When picturing events where college students gather to have a good time, images of sports events and red solo cups might come to mind. It can be easy to forget individuals who chose not to partake in these more common practices and it can be even harder to imagine what these people do with their free time.
The PC Gamers Club of UW put on the 2014 LAN party this Saturday and gamers of all kinds to brought their gaming rigs to a common place so that they can play and compete with one another. Walking through the Union Gardens, faces of determined and focused gamers were illuminated by the multiple electronics that surrounded them.
This year the event hosted two main tournaments, one for League of Legends and one for Starcraft 2. This year saw their largest showing in League of Legends with 35 entries. Winners of these tournaments were subject to receive parts of the $1,000 prize pool. Michael Huntington, the president of the club, said that this event allows gamers on campus to connect and meet with other gamers.
“Not a lot of us go to the sporting events or these other things where students on campus connect,” explained Huntington. “This is a great way for us to connect with our peers.”
Huntington said the event was not only for connecting people, but also to simulate the professional scene for the competitors.
“There’s a growing e-sports community around the world, a lot of competitive gamers playing for real money, with real careers,” Huntington said. “We like putting these on so we can pretend that we’re professionals.”
Eric Risha, a volunteer for the event, said the event allows many students to not only connect with peers that share the hobby, but also allowing these students an opportunity to alleviate some of the stress of finals week. He continues to say that the scene in UW should only keep growing.
“There is a lot of interest, computers are getting better and more available,” said Risha. “More and more people are starting to discover how fun PC gaming really is.”
To further simulate the e-sports atmosphere, Hunter Hubbard, a player of three years, was employed as the commentator for the competition. Hubbard said being a gamer is currently overlooked and that it warrants being taken as seriously as sports.
“Most people don’t think of it as a sport obviously,” said Hubbard. “The competition level is just as high as other sports, there’s just as much teamwork involved, and strategy, and time practicing.”
