The first time you view the new MLive.com, you’ll see the “Statewide” version of the home page.
You can select local coverage using the links below. You can also choose to have the site remember your selection. YPSILANTI — Gamers for Giving — slated for Friday and Saturday in Ypsilanti — got its start when Zach Wigal organized a Local Area Network (LAN) tournament at his high school in Saline. Unfortunately, a public safety official complained about the violence in the “Halo” games that were to be played, and the event was canceled. That didn’t stop Wigal, and today his idea could end up being the premiere gaming event of the year in Michigan. This weekend, his charity group, Gamers Outreach Foundation, will host its second charity gaming tournament and LAN party at Eastern Michigan University’s student center. Last year’s tournament drew more than 600 participants and raised $15,000 for the Autism Awareness Society. Gamers from as far away as California, Florida, Texas and Oregon attended. This year’s event looks to be much bigger — Wigal said he expects more than 1,000 players — with gamers coming from Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo and elsewhere in Michigan. Since the early ’90s and the advent of network-compatible PC, games such as “Duke Nukem 3D” “Doom” and “Wolfenstein 3D,” players have been linking computers for intimate frag-fests, known as LAN parties. console gamers now can enjoy battling their buddies via a LAN — once an exclusive club open only to PC owners — thanks to recent consoles being Internet and network compatible.
The most popular game among console LAN players is the “Halo” series, where up to 16 players at a time compete for kills — frags — and points in games such as “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag.”