LSU Computer Society (lsucs) LAN Party – Loughborough

At eTeknix, we are always trying to find ways to interact with our readers and what better way than to actually meet some of them, we realise this isn’t always easy, so we have come up with an idea. What we intend to do is find all of the LAN parties and events in the UK and try to attend them. Then, we will do a map of the UK showing where all these events are and also outline the best parts and what the event is like. This will mostly be happening on the eTeknix forums. You will also be able to discuss the event and also share all of your pictures.

So the first event I attended:

I decided to pop down to lsucs as it is rather close to my home address, I had never been to one of these events but I had heard good things from other members of the community. The LAN is run by the Loughborough Students Union Computer Society, which coincidently is how it gets its name. Due to the event being run by the students it means that the same people don’t run the event year after year, in fact, they have devised a way in which each member of the committee never does the same job more than once. This means that fresh ideas are always brought to the table and any good ideas can be carried forward. Having spoken to members of the committee, past and present, it seems once that you have been a part of lsucs you stay a part of it. A lot of the attendees return year after year whether its as admin, spectator or as a gamer.

The room seats approximately 150 people and has some room to expand

lsucs really have got the venue sussed, they use rooms from the James France Exhibition Centre which is on Loughbourgh University grounds. The first thing I actually noticed when I walked into the venue was how nice it was, clean carpeted floors rather than the cold hard floors of most events were a nice change! The venue can hold up to over 150 participants and even has room for sleeping, tables for eating or card games and also an area for consoles. There are some other facilities such as a microwave, a small fridge, a hot water urn and a little tuck shop so you are always good for snacks and drinks. There are also hot dogs and food orders throughout the day so that you get more than just snack food. The venue also has a very good internet connection, they make use of their buildings Gigabit internet connection.

The weekend competitions concluded with a game of Towerfall

There are many games played, such as League of Legends, BF4, Minecraft and even Truck simulator. There are also tournaments throughout the event such as CS:GO and Hearthstone with prizes such as Parvum cases to be won. Speaking of Parvum, this event is where they let their hair down, and I can see why, it’s a very relaxed and chilled out environment and very friendly. The lads from Parvum were showing off their usual amazing machines like the ones below, it seems to be having an effect on the lsucs crowd too, a lot of the attendees are using Parvum systems!

Caitlyn keeps watch over Parvum Systems new watercooled build

With Parvum being at the event, it really is hard to find any other systems that look as good, but I am going to put out a special little mention for this little work horse!

Function over beauty can sometimes be seen

I would like to thank lsucs for having me at the event. I had an excellent day and I will be attending future events as a participant. The LANs really are run well, they have a lot to offer and the people there are great. It really is a social event as well as a chance to get your game on.

The events are run quite regularly, 3 per semester, which equates to 6 a year. The next event is in just a weeks time, to find out more, visit them on Facebook or visit their website.

For more pictures of this event please look through the gallery below.