space restrictions
You will need to provide each player attending the LAN party with a good amount of space. While LAN PCs consume a bit more space than console gaming parties, you can count on each gamer requiring a five by five foot square from space. This allows for the necessary seating and storage space, as well as table space for PC deployments or for the gaming area for console games. Garages are fine if you’re planning a small eight-person LAN, but you’ll generally be looking for something a little larger. Town halls, community centers, etc. are ideal. Estimate the square footage of the floor and divide it by the number of planned attendees to see if your square footage meets the minimum demands. Providing enough space is always a good idea, as extended play in tight spaces can really affect the overall quality of events. In terms of table area, the most efficient setups allow players to be on parallel sides of long tables. Think of rows of elementary school lunch tables!
power restrictions
Depending on the number of players attending, you’ll want to check with the owner of the event area to make sure the power grid can handle the power demands of so many computers, monitors, TVs, consoles, etc. LAN parties consume massive amounts of electricity, so you need to guard against blowing fuses. As a rule, I restrict three computers per socket. Be prepared to compensate the room owner for electricity as well.
network restrictions
This is the most important part of a LAN party: the local area connection! While your PCs and consoles might be great for single player, they’re no use on a LAN unless they’re connected. While your average router might give you a four-computer networking solution, you may need something a little more extensive depending on how many people are coming. While most routers only have four ports, the largest switches have expansions between eight and sixty-four Ethernet ports. Renting a piece of networking hardware like a larger switch might be worth it. I opted for a refurbished Cisco switch to have something on hand, but if your LANs are planned infrequently, then a weekend rental would be more profitable. There you have it, the basic logistics needed to get your LAN party off the ground! Thanks for reading and happy gaming!