Scores of gamers huddle around screens trading tips and subtle trash talk. The intense stares on faces is the common theme of the room. They have purpose. They have a mission. These are the people who a casual Madden player would call "hardcore." These are not common gamers.
For those who attend TigerLAN 18, gaming is not hobby. It is a lifestyle.
The event began Saturday morning in the Student Center and ran non-stop until 11 p.m. Sunday.The club organized a healthy mix of PC and console gaming choices.
"I came here to see my friends and play games," said Sam Kerr, former president of the club.
The gamers stress that the event is more about socializing than playing.
"It's really about bringing together friends and meeting new people," said Ridley Meeks, freshman in pre-software engineering. "I enjoy the gaming, but that's really a secondary thing. It's really about the people."
Gamers were able to play one-player games at their leisure, but they also organized groups around larger screens to compete in tournaments.
Some played first-person shooters, others were immersed in role-playing games and fighting games attracted large numbers.
"I like console games mostly," said Dontre Allen, junior in general science. "Fighting and RPGs are more of my thing."
Allen was hacking and slashing scores of enemies in Dynasty Warriors, a fighting platformer for Xbox 360.
"Primarily I play first-person shooters," Kerr said. "But often it's just about playing the game that someone's willing to show you."
Participants pointed out that learning about new games is a great feature of the event.
"I've actually picked up a few games from coming here," Meeks said.
Meeks said he picked up playing the Orange Box from a past TigerLAN.
The Orange Box from Valve compiles Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal into one package.
Stories like Meeks' are exactly what the club strives to produce out of TigerLAN. The club ensures that a variety of options are available to participants.
Thus, half of the room was set up like a NASA control room.
Side by side PC computers, optimized for the newest games, lined table tops.
The PC gamers stared intently at their screens with the occasional communication while a screen was loading.
The other side of the room was characterized by a more laid-back atmosphere.
Here, the console gamers battled it out with casual conversation and light-hearted trash talk.
Playstation 3s, Xbox 360s and Wiis were all present at the event.
The club sought to bring in a wide variety of gamers from both the University and the surrounding community.
"We try and advertise around and get everyone we can to come," Meeks said.
TigerLAN is hosted by the AU Computer Gaming Club every semester.
The Gaming Club meets in Haley 3233 every Friday at 7 p.m.
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