Geek connection

For many high school students, big plans for the weekend include ball games and hot dates.

So what do the so-called "computer nerds" do for fun when they aren't in school?

They hold LAN parties, high-tech entertainment designed BY nerds FOR nerds. No, LAN doesn't stand for "losers and nerds." It's an acronym (or geekronym) for Local Area Network.

A LAN Party, for those of you not in the know, is "a communion of nerds who get together, hook up their computers and compete in their favorite nerd-subject, computer games," said Bernie Rihn, 16, a Gonzaga Prep junior.

Mark Anderson, 17, a Mt. Spokane junior, describes a LAN party as a "Mardi Gras for geeks."

"They usually happen in basements, sheds, storage areas or some other dark area," said Andrew Smith, 16, a Gonzaga Prep junior who has hosted several LAN parties. "They can last anywhere from one to two days, sometimes maybe three.

"I encourage everyone to take showers before they come," Smith said, adding that "setting up a LAN is a major pain, but it's worth it. We have fun."

At first sight, a LAN party doesn't look like much: just a bunch of teens huddled together in a room, hunkered over keyboards, staring at computer screens.

The only activity appears to be rapid eye movement and the occasional wrist cramp.

It's pretty sedate.

"LAN parties are usually pretty calm, but really competitive," said Adam Hesseltine, 16, a Gonzaga Prep sophomore.

Hesseltine said with a laugh that he'd only seen one fight during a LAN party. It happened when a breaker flipped.

"We were sucking so much energy," he said. "One of the kids got really mad and started going crazy."

Anderson remembered the fight, too. "The kid started unplugging computers, pushing the host of the party," he said.

Smith said he doesn't tolerate such unruly behavior. "I usually kick out kids who are going to fight," he said. "We've got a lot of expensive stuff here, and I don't want it destroyed."

From six to 12 gamers attend the average LAN party, staying for hours on end. All the equipment combined can be worth several thousand dollars.

"Most of the kids have built their own computers and take them pretty seriously," Rihn said.

But LAN parties are not all about fun and games. They also are hands-on career training for the future pocket-protector wearing professionals of America, the kind you will one day find roaming the halls of Microsoft and Sun Microsystems.

Besides hosting LAN parties, Smith builds computers and sells them.

"In a few years, we will be coffee-strung-out computer programmers," Rihn said.

Electronic Arts, a computer game giant, hosts an academy for high- school students interested in programming games. The technological explosion nearly guarantees computer-savvy teens a prosperous future.

But if the prospect for success in the future is not enough, gamers also focus on the short-term benefits of LAN parties.

Anderson said that girls love computer nerds, but Hesseltine disagreed. "I think that if girls found out I was a computer nerd, I could maybe end up with negative two girls," he said.

"If a girl or any other `normal' person were to walk in on a LAN party, I think their first reaction would be shock and they would immediately wonder what was going on," said Baron Cheffer, 18, an entrepreneur and Gonzaga Prep graduate.

Libby Smith said she likes to play computer games, but she doesn't understand why LAN parties last such a long time. "I don't think I could play video games for as long as they do," she said.

That's why LAN parties tend to be frequented by males, Anderson said. "It's just too much of a guy, testosterone thing," he said.

Anderson summed up the LAN party experience this way: "One computer game: $40. A complete computer set-up with networking card: around $900.

"Spending time with a bunch of geeks in a garage for hours on end: Priceless."

Copyright 2003 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.