The A&M-Commerce Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is hosting a local area network party on April 26 at 7 p.m. in the Founders Lounge of the Memorial Student Center.
All students, faculty and staff at the University are invited to attend at no charge. Those attending may also bring friends if they like, but are encouraged to limit extra people to four.
The party will feature computer and console gaming, including Nintendo Wii and Xbox.
“We will have some Xbox 360’s set up for tournaments and people are welcome to bring their own to play. It will also be extended to computer gamers and they are welcome to bring their own computers,” Jessica Miller, president of ACM said.
A network will be set up so that gamers using computers are able to play against each other.
There will be specific games provided, and even some tournaments for both the consoles and the computers in games like Guitar hero III for the Xbox 360 and Quake III for the computer.
“It’s important for any school to have something aimed toward their Computer Science majors. While many degrees are growing and new sciences such as Artificial Intelligence come into the picture, it’s the Computer department that is really leading the industry because without computers no one would get anywhere,” Miller said.
According to Miller, there will also be discounted meal tickets offered to use in the cafeteria on the first floor of the MSC for those wanting to get dinner there.
“We will try to provide some drinks and snacks, but bringing your own is encouraged as long as it’s not alcohol,” Miller said.
Any attending the event do not have to be members of the ACM but can become one by visiting http://campus.acm.org/public/quickjoin/interim.cfm and clicking the Student Membership form.
“The charge is $19, but when you get a membership with the company ACM you also get access to online books, courses, and much more. So you really aren’t paying the money to join the club, you’re paying the money for the opportunities provided through the association, but believe me, they are worth at least that much,” Miller said.
Other officers currently include Vice President Philip Wells, Secretary Vamshi Mahendra, Webmaster Pratyush Kotturu and Johnny Kirkpatrick, treasurer.