Lan Parties are one of the most interesting phenomena to pop up in recent years.
Basically, the essence of a Lan Party consists of multiple computers, a massive tangle of category 5 wire, a hub or switch or a mix of both, a few or more people, and computer games those people play - typically competing against or with each other. Of course, other things - such as adequate power, air conditioning, refreshments, and prizes for tourneys - are nice to have, but by no means a necessity.
Of course, the nature of these parties varies wildly. There are small house parties, where groups of friends will get together to chill and play a few games... There are also some commercial lans like WasteLan and Quake Con that draw many, many more with the promise of sanctioned competitions and tournaments, food and drink, and all the other things smaller parties might have. Many illegal activities also occur at these parties - from the downloading and trading of much warez and minors exposing each other to gratuitous pr0n. Fortiounately, the media hasn't cracked down on these harmless gatherings, but we all saw what happened to the rave scene...
Anyone else see echos of yesterday? Lets hope violent games and pr0n don't become the evil threat to our 'innocent children' that drugs like acid and Extacy have.
Imagine not being able to attend a 'public event whereby attendees attach their personal computers to a computer network' after 3AM or something... Methinks I'm paranoid.