The Auburn University Student Center Ballroom was transformed into a sanctum of screens and teams competing for prizes at the Computer Gaming Club's TigerLAN party Saturday, Oct. 19-Sunday, Oct. 20.
Gamers from across campus came to join the 36 hours of computer gaming.
Among the attendees was Jason McDonald, 2006 alumnus and former Gaming Club member and founder of TigerLAN.
"We started (TigerLAN) in 2001," McDonald said. "The club participation had gotten pretty low, and we were trying to figure out a way to drum up more people. In about two weeks we put together the first TigerLAN. It drew a lot of new people in and helped raise some funds for the club."
Jonathan McGuckin, junior in software engineering and president of the Gaming Club, said he was pleased with the attendance.
"This year's turnout was a little more than usual," McGuckin said. "It seems we are getting a few more people each year, so we're growing."
Tournaments are one of the main attractions at TigerLAN.
"The League of Legends tournament is usually the biggest attraction," McGuckin said. "The cash prize for (the winning team) is (approximately) $200."
Six teams competed in the "League of Legends" tournament. Unlike other teams, Team Mid or Feed was formed right before the tournament and had no time to practice.
Members Isaac Roby, senior in computer science; Aaron Fregeau, sophomore in software engineering; and Drew McDonald, senior in aerospace engineering, were all acquainted, but Laura Hammonds, freshman in graphic design; and Chris Dye, sophomore in software engineering, had not met or played with any of their teammates before.
"I didn't know anyone on our team, so I was aware this could go really bad or really good," Hammonds said. "But I was like... YOLO!"
Hammonds was one of few women competing in the tournament.
"People tend to assume I don't do well because I am a girl," Hammonds said. "They say my team carried me through the match. That is why I play solo. I don't like being stereotyped like that."
Despite negative stigma, Mid or Feed members said they remained confident about their team's ability.
"It's so rare to see a female in this kind of environment," Fregeau said. "I think they see her as less of threat than she actually is."
Mid or Feed faced off against Team P-Steven in the quarterfinals.
After connectivity issues led to the in-game deaths of two teammates on Mid or Feed, officials halted the game and allowed for Mid or Feed to relocate.
"It just really threw off our game," Drew said. "We came back from our deficit and won. They had some moments where they just threw the game, so we saw their mistakes and capitalized on them."
After their victory against P-Steven, Mid or Feed moved on to the next stage of the competition and competed against Team Parangaticutirimicua.
Parangaticutirimicua defeated Mid or Feed in a landslide victory.
"We had an advantage, but they slowly snowballed back ahead," Fregeau said. "They picked us off one by one. We just didn't get a good fight in after the first couple. I don't think we were very coordinated."
When asked on the team's plan for the next match, Fregeau said, "winning."
Mid or Feed was then matched up to play a grudge match against P-Steven.
Tensions were high as Mid or Feed said they felt as though they had something to prove after losing against Parangaticutirimicua.
"I was ready to win that game to show them it wasn't a fluke," Fregeau said.
Mid or Feed once again pulled out a victory against P-Steven. After reviewing their mistakes, Mid or Feed competed against Parangaticutirimicua.
After a back-and-forth final round, Parangaticutirimicua pulled out victory from beneath Mid or Feed one last time.
"They had strong objective control and they had a good team-fight composition," Roby said.
Despite coming in second place, the team said they remained proud of their accomplishment.
"I thought we did pretty well considering the other team had been put together prior to the event and had the opportunity to practice as a team," Drew said.
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