The booming of over a hundred computers cranked up to maximum volume greats you even before you step into the LAN shop. This sound is punctuated with the shouts of dozens of youth as some curse at themselves or at team-mates for making mistakes and victory cheers of those that have emerged victorious. You then see rows and rows of youth as they stare with full concentration at the computer screens before them while they call out instructions to their friends around them.

This is the typical scene at a LAN shop. I have been frequently asked, 'Why do so many youth, especially guys, like to spend so much time in these shops?' Is it really worth the money spent? Why don’t you guys just play these games at home?

My answer to these questions? LAN gaming is a form of male bonding. As girls go shopping, guys go gaming. When friends spend time together, friendship bonds grow stronger. But how can this be when all one does is to stare at a computer screen? If there is no ‘quality’ time spent with each other, how do we get to know each other better?

I do agree that the bonds that I form with my guy friends are different from the bonds I see girls have as they get to know each other by gossiping. However, the bonds we form are no less weak. The whole point of playing at LAN shops instead of from home is to play with friends. This means a group of guys would come and play together as a team. Playing in a team not only encourages us to work together, but at the same time teaches us to trust each other. How can we in real life trust someone with our lives if we can’t even trust the person to watch you back in a game? Playing in a team also encourages us to think creatively to come up with new strategies to win and also teaches team values, such as to delegate responsibility and self sacrifice for the sake of the team.

The same goes even if you to play alone. A gamer will give another gamer a certain amount of respect due to the common bond they share. This allows for pathways to developing new friends! Not just to know someone by his username on the internet, but also to see him in real life. As different people from different back grounds hang out together, new ideas and insights towards them and other things are generated. Differences such as racial barriers break down as we see each other as a gamer to another gamer.

Also as you play with others, it reveals a lot about peoples’ character, such as, is he a natural leader who leads the pack every time, or perhaps a strategist who comes up with new tactics to defeat the enemy, perhaps he is the loyal type whom you can trust to watch your back till the end, maybe you realise someone refuses to work with the team and always does things his own way, or he is a selfish player who will abandon you in times of danger to save his own sorry ass. Such knowledge is useful even in real life as you work with the same people in school or at work. It makes delegating work in a team easier as you learn of their strengths and weaknesses. It also helps you to trust that your friend will pull his own share of the weight.

However, the ‘quality’ time we spend is together during the ‘post game period’. This is where we usually go out for a meal together after a number of hours of gaming. Having gone thought the same experience; we are not only able to share about what went on, but also how we felt at that point of time. This too is an avenue to getting to know each other’s feelings and to respect each other’s point of view. Here too is where out bonds grow stronger and the clan spirit is forged.

With so much good coming out of such a fun and exciting activity, I am truly convinced that it is worth the time and money spent in it. In fact I highly recommend others to try out and enjoy this from of hanging out with friends.