World's Biggest Halo Fans

26 Comments

Jeff Irvine is 36, married with two kids and one of America's biggest Halo fans. He has one of the biggest collections of Halo memorabilia in existence, but that's just one dimension of his love for the game.

Back in 2001, Jeff picked up his original Xbox with a copy of Bungie's classic FPS and started to system link the game with friends. They started holding regular LAN parties at his home in Arizona with a couple of televisions. It was a humble beginning, but Halo 2 would change everything.

The game's support for Xbox Live meant that Jeff could hold 16-player LAN parties at home and started buying cheap TVs online. He installed network cables throughout the walls of his house and lets battle commence at least four times a month.

Advertisement:

"In 2006 I moved the entire LAN out into the garage, which keeps the wife happy although she still complains about the noise from time to time," says Irvine. "[This space] also ramps up the energy of the group by having both teams back to back."

He built two large benches along each side of the garage and put rope lighting underneath to illuminate the rows. The light is blue on one side and red on the other to denote team colours.

Irvine has thought of everything. There's no overhead lighting at all to avoid casting a glare on the screens. The garage also has air-conditioning to keep the players cool , executive leather chairs and 10 Sony HD CRT televisions as a permanent fixture. "I've invested a few thousand dollars and a whole lot of time in the continual pursuit of a bigger and better LAN."

At the back of the garage is Jeff's immense Halo collection. He owns every action figure that Joyride studios produced, plus a 3-foot Halo 2 statue, all of the comics and graphic novels and most of the McFarlane figure range too.

TRUTH AND RECONCILLIATON
The collection of Halo fan Craig Gallimore seems modest in comparison, but is still quite impressive. However, he describes himself as "the biggest Halo nerd in the UK." His living room is a shrine to all things Master Chief, with a huge Halo 3 oil painting hanging above his mantelpiece.

Gallimore is also the only fan on our list to have been banned from his favourite game. Some risqué file sharing bought the Bungie banhammer firmly down on this Level 50 Spartan.
Rather than stop playing the game, he abandoned his 40,000 gamerscore and purchased a new Xbox Live account.

"I thought about dumping it," he reflects. "Many nights I spent crying myself to sleep thinking it was the end. I hung my head in shame... 40,000g down the drain, but it's worth it."

Gallimore never quite managed to climb back up to Rank 50 in the game, although level 47 isn't bad.


LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT
"We met on the beaches of Zanzibar", jokes Desirai Labrada. This Halo fan and her partner John Henry made Internet headlines when they decided to hold a Halo-themed wedding in Orlando, Florida. "What couple doesn't incorporate how they met or things they share into their big day?" she says.

The couple met playing Halo 2 and started up a website "A Match Made in Halo" dedicated to their relationship. Labrada, a Grade 3 Captain in Halo 3 had to make a lot of the special items for the celebration herself. This included UNSDF cufflinks, invitations and glowing plasma grenade-style candles.

However, there were other essentials that only the professionals could provide. Not least of these was an impressive multi-tiered wedding cake. It was decorated with architectural designs from various Halo Maps, with pulsing blue lights around one of the platforms.

The ceremony itself was presided over by actor/stuntman Trey Morabito in full SPARTAN II armour. He was joined by two UNSC marines, with uniforms created by friend Alan Lincoln and his special effects company Evil Monkey Studios.

Even now the festivities are over, the happy couple still isn't taking a break from their favourite FPS. "Actually, all the wedding planning has rekindled our desire to play more so now than within the last year."

Ben Talbot