The Ministry Of Gaming - Happy Birthday
With a large room full of glistening PC screens pumping out the likes of Crysis with ease, a decent selection of PC games both old and new and a consistent internet connection on tap, is a pretty fair representation of Android Heaven
| 05 Feb 2008
Birthdays are an important time. They are a chance to pause, take stock, think about your life so far and the endless possibilities ahead. And also, have a massive party. This is important.
The Ministry of Gaming, Edinburgh's only LAN gaming centre, is well aware of this and so, to mark it's second year on this planet, manager Craig Brown is planning – rather appropriately - a 'Big Massive Party' from 8-10 February.
Located at the Lothian Road end of Bread Street, The Ministry of Gaming is home to 28 gaming PCs, 4 general use PCs and an Xbox360. Craig admits that no one really plays on the 360, and this is primarily a place of PC gaming. And with a large room full of glistening PC screens pumping out the likes of Crysis with ease, a decent selection of PC games both old and new and a consistent internet connection on tap, is a pretty fair representation of Android Heaven.
The party kicks off on Friday the 8th with free gaming all weekend and tournaments where gamers can go head-to-head in solo deathmatch on Unreal Tournament 3, work together to capture those pesky flags in Team Fortress 2, blow up half the world in Call of Duty 4 while making 'tsssk' noises and shouting random military call-signs into the headsets, or just leg it through the labs of Aperture Science as quickly as possible in Portal, all for big prizes, including a free Counterstrike server for a month.
During the rest of the year The Ministry of Gaming is open from 10am-10pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-8pm on Sunday, with prices from £2.50 per hour for gaming. There are also Student Wednesdays where valid student cards get discounts and deals; a scheme that Craig is keen on making better soon.
Every Friday there's a tournament that starts at 7.30pm, at the moment a Call of Duty 4 four-week ladder league is in action. These tournaments aren't for the weak-fingered either. A semi-retired European and UK Unreal Tournament champion plays at the Ministry, as do professional Counterstrike players and Team Auxilia, a pro team who are using the Ministry as boot camp for a week in February. It's worth going along just to see how brain-meltingly good some people can be at these games.
There's also a Fight Club which is talked about in hushed tones and only happens occasionally; an all-night frag marathon that starts at 11.30pm and lasts till the morning or the last person drops. Usual Fight Club rules apply. So I may be in trouble.
It's not all about trying to avoid getting pwned by a bullet in the head though. By far the most popular game is World of Warcraft which is played by about 75% of customers. The Ministry has its own guild for those who want to play the game with local people, which can make those trickier endgame instances more enjoyable and with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack coming out this year along with a whole host of other MMORPGs it's a great time to get involved.
Head down to the Ministry of Gaming and you'll find a PC gaming community inhabited by friendly and helpful people. With its first birthday coming up, now is a great time to experience intense high-end PC gaming with others.
The Ministry of Gaming, Edinburgh's only LAN gaming centre, is well aware of this and so, to mark it's second year on this planet, manager Craig Brown is planning – rather appropriately - a 'Big Massive Party' from 8-10 February.
Located at the Lothian Road end of Bread Street, The Ministry of Gaming is home to 28 gaming PCs, 4 general use PCs and an Xbox360. Craig admits that no one really plays on the 360, and this is primarily a place of PC gaming. And with a large room full of glistening PC screens pumping out the likes of Crysis with ease, a decent selection of PC games both old and new and a consistent internet connection on tap, is a pretty fair representation of Android Heaven.
The party kicks off on Friday the 8th with free gaming all weekend and tournaments where gamers can go head-to-head in solo deathmatch on Unreal Tournament 3, work together to capture those pesky flags in Team Fortress 2, blow up half the world in Call of Duty 4 while making 'tsssk' noises and shouting random military call-signs into the headsets, or just leg it through the labs of Aperture Science as quickly as possible in Portal, all for big prizes, including a free Counterstrike server for a month.
During the rest of the year The Ministry of Gaming is open from 10am-10pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-8pm on Sunday, with prices from £2.50 per hour for gaming. There are also Student Wednesdays where valid student cards get discounts and deals; a scheme that Craig is keen on making better soon.
Every Friday there's a tournament that starts at 7.30pm, at the moment a Call of Duty 4 four-week ladder league is in action. These tournaments aren't for the weak-fingered either. A semi-retired European and UK Unreal Tournament champion plays at the Ministry, as do professional Counterstrike players and Team Auxilia, a pro team who are using the Ministry as boot camp for a week in February. It's worth going along just to see how brain-meltingly good some people can be at these games.
There's also a Fight Club which is talked about in hushed tones and only happens occasionally; an all-night frag marathon that starts at 11.30pm and lasts till the morning or the last person drops. Usual Fight Club rules apply. So I may be in trouble.
It's not all about trying to avoid getting pwned by a bullet in the head though. By far the most popular game is World of Warcraft which is played by about 75% of customers. The Ministry has its own guild for those who want to play the game with local people, which can make those trickier endgame instances more enjoyable and with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack coming out this year along with a whole host of other MMORPGs it's a great time to get involved.
Head down to the Ministry of Gaming and you'll find a PC gaming community inhabited by friendly and helpful people. With its first birthday coming up, now is a great time to experience intense high-end PC gaming with others.
Bread Street, Edinburgh
http://www.tmog.co.uk/