This paper investigates the emergence of public forms of gaming such as national competitions and LAN parties . There must be reasons, beyond the joys of lag-free play, why gamers choose to bring themselves and their computers to the same point at the same time. LAN parties especially take planning, investment and negotiation to set up and attend to assure that everyone turns up at the same time and same place with PCs, network cards, sleeping bag, food and are met by a functioning and reliable network. They offer opportunity for conspicuous display and the challenge of skills developed through domestic gaming and practice to be applied to a public field of competition. Part of the attraction of public gaming events is not just to be challenged and comptete but to be seen to do so and make eye contact with other members of the gaming communities.
Physical presence means that gaming events become social events.
From the nervous talk that takes place while cueing to register at a console championship to the swapping of warez and pornography in the middle of the night at a LAN party, talking and making contact is central to the interactions that go on at public gaming events as gamers stops being onscreen nicks and become people. Since the early days of Pong computer and video games have offered players the chance of being part of a game which takes place on the inside of a cathode ray tube or LCD display. The player is at the same time both viewer of the game and a participant in it. In Pong, movement of the control paddle moved the onscreen bat in order to hit the onscreen ball. The product is more complex but the principle is the same.