abstract:
An exploratory survey was undertaken about the appeal of
playing video games at a Local Area Network (LAN) event
where personal computers are linked in order to play both
face-to-face and online. First, we wanted to know who
the visitors of a LAN event were, because there is hardly
any research available about this class of gamers. Second,
we wanted to know why they participated in a LAN
event. The survey showed that LAN gamers were almost
exclusively male, with a mean age of 19.5 years. They
devoted about 2.6 hours each day to gaming. They were
motivated by social contact and a need to know more
about games. The competition motive was third in the
total sample. A subgroup of heavy gamers obtained a
higher score on competition. This article emphasizes the
importance of the social context of gaming and interprets
its results as a nuance of the stereotype of the solitary,
adolescent gamer.

keywords:
gender differences, interactive media, LAN event, motives, video games