It's mid-November and THG is about to land in Montreal for one of Canada's largest LAN party events: Pure LAN 7, the latest in the semi-annual Pure LAN series. Collège Édouard-Montpetit hosted a sold-out crowd of 320 gamers for this 48-hour non-stop gaming marathon. As some of you already know, Quebec is a French-Canadian province; even with this in mind, I couldn't help being surprised watching people play BF1942 in any language other than English. Let's see what other surprises awaited us along the way.

LQJR

Some of you might be wondering what LQJR stands for? Translated from French, LQJR stands for "Quebec LAN Gaming League." The organization has a long history of success in this part of the continent. That is why I asked Vincent "R.Giskard" Duval, co-founder of LQJR, to provide us some insight about it.

THG: What exactly is LQJR?

Vincent: "LQJR is a non-profit organization that has as a goal the development of the gaming community in Quebec. It has been in existence since 1998, and has to its credit over 20 gaming events. LQJR has a crew of 25 administrators, over 40 volunteers and almost 2000 members. Pure LAN (PL) is LQJR's principal event, held twice a year on a 6 month interval. PL has the reputation of selling out fast, usually weeks ahead. For PL7 we are pleased to announce a full house once again.

While LAN gaming is a fast-growing market, it is also a tough business. The biggest strength of LQJR is its capacity to adapt to the changes in the market while preserving its winning formula. Gamers are sometimes very demanding and if an organization doesn't stay sharp, it runs the risk of disappearing. That's why LQJR tries to help out as many LAN organizations as possible."

THG: What exactly do you mean by "helping out" other LANs?

Vincent: "For years now, LQJR has been providing advice, lent equipment and given a helping hand to other LAN party organizations. Our switches and network cables have seen many cities and even more gamers throughout Quebec.

In the world of the LAN party, gamers will sometimes not trust their hard earned dollars to an event that has just appeared and doesn't already benefit from a good reputation. By throwing its weight behind the newcomers, LQJR hopes to help break the ice so to speak and make this new event a permanent feature of the LAN party community."

THG: What draws people to Pure LAN events?

Vincent: "In my own opinion I think that Pure LAN offers good value for one's gaming dollar. Time tested formula, affordable price, generous giveaways and a nice venue go a long way in making people happy. Each year, LQJR holds a survey among its members, and the survey results helps us in making the right choices for the next event; it's probably the best way for a LAN organization to stay ahead of the game."

THG: With 6 years' experience, what advice would you give other LAN organizations?

Vincent: "Don't go into the LAN party business expecting to make money - do it for fun and personal satisfaction first! Do it because you love gaming and want to bring a positive contribution to your fellow gamers. On the technical side I would suggest you plan ahead and test everything you can before the event: Pure LAN requires about four months planning. Also, for a weekend-long LAN I strongly suggest that you get some sleep during the event; exhausted administrators risk running into trouble at the worst possible time."