Dublin Games Festival 2018
Since our report last week on the Dublin Games Festival in November 2018, we have received more information from Graeme Moore (COO and Co-Founder of Aeonspark Events). So, here’s what to expect from Dublin Games Festival on the 24th of November.
Primarily, it has become quite apparent that DGF has created this event with the intention of prioritising the consumer. Ease of access, including special needs assistance and admittance to all ages, have been key focuses in deciding the location. The Royal Dublin Society campus proves perfect for this. Sensory rooms, and wide open spaces for activities are available throughout. “DGF is all about our amazing customers, without them events like this couldn’t happen. Our goal is to provide the best possible entertainment in a way that will amaze even the veterans of the gaming world. Seeing a smile on our guests leaving our event is the most important aspect for us,” -Graeme Moore, COO.
Esports Tournaments
One of the main focuses of the festival will be esports. We mentioned before that the gaming tournaments have been outsourced to RAID, and this is still the case. Fortnite, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros, Overwatch, Rocket League and CS:GO will be present. Qualification for several of the games, CS:GO, League of Legends and Overwatch, will be hosted online by RAID, prior to the event. There will be cash prizes available for the taking too! You can view the entire rule set here. You can find out more about each game and the format for each tournament here, on the Dublin Games Festival website.
Community Gaming Area
But what if these top-tier esports games aren’t enough for you? Well, no need to worry then. There will be a community games area. Here, new games, old games, and many of those in between will be available for playing. Prepare for nostalgia as you play a childhood favourite or just excitement as you play a new release. Retro games will be available in an an area called “The Retro Zone”, hosted by 8-Bit Conference.
John Romero
Another potential interest for Dublin Games Festival 2018 is John Romero. That’s right, the creator of the original DOOM, Wolfenstein and many other fan favourite games will be in attendance, and will actually be accepting challenges in DOOM Deathmatch! Mr Romero will also take to the stage at some point to talk about business at the expo.
Merchandise and Goodies
As with any gaming convention, merchandise will be available. Keepsakes, souvenirs or just funky gadgets will be rampant throughout the venue. DGF vendors have even gone so far as to ensure that all items for sale are fairtrade.
Cosplay Competition
Something that wasn’t previously mentioned was the Cosplay competition. A €1000 prize for the best Cosplayer, and 2 categories: intermediate/pro, and beginner. You can sign up online, or just turn up on the day in costume. The competition will be hosted by the Guild of Nerds.
Streamers and Irish Internet Personalities
To promote Irish talent on a larger scale, streamers and other Irish internet personalities have been chosen and given a meet and greet area in the RDS during the event. There is a stage dedicated to this part of the festival, the Streamer Stage. Here, streamers will be available to talk and hang out with for certain time slots during the day. But fear not, for if you miss the time your favourite Irish streamer is on the stage, they have all been allocated Streaming Pods, in which they will be free to play in whenever they wish to during the event. You can view the full list of streamers present on the DGF website, here.
Business and Public Information Exposition
We briefly mentioned the business and public information exposition, and now we have some detailed information regarding it. The point of the expo is to raise awareness of what’s happening in the gaming world and to inform people of the size and scale of gaming in Ireland. Here is what’s expected of the public part of the expo: pros and cons of different genres, games and even play time will be discussed in detail. Graeme Moore said that “From disabilities and special needs to health to industry norms, our guests can expect to leave this area of the event a lot more informed on the status of gaming in the world and how it can affect us all both positively and negatively.”
The business part of the expo is to allow the guest to see gaming and the industry from the perspective of the merchant or developer. Here, people will have the opportunity to listen to industry experts talk about development, commercial trends. As previously mentioned, John Romero will also be there to give a talk and answer some questions. Several different business-stands will be found throughout the event venue where people can interact and engage with the businesses.
Partners and Accessibility
Dublin Games Festival has revealed many reputable sponsors and partners. DGF has partnered with Geek Ireland – Irelands largest Geek Website and online platform responsible for helping out several “Geek” related events and opportunities, including the popular Token Arcade in Smithfield, Dublin. Spin1038FM has been selected as the official DGF radio station to push the festival information out to the public. Other confirmed partners of DGF include 8-Bit Conference (Ireland’s most successful gaming event), Total Expo, GFD, Four Star Pizza, Monster Energy (who will have their own energy drinks stand), Trust Gaming, Irish Rail, and Autism Ireland. This list may not be comprehensive, however, there could still be other partners yet to be announced.
As previously stated, one of the primary goals of the Dublin Games Festival and its organisers is accessibility. As a result of this, they have partnered up with Autism Ireland to provide adequate access for those who may not find typical conventions as accessible as possible. There will be an early access time from 9 am to 10 am on the morning of the 24th, ahead of the official opening time. Thanks to the help of Autism Ireland, we can also expect detailed heatmaps and write-ups on sound across the venue. These will also include precise time calendars on excessive visual and sounds in some areas.
Tickets
Tickets are still available from the Dublin Games Festival website. Spectator day tickets start at €20, and esports tickets for gamers competing start at €30. Family tickets are €12.50 and business tickets are €45. Esports tickets are required if you wish to compete at any of the esport events.
Dublin Games Festival Will Take Place on the 24th of November 2018
The event has been hyped up to potentially be a huge success. Hopefully this standard of preparation and communication from the organisers will become the norm for gaming events in Ireland. As it stands, it appears to be an event catering towards a wide variety of people. I wish the best of luck to all competing, and to everyone else, enjoy the biggest Irish gaming event of the year!
