Central is no stranger to the gaming community as a new Esports lounge was recently added in Memorial Hall. All in the while the Esports club has been promoting and hosting gaming events weekly.

On Oct.11, the Esports club held the first of their two big Local Area Network (LAN) parties this semester. The event was open to anyone who likes to participate in online multiplayer games of various genres. With a large variety, including digital collectible card games, action real-time strategy and first-person shooters, there were plenty of different games that could be played at tournaments.

Although gaming has been a popular pastime in the U.S. since the 1980s, in recent years it has become not only a source of high-stakes competition but also a highly sought-after and highly-paid profession. The popularity of the Esports community has allowed for grand international tournaments like the recent “Fortnite” World Cup, with top prizes in the millions of dollars.

“Today we are running a few tournaments, a ‘Hearthstone’ tournament and a ‘Magic’ tournament,” said Nicholas Pudlinski, the President of the Esports club. “These are however just the tournament games, and people are free to play whatever they want.”

Special prizes and free food are usually offered at big Esports club events, and the LAN party was no exception. Additionally, participants and spectators have a chance to leave as winners.

“The prizes for the tournament are for the winner and runner up, but we also have prizes which [we] give out from a raffle,” said Pudlinski. “In the past we’ve had things like headsets, mouses, Gunnar glasses, Pop figures and other gaming accessories.”

While professional online prize tournaments are a very reachable objective for Esports participants, the Esports club offers the prospect of playing with your friends in a local setting. Members of the club can freshen up their skills at other smaller events or enjoy the provision of the Esports lounge.

“We also have what we call weekend LANs, which are a little smaller,” stated Pudlinski. “We usually don’t have prizes or food at those, but we pretty much do them every weekend. We use the same room, [Robert Vance Academic Center] 105, and we usually have a theme. For example, the next one’s theme could be Minecraft, so we would set up and play on some Minecraft servers.”

New members also might have a chance to learn about new games, new happenings in the gaming industry, and to meet a sizable amount of people with diverse gaming interests.

“We have about 300 members signed up for the club on ‘[CCSU] The Link’ and most of the people who showed up today are from the club,” said Pudlinski. “I’d like to pump the numbers up a little bit, but for our first big LAN event, it is a pretty solid turnout.” About 40 students attended the LAN party event.

The club holds informational meetings on Fridays at 3 p.m. in the new Esports lounge. There, new or present members can voice their requests on games or events that they’d like to see while staying up to date on gaming news and affairs.