Child’s Play is a grassroots gamers’ charity dedicated to providing books, toys and video games to children in over 70 hospitals worldwide, helping sick children have a more enjoyable hospital stay. The organization was started in 2003 by gamers who wanted to demonstrate that they care about the larger community and could use their resources to give back to others.

Kristin Lindsay accepts a $20,000 check during the GeForce LAN 6 closing ceremonies.

All this charitable giving would not have been possible without a coordinated effort. The GeForce LAN 6 attendees donated over $10,000 through their registration and received raffle tickets for a chance to win one of two gaming PCs donated by the generous folks at PDXLAN (built with parts donated by sponsors including EVGA, Patriot, Seagate, Antec, DangerDen and more). The NVIDIA Foundation also donated nearly $10,000 to the cause. When asked why he wanted to get involved in the charity aspect of GeForce LAN 6, Matt Conwell of PDXLAN commented, “It’s very important to me to let the world know the kindness and caring that really does exist in a gamer’s heart.”

The money raised during GeForce LAN 6 will help thousands of sick children in pediatric hospitals around the world. “The attendees, NVIDIA and the NVIDIA Foundation really came together for our cause, and the result was honestly overwhelming! When gamers show their generosity, it really makes a huge difference.” said Kristin Lindsay, foundation coordinator for Child’s Play.

Attendees left the USS Hornet knowing they’d not only had a great weekend full of gaming, but also made a big difference in the lives of others.

We started the day off with the 9AM wakeup call blasting through the USS Hornet’s speakers. The wakeup call is meant to rouse LANCAMP attendees sleeping below deck, but we found one die-hard gamer asleep in front of his computer. That’s dedication.

Johan Andersson, visual architect for DICE, the creators of Battlefield 3, hit the main stage to talk a little about the technical aspects of lighting and particle effects in the game. It’s clear a lot of hard work and innovation went into making this the most realistic first-person shooter ever.

Day two of Battlefield 3 tournament competition was nothing but heated. The tension was palpable and sometimes erupted into decidedly colorful verbal sparring sessions. At this point, only the elite remain – with less than a full day standing between them and GeForce LAN 6 tournament glory.

Those knocked out of tournament play kept busy with various contests and activities. Between the trivia questions, massively multiplayer games of rock-paper-scissors, exhibitor swag and ship tours, there was plenty to do.

Only the final round of GeForce LAN 6 tournament competition remains. Stay tuned.

Load-in via crane

Our dedicated events team spent most of the morning pulling off a logistical miracle – finish loading all the equipment needed for the event. Moving 600 attendees’ personal gaming rigs, the NVIDIA Freeplay gaming rigs and all manner of exhibition and A/V gear onto the USS Hornet is no easy task, but NVIDIA staff and volunteers prevailed.

The opening ceremonies officially kicked things off in Hangar 1. Phil Eisler, 3D Vision general manager, took to the keynote stage to unveil NVIDIA’s 3DVision 2 technology. He introduced the new 3DVision 2 Wireless Glasses and showed how they can be used with the upcoming crop of 3DVision-capable displays to deliver a brighter 3D image. The revised 3DVision glasses feature larger lenses and a more headphone-friendly shape, offering a more immersive and comfortable 3D experience.

The BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN area

Next up was the first round of competition in the Battlefield 3 tournament, where battle-ready gamers duked it out in 32-vs-32 battle. When the dust settled, only half of the competitors would move on to the next round. Such is the inevitable end to tournament gaming.

Of course, no GeForce LAN would be complete without prizes and contests. The first contest of the event came in the form of a riddle, posted to our @NVIDIAGeForce Twitter account. The answer to the riddle led one lucky attendee to the hidden GeForce GTX560 video card.

As the gaming goes on into the early morning hours, some will retire to the USS Hornet’s crew quarters to get that authentic warship experience. Others will find rest elsewhere. In the end, all roads lead back to GeForce LAN 6 – at least for the next few days.

The 3DVision 2 Wireless Glasses kit

At first glance, you might not believe these soon-to-be-released 3DVision displays are all that different from the current crop of 3D panels. The new NVIDIA 3DVision 2 Wireless Glasses aren’t radically different, either. It’s not until you don the larger, more comfortable 3DVision 2 Wireless Glasses in front of a 3DVision 2 display that the new technology really shines (pardon the pun).

The 3D picture is significantly brighter, compared to first-generation 3DVision hardware. Glance down at the keyboard, and you’ll notice that the keys are easier to read. The just-announced NVIDIA 3DVision 2 Wireless Glasses also allow more light to reach your eyes and feature a more headphone-friendly design.

The 3DVision 1 vs 3DVision 2

The new NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology built into every 3DVision 2 display essentially boosts panel brightness to overcome the dimming effect of 3D glasses. LightBoost also allows the lenses on your pair of 3D glasses to stay open longer, resulting in brighter ambient lighting (making keyboard easier to read).

In essence, 3DVision 2 hardware delivers a more immersive and comfortable gaming experience. Expect to see these new displays and glasses later this year. If you’re interested in learning more about 3DVision 2, visit GeForce.com.

Over 500 gamers are battling it out for top honors in Counter strike 1.6, Call of Duty 4, FIFA 11 and Need for Speed MW. The action hasn’t stopped since the gates opened at 8am to throngs of guys and girls eager get a chance to attain gaming glory and compete for cash, Alienware laptops and lots of GeForce GTX cards.

I showed up at 7am and found a long queue of gamers patiently waiting to get in and claim their spot. I spoke to one group, and they told me they’d been standing in line for an hour already following an early morning 40km trip to make sure that they’d get to play. They were all looking forward to playing their favorite games on the fastest gaming machines powered by NVIDIA GeForce.

Eager gamers line up for GF LAN India at 7am local time at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbia

There’s plenty of action here for everyone. Gamers waiting to qualify and those knocked out early have a chance to get in some more practice and hone their skills in the 50-seat Freeplay Zone. There’s an almost carnival-like atmosphere here, with game jockeys making announcements, the MC conducting impromptu games and quizzes, NVIDIA partners running contests and raucous cheering .

The gamers are playing for some great incentives. In addition to a prize pool worth over $35,000, one lucky GF LAN India attendee will win a chance to play against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan – an avid gamer himself, who also plays the same role in his upcoming movie, Ra.One.

A hush has fallen over the crowd as the two final Counter Strike teams take their places on the main stage and ready themselves for the final battle of the day. Everyone’s watching the huge screens and waiting for the action to unfold. I’ll sign off now, and join them as an exciting day of gaming draws to a close.

I may even challenge a few of these guys to a match, or two.