BARNSLEY’S thriving technology scene could date far back from the recent ‘Tech Town’ announcement.
After Liz Kendall MP’s visit to Barnsley last week, the buzz surrounding the town’s trailblazing £500,000 AI scheme has been palpable.
However, the heart of Barnsley’s tech scene could have originated in a long-standing community group.
LanOps are a community gaming group, that aims to unite tech-mad locals in ‘LAN’ (local area network) gaming events.
The event took place last weekend at the BHF Priory Centre - where attendees bring their own PCs to take part in organised multiplayer gaming in a shared space.
LanOps 58 ran continuously for 48 hours - welcoming around 100 casual and competitive gamers across a mix of platforms.
Founded in 2003, the group has been running community gaming events for over 20 years.
The organisation is entirely volunteer-run - proudly non-profit and focused on creating safe, inclusive social spaces for people who share a love for the digital world.
A highlight from the weekend included a popular Minecraft co-operative session - which contributed towards participants scoring points towards winning the group’s coveted ‘Gamer of the Year’ title.
LanOps also develops tools to support community-led events, like music, streaming and AI services.
The group are also set to begin a spin-off community event dedicated for children - as well as holding development events to teach people how to make games and charity fundraising events.
A LanOps member said: “I originally came along with my mate just to play games - here we met more people that we hang out with and have been coming for years now.
“The community help each other out, like when I needed to write a new CV, or to learn a new stuff like hosting my own server.
“I’m looking forward to more meet-ups this year, we need more LAN parties.
“I enjoy extra things we do, like the bike rides on the Trans Pennine Trail and visiting other places as a community.
“Every year the volunteers make it better, it’s a great thing to be a part of.”
