Student Gamers vs. FSU
Derek Hidey
Issue date: 9/20/06 Section: The AT Wire
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What is so special about Frostburg State University? What makes this university so important that it must secure its network with a myriad of firewalls and port blockers? Why is it that students from larger universities like Maryland are able to play online games without experiencing lag issues? Why did it take so long for the university to support the Xbox and Playstation 2 on its network? Why is there still no support for the Xbox 360?
There have been a few instances where I had a chance to tell some prospective students about Frostburg State, the good things and the bad things. From a gamer's perspective, the bad things unquestionably outweigh the good.
One of the first questions I ask is, "Do you like to play online games?" I like to be as general as possible. Online games could include anything from Runescape to World of Warcraft; from Halo 2 to Madden 07'; from Counter Strike Source to Starcraft. If he or she answers with a "yes" then I already know what I'm going to tell them. I've had to tell this story so many times I might as well have it scripted. The truth is that the Frostburg State network is awful for online gaming. With so many ports blocked it makes it near impossible for students to play their favorite games while at school. So you may say, "Well, Derek, they shouldn't be playing games, they should be studying!" Nein. Students should have the right to pursue their hobbies regardless of what is recommended by others.
Last semester, the Video Gaming Club proposed an idea to the network administrators of Frostburg State University. It was a compromise between having a secure network and allowing online multiplayer gaming. The student organization wanted to purchase a gaming server that would be setup within the Frostburg network. The server would then run game servers for Frostburg State students. In short, if the university won't let the students play outside of the network, why not support the ability to play within the network? The network administrators didn't even reply to the e-mail sent by the student organization's president.
There have been a few instances where I had a chance to tell some prospective students about Frostburg State, the good things and the bad things. From a gamer's perspective, the bad things unquestionably outweigh the good.
One of the first questions I ask is, "Do you like to play online games?" I like to be as general as possible. Online games could include anything from Runescape to World of Warcraft; from Halo 2 to Madden 07'; from Counter Strike Source to Starcraft. If he or she answers with a "yes" then I already know what I'm going to tell them. I've had to tell this story so many times I might as well have it scripted. The truth is that the Frostburg State network is awful for online gaming. With so many ports blocked it makes it near impossible for students to play their favorite games while at school. So you may say, "Well, Derek, they shouldn't be playing games, they should be studying!" Nein. Students should have the right to pursue their hobbies regardless of what is recommended by others.
Last semester, the Video Gaming Club proposed an idea to the network administrators of Frostburg State University. It was a compromise between having a secure network and allowing online multiplayer gaming. The student organization wanted to purchase a gaming server that would be setup within the Frostburg network. The server would then run game servers for Frostburg State students. In short, if the university won't let the students play outside of the network, why not support the ability to play within the network? The network administrators didn't even reply to the e-mail sent by the student organization's president.
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ryan
posted 2/10/07 @ 5:28 PM EST
has this gone any further yet?? something needs to be done! i wanna play my halo 2 =(
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