There’s not a lot of opportunity for gaming as a social event in Ireland. If you want to have a few drinks, food, and play arcade games, you could potentially check out Token in Smithfield, but there are very few other options dotted around Ireland for a similar experience. You can’t play proper games (read: console and PC games) either. Giga-Bite Cafe in Dundrum Town Centre changes that a little bit, with promise of PCs, gaming consoles, arcade machines, VR headsets, and more.
In Dublin, there aren’t many internet gaming cafes at all, primarily due to a lack of interest. Opening the Giga-Bite Cafe in the Dundrum Town Centre may help to keep the place afloat, as while the market for a purely gaming-related cafe may not be there, combining it with arcades, VR, and food and drink just might do the trick. Live tournament viewings for major esports titles will also be available, likely starting with the Starladder Berlin Major finals for Counter Strike: Global Offensive this Sunday. There are also hopes for smaller tournaments to be held in the cafe going forward as well. Tournaments are hard to come by these days, with the likes of the Irish Collegiate Esports championship and LAN tournaments being the only way to compete in Ireland.
At the moment, computers in the cafe come preinstalled with Overwatch, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, and League of Legends. More games are set to arrive soon as well. If you want to learn more about the Giga-Bite Cafe, you can check out their website or their Facebook page.
