. Pisan (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Game. Monterey, CA: ACM Press.<\/li><li>Witkowski, E. (2012). \u201cOn the Digital Playing Field: How We \u201cDo Sport\u201d with Networked Computer Games\u201d, Games and Culture. Volume 7. Issue 5. September 2012 pp. 349 \u2013 374.<\/li><li>Witkowski, E. (2013). Eventful masculinities: Negotiations of Hegemonic Sporting Masculinities at LANs. In M. Consalvo, K. Mitgutsch, &amp; A. Stein (Eds.) Sports Videogames. New York: Routledge.<\/li><\/ul>\n<div class=\"fb-background-color\">\n\t\t\t  <div \n\t\t\t  \tclass = \"fb-comments\" \n\t\t\t  \tdata-href = \"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/2021\/10\/12\/what-is-a-lan-party\/\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-numposts = \"10\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-lazy = \"true\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-colorscheme = \"light\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-order-by = \"time\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-mobile=true>\n\t\t\t  <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t  <style>\n\t\t    .fb-background-color {\n\t\t\t\tbackground: #ffffff !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t.fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe {\n\t\t\t    width: 100% !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t  <\/style>\n\t\t  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The origin of the term LAN party is quite simple. LAN is the acronym for &#8220;Local Area Network&#8221;, and then party, which is a celebration. (Ducrocq, 2011)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58553"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58586,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58553\/revisions\/58586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savard.work\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}