MAYHEW — East Mississippi Community College is inviting gamers from across the region to a Local Area Network party on Friday at its Golden Triangle campus.
The event, scheduled for 6 p.m. to midnight, has a $5 entry fee. Dinner is available for an additional $5 and includes pizza, chips, soda and cookies.
The event is open to people of all ages. Children younger than 16 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who will have to sign a release form allowing them to participate.
EMCC’s chapter of the Associated Information Technology Professionals hosted a LAN party in March that drew 90 attendees. Information Systems Technology instructor Brandon Sesser said even more people are expected at Friday’s event.
“Everyone is invited to come out and game their hearts out and network with like-minded individuals,” Sesser said.
Attendees can bring their own equipment or use what’s available at the party. They can also bring board games or decks of cards.
“You might see desktop computers, laptop computers, (PlayStation) 1, 2, 3 or 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox 1, Wii, Nintendo, Sega, Dreamcast, or even a Commodore 64,” Sesser said. “Some people may want to play Monopoly, checkers or chess.”
The LAN party will also feature a gaming competition.
During the first round, gamers will compete against each other in Mario Kart, a series of go-kart style racing games played on a Super Nintendo. The winners will advance to the next round where they will play a computer-based game called Team Fortress, which is a shooting game with multiple players.
The finalists will compete in Super Smash Bros., which features crossover fighting games and is played on a console.
“By having them compete in different venues, it shows who the best all-around gamers are and not just who is the best on a console or who is best on a PC,” Sesser said.
The first place winner will receive a choice of either a $250 scholarship that can be applied toward a degree from the EMCC Information Systems Technology program or $25 in cash. A $25 Walmart gift card will be awarded to the second place winner and there will be a $25 gift card from Amazon given away as a door prize.
Preregistration is encouraged but not required. To preregister, contact Sesser at [email protected] or via Facebook at the “AITP (EMCC)” page.
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