3 reasons why I still play in LAN shops even when I have those games at home

Yes, you just shelled out $70 for a copy of that video game so you can play it online from the comfort of your own home. But LAN shops are still a blast to go to, and I’m pretty sure I can rationalize going to one on a regular basis to even the most stingy and frugal gamers out there.

1. You’re going to be going out spending money anyway

Let’s say you’re hanging out in town with your best buds, and one of them proposes that you guys hit a LAN shop up and play some Left 4 Dead 2 or Dota 2. Let’s say you use that age-old argument of, “What a waste of money. I have the game at home. Let’s do something else.” Where will you end up going?

You’ll probably go to a Starbucks, watch a movie, or just have a meal. You’ll probably have fun doing any of those things too, but you see you’re still spending money. That six bucks you could have spent playing a game for two hours with your friends went into an expensive coffee, and you probably have coffee at home too, but that doesn’t stop you from spending good money on it when you go out.

Doesn’t matter if you’re playing PC or console games—a good time with your mates is a good time with your mates, period.

While true that you probably can’t make a Starbucks trademark mocha frappe at home, you also get an entirely different experience playing in a LAN shop as compared to playing at home.

2. Trash talk

I’m just going to come out and say it—this is 70 percent of why I want to play live with my friends. It’s so much fun to yell “You suck!” over at a friend who’s sitting right next to you, or to shoot him a smug glance when you cream him in a fighting game. If you’re playing on the same team with some friends, you can still call them out on their stupid mistakes and celebrate a shared victory, or laugh at a shared defeat.

Just remember not to overdo it on the trash talk, yeah?

(See: The Facebook video of a kid trash talking is not okay)

While I do chat with my friends on Skype when we play online from our homes, it’s just not the same as being next to each other. If Skype could erase all boundaries I would probably never leave my house in search of human interaction. Any person who has played in a LAN shop will definitely back me up on this point—it’s great fun just messing around with your friends in the same room.