(Possibly) The Beginning of LANs in Morgantown

I’ve been mulling over ways to start LAN parties in Morgantown for quite some time. My opinion since moving here a year and a half ago has been that Morgantown would be a fantastic place for a LAN party given the right leadership and stubborness. Unfortunately, I found that securing space for such an event is rather difficult if you aren’t affiliated with WVU in some way.

It was suggested today that I help organize the WVU student chapter of the International Game Developers Association. The idea is that programmers and artists who are interested in game design can meet and share ideas, collaborate, and other things. We can get game industry professionals to do seminars and, of course, do huge LAN parties. This would also help jump start the game development cirriculum for bachelor’s and masters students that’s currently being developed.

This also means I have to pick my battles. I had earlier wanted to try starting a 2600 group in Morgantown. I’m far more interested in the IGDA chapter. I’d definitely still participate in a 2600 group, but I don’t think I’d choose that when given the option to choose between the two.

I shared my previous experience with planning LAN parties with the advisor, and he seemed very interested in the way the events were used to promote the department in exchange for equipment. In short, it all sounded doable except with a WVU-sized budget. Being a school organization also gives access to rooms such as the NRCCE expo room which is roughly twice the size of the Tech Center Ballroom. This appears from the outside to be the opportunity to plan the LAN party I’ve dreamed of with all of the resources I’ve ever wanted. On the other hand, I haven’t dealt very much with the department, so Admiral Ackbar may have useful input on this. I also have to consider if I can keep up with my school, research, and work responsibilities with the added leadership responsibility. I must remeber that I am a student first and foremost.

If you’re a WVU student who is seeking a degree in Computer Science or an Arts degree that would be associated with some form of digital art or design for video games, weigh in on the comments of Facebook or my blog @ praisechaos.com. Feel free to share this information to those who would be interested. If you’re interested in a huge Morgantown LAN party, let me know as well. This won’t be starting until next semester, so I’ve got some time to mull it over.