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Submachine gun in hand, Hamstar walks slowly so the terrorists will not hear his footsteps. Suddenly, he launches a flash grenade into an enemy hideout. His foes blinded, Hamstar rushes in to disarm a terrorist bomb. \nMission accomplished. \nHamstar will advance to the next level in the computer game "Counter-Strike: Source." But come Saturday, Hamstar and his real-world alter ego, sophomore Chris Roberts, will emerge from their respective lairs to face new competition.\nRoberts is the vice president of the IU Gaming Club, which will host its 11th biannual LANWar. About 160 computer game enthusiasts will pack up their processors and bring them to crowd into a Briscoe dining hall. There they will vie for expensive prizes — including five high-powered graphics cards worth hundreds of dollars — and the glory of a tournament victory.\nDifferent tournaments will take place throughout the marathon event, which will last from noon Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday. \n"It is pretty hectic with people walking around, checking out what new games there are," graduate student Evan Schwamb -- a.k.a. "shred." -- says.\nIn "Counter-Strike: Source," which will be a tournament competition, up to 64 people may play at a time, though Roberts does not expect so many to play at once. Those not competing in tournaments may play casual games with others or just hang around and socialize, he says.\nAttendees range from the hard core gamers to the much less serious, Roberts says. And some competitors are more intense than others. \n"You'll hear people yelling and screaming and cussing across the room," recent graduate Evan Julian says. \nOf course, snack food enthusiasts might also find a place at the event. Sarazan brought home the silver in the last Twinkie-eating contest, a LANWar tradition.\n"I amazed even myself," Sarazan says, boasting that he finished about a dozen. "I was proud. Pretty sick, but proud." \nAside from the sugar-high tradition, nicknames are also a must. Gamers choose a moniker for themselves, which they go by for the entire 29-hour event.\n"Mine is Locdonan, but everybody just calls me Loc," Julian says. "It's always just been that way as long as I can remember."\nExcept for those who know each other outside of gaming — such as groups (or "clans") of friends that come to compete — gamers generally do not bother with their real names, sophomore Matt "Chambz" Chambers says.\n"Sometimes people who know each other will use them interchangeably, but at the LANWar, you usually go by gaming names," he says. "They'll have a name tag with just their gaming name." \nBut people in the club do see each other in the real world, Chambers says, especially many of the officers, who hang out for activities that are not related to gaming. Last weekend they attended the "Rocky Horror Picture Show."\nExperience levels of competitors vary. For some games, constant practice is necessary to improve your skills, Roberts says. \n"I don't consider myself to be particularly hard core," Roberts says. "I don't have the time or patience to put into the endeavor."\nOthers, on the other hand, do. \n"I play a lot more than I should," says Brad McMullen, who may attend his first LANWar party this weekend. \nThat translates into about six hours a day, McMullen says. He says that he is not the best player but is continually trying to improve. \n"I like it because I can be with friends online, and I go through missions and become a better player," he says. "I have friends (who) play sometimes, but since it is a massive multi-player game, then I can meet and play with people."\nGamers do not need to have quite as much experience to come play in a tournament, however, Roberts says. \n"Not everyone has to be really competitive," he says. "We encourage people to come out for casual gaming and social interactions." \nAnd social interaction is the name of the game for the LANWars, Sarazan says. Back in the day, people had to physically hook up their computers to play against each other. But now that modern technology allows students to play against others through the Internet any time no matter where they are, the parties are more about getting together and having fun. \n"For the most part, it can be considered more of a gathering than a competition," Sarazan says. "As somebody that's never done well in tournaments, the best part is getting to socialize and meet other gamers to get to know them." \nAnd it probably doesn't hurt to quash a misconception in the meantime.\n"There is a kind of stereotype of gamers not being the most social of creatures," he says. "But LANWars bring a lot of people together to have a good time, and focuses on the party aspect of it"