St. Louis Gaming: Laclede’s LAN 9

Laclede’s LAN 9 Side Activities

This was also the first Laclede’s LAN to feature Adrenaline Gaming Zone (http://www.agzonline.com/), a local gaming group that focuses on Xbox gaming. Their Halo 2 tournaments drew over 40 more people aside from the LAN attendees, with a room of their own packed with four Xboxes, four flat-screen TV’s and a brand spanking new Xbox 360 for people to take for a spin.

Between tourneys, of course, there are some other attractions that LL has become known for. Sometimes jokingly referred to as “the reason we come to Laclede’s” by some of the LL fans, the famous Laclede’s Burgers showed up in force once again, thanks to staff cook Dickie and his enormous grill. Hot dogs and some candy for dessert helped to diversify the gamer diet and prepare the attendees for several more hours of mouse wrangling.

After everyone had had their fill, our first speaker took the floor to discuss Nerds On Site, the mobile technology servicing company. Chris Novak came to Laclede’s LAN all the way from windy Chicago, and was happy to discuss the organization with anyone who was interested. He drove a very cool VW beetle emblazoned with the word “Nerdmobile”, which was more than appropriate under the circumstances. Afterwards, Nathan Kirsch of Legit Reviews stepped up to give a seminar showcasing new technology unreleased to the public. He spoke about the future of gaming in relation to computer hardware and showed of the just released AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 system running ATI’s Crossfire cards. He then allowed the opportunity for everyone to take it for a test run! The seating area in front of the speakers was densely packed, and the attendees seemed to enjoy their break from the 14 hours of gaming.

Several hours and countless frags later, the door prize time had come. Every prize had to go, and almost every LANner walked home with something cool to play with. Finally, after the tourneys had ended, the food was exhausted, and the caffeine effect had begun to wane, everyone packed up and headed home, yawning widely and sorting through their new gear. Some went home humbled, and some went home a little richer, but everyone seemed to agree that this LAN was the best Laclede’s event yet. “We definitely feel like we’re building a real St. Louis gaming community,” said Lodsiek, an LL staffer. “I’m actually starting to get to know a lot of these guys, and it’s a good feeling to know that we can put on an event that keeps them coming back.”

Laclede’s LAN will be holding another LAN party in St. Louis, Missouri in April and Legit Reviews will again be on hand. This time Laclede’s LAN is aiming at getting 140 people for the event, which should be easy after how well their last event went. Legit Reviews will again be on hand to talk about hardware and next time have something special in store for those who come.