Games Ireland Gathering.

This week I was up in Dublin attending Games Ireland Gathering(GIG). If I was going to describe it in one word it would be Hope. I know it's cheesier then a cheesy garlic chip to say that but honestly that's how I feel.

I have to admit that as far as the idea of there being a games industry springing up in ireland and staying here successfully has always alluded me. This is why I went to university in Wales and got my first job in the England. I didn't see there being a games industry in Ireland any time soon so I sought education and work outside Ireland. When I came back to Ireland I still wasn't fully convinced and even though a lot of people kept telling and reminding me that there was a abundance of jobs in the games industry over here I still had my doubts. Now I'm not saying we are Canada but after the GIG it gave me a lot of hope that someday we might be. I saw companies and people that were passionate about the games industry and not just people who love playing games (don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with loving games). That is what we need, people who love to develop or design games and a supportive government or enterprise company.

Now with casual, social and mobile / app games becoming so easy to manufacture at a low cost mixed with the ability to make them with a small start up company we should hopefully start to see small time companies grow and multiple in Ireland. This along with the bigger companies starting to show face in Ireland is also promising. One thing that I really enjoyed about the GIG was the look at cloud gaming, casual and social gaming.

If I had my way with the Irish government I would put most the company pulling hours into getting those companies tied in with cloud , social and casual gaming. This side of the industry is growing rapidly and still growing but importantly it is accessible by small companies to be competitive, we need to pull in big foreign companies that will skill Irish people and bring awareness and jobs. Once these jobs become common place it will only be a matter of time were Ireland with a new skill base and strong industry can start making it own 5 star companies and export some of there skills overseas.

I am probably going to dedicate another post to this later but as for now I got to make like the housing market and split.

Yes I played Bioshock.

And I loved playing Bioshock. It is one of those games that gets over hyped but just like a Coen Brothers movie it lived up to its hype. I think Ayn Rand would be happy ... If she was still alive.... and she liked video games .... and was cool with it being turned into a first person shooter adventure .... and ..... actually on second thought maybe not but what the hell it's a good game.