page_title: LAN party
section_title: Small LAN parties
hierarchical_section_title: LAN party / Small LAN parties
caption_attribution_description: Lanparty
context_page_description: A LAN party is a gathering of people with computers or compatible game consoles, where a local area network connection is established between the devices using a router or switch, primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer video games together. The size of these networks may vary from as few as two people, to very large gatherings of a hundred or more. Small parties can form spontaneously and take advantage of common household networking equipment, but larger ones typically require more planning, equipment, and preparation.
  As of 2013, the world record for the size of a LAN party is 17,403 connected systems, set at DreamHack, in Jönköping, Sweden.
  LAN party events differ significantly from LAN gaming centers and Internet cafes in that they generally require participants to bring your own computer and are not permanent installations, often taking place in general meeting places or residences.
context_section_description: Usually, smaller LAN parties consist of people bringing their computers over to each other's houses to host and play multiplayer games.
  These are sometimes established between small groups of friends, and hosted at a central location or one that is known to all participants. Such events are often organized quickly with little planning, and some overnight events, with some stretching into days (or even weeks). Because of the small number of players, games are usually played on small levels and/or against bots.
  A small LAN party requires either a network switch, with enough ports to accommodate all the players, or if all the computers have Wi-Fi capability, an ad hoc network may be set up. This allows two or more computers to connect over a wireless connection, thereby eliminating the need for a wired network, a fair amount of power, and suitable surfaces for all the computers. Providing refreshments is often also a duty of the host, though guests are usually asked to contribute. In larger parties where participants may not all know each other personally, an entry fee may even be charged. Another tradition of some small groups is to purchase large amounts of fast food for consumption over many days. Many LAN participants will also bring food or drink to consume over the course of the party—though they can be held at any hour, many LAN parties begin late in the evening and run through the next morning, making energy drinks a popular choice.
  When some of the participants cannot be present or when merging a few LAN parties together, VPN software such as Hamachi can be used to arrange computers over the Internet so they appear to be on the same LAN.
  Normally, the host will host the games but sometimes at very small LAN parties (e.g. 2 or 3 people) all participants will connect to an online internet server and add a word in front of their name to tell everyone else that they are a clan or group. At bigger LANs (e.g. 5 or more people) the host or a friend of the host will use a spare PC as a game server to serve all the participants. Usually the host and/or the owner are administrators.
  The group can play together in another server as well if they wish as long as they are in the same LAN.
  Private LAN parties were at their peak in popularity during the late 1990s to early 2000s when broadband internet access was either unavailable or too expensive for most people at the time. Another purpose for attending private LAN parties was also the opportunity to share software, movies or music among the participants. File-sharing over LAN networks provided a convenient way to exchange content among participants, as most average internet users did not have access to the high-speed and bandwidth that a broadband Internet connection offers to accommodate large file size downloads. Since the wide availability of high-speed internet, friends can more easily remotely play their multiplayer games together, using gaming-orientated software such as TeamSpeak, Discord and Steam. Social media can also assist in online meet-ups and communication for groups of friends to be able to play their multiplayer games online together, in the comfort of their own homes rather than the inconvenience of packing and then setting up their PC's to the LAN party host's location.
caption: A LAN party in Netherlands (2003)
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