It’s that time of the year again, when gamers of all creeds gather in the hundreds in the hallowed halls of MMU (Multimedia University Cyberjaya) … to play games!
Yes, the biggest LAN (Local Area Network) party in Malaysia is back, and it will see scores of gamers, young and old, who will travel from all over Malaysia to meet up with friends and have a smashing good time playing games non-stop.
What is Cyberfusion?
Organised by gamers for gamers in Malaysia, Cyberfusion started in 2009 and got into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest LAN party in the world.
LAN (short for Local Area Network) Parties are gatherings where people connect to each other via a Local Area Network, typically through cables, in order to play multi-player video games.
We’ve compiled a list of survival tips for the intrepid gamer to have the safest, most comfortable and enjoyable 51-hour LAN party ever!
Survival Tip #1: Snack Up
Gaming REALLY takes up energy. Hence, gamers get hungry very quickly. Ensure you have stocked up enough healthful snacks such as seaweed, muesli, mixed nuts and dried fruits so you have something nice to munch on in between meals that will slowly release the complex carbs and provide you with a good balance of protein and fats at the same time.
Survival Protip!
As much as you can, try to avoid carbohydrate-rich, salty, fatty foods such as sweet snacks, potatoes, rice, or crackers due to their high caloric content, which would result in weight gain if they are not worked off!
Survival Tip #2 – BYOB: Bring Your Own Bags
Your trash is yours and no one else’s.
So let’s all be responsible and clean participants and throw our rubbish into our own bags and dispose of them outside.
I mean, you wouldn’t want your first blood to be coming from a cockroach, now, would you?
Survival Protip!
There’s no need to purchase plastic bin liners or bags for the event. If you do grocery shopping, you can reuse the plastic bags that came with your grocery runs. Always try to reuse plastic when you can – you will be helping save the Earth too!
Survival Tip #3 – Hydration, Hydration, Hydration!
We cannot further stress the importance of this point. With the terrible weather these days and a drying, air-conditioned hall, it is imperative that you hydrate yourself well enough. As a general guide and from past experience, 2 litres of water for every 24 hours suffices. You can’t refill them there, however, so do bring enough to last your stay there.
Survival Tip #4 – Bring wet wipes
Contrary to popular belief, wet wipes are not just for babies and old people.
They’re *incredibly* handy for cleaning up all sorts of gunk like oil, spills and sweaty palms after hours of gaming. Trust me, I go nowhere without a pack of anti-bacterial wet wipes. They’re also reasonably priced at about RM 2 – 3 for two packs of 15 or so at a Guardian, Watsons or Caring Pharmacy. In fact, you can even go to a hypermarket like Tesco or Aeon to get a tube roll of about 100 sheets or so.
They’re really convenient to have around when you’re otherwise too indisposed (read: busy rampaging your server) to go to the washroom to wash your hand or clean up messes.
Survival Protip!
Bring along a small, personal square box of dry tissues as a complement to your wet wipes!
They’re useful for bigger and wetter messes (such as spilled soup) – Use them for soaking up the mess first, and then clean up the area with wet wipes. Let dry.
Survival Tip #5 – Take breaks
Designate rest and relaxation times well. One of the unhealthiest things gamers tend to do is not take breaks from their machines.
It is important that you give your eyes a break every 20 – 30 minutes or so by staring at a faraway object. It won’t take more than 2 minutes to leave your seat to exit the hall to look into the distance – MMU sits on a pretty huge plot of land, so it has really picturesque views all around.
Every hour or so, get up from your seat to stretch and flex those muscles!
Take a Vape Break, go for a walk, jog, or do Yoga.
Heck, you can even organise a morning Yoga or Tai Chi session!
(no, seriously, you can. Just let the organisers know so they can help you round up others)
Survival Tip #6 – Go with friends
Friends make the experience way more fun and everyone can help to keep a look out for each other’s stuff!
Establish a ‘guard duty’ roster so there will always be an eye or two on the lookout.
Have you invited your friend to Cyberfusion yet?
Survival Tip #7: Padlock your bags
Purchase a couple of those small travel padlocks and keep all your peripherals such as your expensive Razer mice, Mechanical Keyboards, Steelseries mouse pads or laptops in a small bag. Lock them when you need to go to sleep or move away from your station for long periods of time.
Survival Tip #8: Bring foldable mattresses
They are worth the investment as this means you won’t be uncomfortably lying on the hard floor or dirty chairs. The fact that they’re foldable means you save a lot of space too!
They retail for about RM 70+ at most hypermarkets like Tesco or Aeon and come in their own plastic zipper bag. Don’t forget to bring a nice pillow (or two) and a blanket along!
Bantal busuk optional.
The Alternative
Foldable mattresses are pretty thin and might not be too comfortable. In that case, bring an inflatable mattress along instead.
Tesco is currently selling them cheap at RM 39.90 for a double bed.
Survival Tip #9: Go one step further – Bring a tent!
Tents these days are also inexpensive and can be set up in mere minutes.
Place mattresses in your tents and it becomes a completely comfortable, cozy and private space for you to recharge away from the eyes of the rest.
Survival Tip #10: Practice good hygiene
There aren’t shower facilities per se, but toilets are available, so do shower and have a change of clothes at least once a day.
Like any other normal holiday, bring your toothbrush, toiletries, clean clothes (and underwear) and towels! Don’t forget the towels.
And please, deodorant too – everyone else will thank you for it.
ONLY 15 SLOTS LEFT
For the most happening LAN party in Malaysia. Don’t wait!