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If you lived in the zeros, you probably remember the enormous hype around the specially arranged clubs, in which there were a lot of computers and young people. It was a whole subculture. There, guys had fun and shared news from the video games’ world. What was the significance of this phenomenon? Friends, let’s find the answer together. So, let’s begin!

Contents

The Mission of PC Gaming Clubs

It’s a place where many teenagers of the zeros used to “live.” I was no exception, spending several hours a day there. But not everyone came to play. A large part of the “hangout” consisted of those who came either to watch others play or just to talk. That is, computer clubs can partly be considered a kind of social network, where we used to found friends, share information, and much more. This description especially fits the first half of the 2000s.

Virtual Battles via LAN

I don’t think we were the only ones who got together to play Counter-Strike and Half-Life collectively. What’s remarkable is that if someone ran out of time faster than the others, another player would sit in his place and quite often continue to participate in the battle. Sometimes without even bothering to change the nickname. By the way, if players changed CS maps regularly, then in HL almost always played the same one. Many did not like the “passengers” who ran the bomb timer. Afterward, these tricksters would stand at the window at the entrance and shoot those who ran for rescue to the bunker.

Method of Generating Income

Often guys made money by printing up cheat codes lists and selling them. I remember sometimes walking into a club, and half of the gamers were playing with these sheets. To become an administrator at our local computer club was the desire of many teenagers. After all, it’s a dream job to spend the whole day doing what you love (playing PC games, sometimes being distracted by clients) and even get paid for it.

The only thing better than that is building your own business based on your hobby. By the way, I have a book on this subject. In it, I use the example of my brainchild, Smart2000s, to show in detail how to start earning money from your favorite activity. You can find it in the Books section.

My Story

So, I started going to computer clubs even before I went to school. At first, our local “institution” had located in an ordinary apartment, where several monitors were in a room. There was no automation, and the administrator himself checked the time, seated, and took clients away from the hourly rented computer. However, very soon, they installed handy programs that made everything happen automatically.

Later the club moved to the music school where I went to study. I remember one guy’s mom gave him money to pay his tuition for a month there, and he spent it all playing computer games. The older guys liked to sit in at night when there was a substantial discount. All you had to do was pay for all the hours at once from the beginning of the night until morning. There was no Internet in our club, and not everyone knew about it existing at the time. Administrators installed games from pirated discs, and the ability to play collectively over the LAN eliminated the need for the Internet.

The End of an Era

In the mid-zeros, the popularity of PC gaming clubs began to fade. Firstly, the prices of computers were becoming more affordable. Secondly, in most cases, the game on the LAN could be replaced by a connection through the World Wide Web. In essence, the point of clubs remained in entertaining large groups of friends that want to play together live. However, with the advent of notebooks, even that advantage has gone away. For example, when I lived in the student dorm, we used to get together in a friend’s room and play CS together through the Internet. Or I plugged my joystick into a laptop and played football with the guys.

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Mark in History

That’s how passed the era of computer clubs, where lay the days of carefree childhood days and merry youthful nights. I am sure that many will cry in their hearts with nostalgia after such flashbacks. And I can honestly admit that I am one of them. I hope that the community of my like-minded people will appreciate my work, and in the future, a friendly and unique atmosphere awaits us here, on the Smart2000s website. So, see you in my PC game reviews. Adios to all, friends!

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