[ThatPlayer]

I think with how much more social gaming is nowadays, and the prevalence of team games, I'm not really interested in attending a LAN party alone. I want to play with my squad. And with the internet, that squad is pretty spread out so a get together at a LAN party is going to be difficult to coordinate.

Though on the opposite end, locals are still common for 1v1 fighting games. Shared screen games that doesn't require everyone to bring their own setup, just their controller, for a lower barrier of entry.

[TacticalCoder]

LAN parties were way more social than "I play with my team (whom I ve never met IRL) over the Internet".

We were playing Warcraft 2 over a LAN between my house and the neighbors home and then we d run to the other house to discuss the game over a drink.

Or playing Warcraft 2 on laptops using some power inverter hooked to the car s battery in a truck, at night before going to sleep, on a surfing trip.

If anything gaming today is way less social, with most people playing online with people they ve never met.

A LAN meant we were physically close.

[xandrius]

Exactly, I think that's the main difference. Before you had to be together, now people need the foresight to value in-person activities as well as wanting to play together. That's a combination which makes many not make the cut.