It was the mid-2000s on a hot afternoon in Miami, Florida. Sam's Internet Cafe was once again all seats taken with its usual clientele of avid gamers. Orly, a senior high student whose parents hailed from Puerto Rico, was seated beside his best friend John, who, along with three other friends had made the Cafe their major hangout.

They were to go up against a team from a nearby school, nothing really major at stake, just a friendly match. Still, tensions were high as the adrenaline started to course through their veins even before the game began. Orly and John fist bumped each other, then the others just for good luck, and booted up CS1.6, they had to frag...they had to rule!

Then it finally began, "Round Start" and all hell broke loose as they squared up with the opposing guys on the de_Dust map, the de facto combat arena of the CounterStrike world. Teamwork is the key, and Orly's team had their own special moves and tactics on how to beat the other side and survive round after round.

LAN Gaming

This was what LAN gaming was all about, and sadly, we seem to have lost it in today's current gaming world. LAN gaming not only promoted private LAN parties but public Internet Cafes and gaming centers where gamers would purposely go not just to play, but make new friends, hang out with them, and form teams and groups that played and competed on a regular basis. It was a gaming lifestyle, and an entire games market was focused and tailor-made for the trend.

It was an exciting time to play games, especially for those who were sociable and wanted to get out to spend time with their friends. LAN gaming was a boom, if not a given, and surprisingly, the activity had several good advantages and benefits to it. Gameplay-wise, it had practically no latency (if there ever was any), you were playing with the guys beside, behind, and across from you.

Gameplay was stable as the server was there on-site, and any crashes and issues that plagued online games (there already were back then) could easily be fixed quickly to get the game going. Framerates and system performance were usually at their best, and you didn't need to connect online as the gameplay was local and all you needed was your team and the other guys.

The Social Experience

The game was getting fierce, and Orly was tiring. Suddenly, a "Tango" pops up in front of him, and he knew he was gone and had to sit the rest of the round out. There was a sudden pop, but it didn't hit Orly; instead, the Tango dropped to the ground. John whispered, gritting his teeth, "Got your back, buddy! Go, go, go ..." Orly sprang for cover while simultaneously lifting his left hand from the keyboard to pat his smiling friend on the shoulder. The round went on.

Playing side by side in an Internet Cafe provided an atmosphere of personal camaraderie that cannot be experienced online. You really know your friend face-to-face, you hang out together, go to the mall together, play Nintendo or PS at each other's homes, and do all kinds of gamer stuff. Tactical planning, strategy, and execution is a personal thing discussed as a group while taking a snack, sitting together, or right before a match, the same way traditional sports players do.

Fair Play

The thing about LAN gaming is that everyone can see everyone, and it would be very difficult to load and install a "cheat" app, much less activate it during a match. The game master/administrator is right there and will spot any anomaly that will give an unfair advantage. Do it, and you are likely to be booted out and banned from playing on the site, ever again. Besides, no one wants to be branded as a "cheater" with everyone there knowing who you are.

Also, as mentioned, a team sits together, so it's instant communication right then and there, and reactions and actions take place in real-time. One cannot accuse another team of cheating if they play well and have really good teamwork, and with a game master continuously roaming around, it would be pretty tough to do something illegal.

LAN gaming offers so much that online gaming just can't do. The disadvantage is the scope and number of players that can join a match, as the slots and number of machines are limited, and the players have to be physically present on-site. The tradition, however, has been carried over even online in some games, but not all. 5 vs 5 matches are still traditionally played in competitive online gaming, even today.

Online gaming is usually open to as many gamers as can possibly join in today's competitive battlefields (Fortnite, PUBG, etc.), and matches can range from the traditional to the all-out survival-type gameplay with so many players running around shooting each other. Sadly, despite the accessible advantages, connection issues are prevalent, and gaming is just not as personal and enjoyable as the good old LAN gaming days.

LAN gaming will always hold a special place in gaming history. Regardless, it still exists today in Internet Cafes around the world, though not as much as it did in its heyday.

So, the match come to an end, and Orly and his team won the overall tally. Big high-fives for everyone, and a game well played (GG). John, Orly, and their friends walk out of Sam's computer shop into the late afternoon streets of Miami, smiling, 20 years ago from today.

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