For 22-year-old Iain Bunt, there’s no better escape than waging war in a cyber world where your greatest weapon is quick thinking – along with fast fingers.

“It’s relaxing after a long day, and really just a way to de-stress,” said Bunt, his eyes glued to his computer screen as his fingers clattered across the keyboard, entering the precise combo for his character to swiftly slice his opponent’s head in half with a samurai sword.

Bunt was one of about 300 who participated in St. Clair College’s ninth annual No Man’s LAN tournament over the weekend. The event, hosted by the college’s Information Technology Club, is an opportunity for local gamers to hook up to the Local Area Network and compete in the largest computer gaming tournament of its kind in Southwestern Ontario.

The event ran straight through from Friday evening until Sunday, and about 75 competitors were registered to stay the entire time, said event organizer Nico Verrelli, who is vice president of the Information Technology Club.

“Normally gamers are at home, not really hanging out with anyone, so this is bringing everyone together all in one place, which is sort of the whole point of this event,” said Verrelli.

Bunt was one of the many who decided to stick out the entire 48 hours and sacrifice shut-eye for the once-a-year opportunity. He pointed to a backpack filled with chips and energy drinks as his secret to fighting sleep. The annual event is something he looks forward to and trains for all year, he said.

“I don’t play not as much as I used to because I work full time now, so I only play for about three or four hours a day,” said Bunt, adding he attends the annual gaming event more for fun than to win. “In high school I used to play five or six hours a day,”

LAN parties and electronic sports have become increasingly popular worldwide since the event began nine years ago, said Verrelli. With the No Man’s LAN event, Windsor should be marketing itself as an electronic sports destination for gamers, he said.

“I think this is what Windsor needs because with Esports, there’s a big industry for IT, and then you start getting game developers, and a lot of graphic designers, software development and computer science goes into gaming,” said Verrelli. “And there’s a lot of money that goes with it.”

Most competitors attending the event are drawn to the League of Legends tournament, said Verrelli.

“Right now, strategy games are popular, so a combination of quick reflexes and skill, along with having a solid plan and good intuition,” said Verrelli. “So gaming has gone from just running around aimlessly and how fast you can click a button to now there’s a lot of thinking and planning involved and strategizing.”

Verrelli said top prizes of gaming equipment and accessories totalled more than $4,000 for the weekend tournament.

In the dimly lit student lounge area where the event was held, trance-like music played from mega speakers Saturday morning as PC screens lit up droopy eyes focused on the cyber task at hand.