Club connects PC gamers

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 20, 2006 | by BILL RADFORD THE GAZETTE

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one story in a series about special- interest clubs in Colorado Springs.

Billy Huston isn't having much luck accomplishing his blood- soaked mission.

"I shot him like eight times," he protests as the man on the computer screen in front of him refuses to fall.

Moments later, his own man dies in a hail of gunfire.

"I hate this game," he says, to laughter.

Huston is playing a tournament round of "Counter-Strike: Source," a team-based computer game that pits terrorists against counterterrorists.

It's just a small part of the on-screen action that will fill up the day at the latest gathering of the Academy PC Gamers Club.

The club holds monthly LAN -- Local Area Network -- parties at the Air Force Academy's Milazzo Club.

The network allows the gamers to connect their computers and play games together.

It's similar to joining online games, except the network allows for smoother play than online, which can result in a kind of stutter in the game.

And bringing 30 or so gamers together in one room transforms what is often a solitary experience into a social occasion, with members chatting through headsets or shouting across the room.

"It's definitely better to be around other people and to be able to interact," says Morgan Fetter, a member of the group.

Others in the room go by such colorful names as "Fallen Angel" and "Solar Eclipz."

Fetter -- who is teamed with Huston, aka "Digital Moses," in the "Counter-Strike" tournament -- sticks with the name Morgan.

"I figure it's uncommon enough," he says with a shrug.

Huston started the club last April with Steve Grever, a member of the Air Force Academy's public-affairs staff.

Although the meetings are held on academy grounds, the club is open to nonmilitary people, they say.

"The base is really good about giving us the location and the power we need," Grever says.

The club, which is one of several LAN groups along the Front Range, welcomes donations, which go toward causes such as buying pizza for the group. But unlike many LAN groups, there are no dues.

"It's nice to come here and not pay like 50 bucks," Fetter says.

Members take their computers, along with accessories such as power strips and network cables.

The computers generally are not ones you'll find on the shelves at Wal-Mart or Office Depot.

"They all build their own systems, normally," Grever says of members.

The sharing of computer knowledge is one major benefit to being in the group, Huston says.

"People share a lot of tips on how to get their systems running better and faster."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or bill.radford@gazette.com

TO LEARN MORE

The Academy PC Gamers Club's next LAN party is 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Air Force Academy's Milazzo Club. To sign up for the party, go to www.academygamers.com/reg.>

Copyright 2006

Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.