Discovering Dublin Games Summit
July 25, 2018
The innovators, movers and shakers of the Irish gaming industry descended on Dublin this month for the inaugural Dublin Games Summit.
Held in the luxurious setting of Dublin’s Alex Hotel, the event aimed to showcase the creativity, influence and skills at play in Ireland’s game scene – and boy did it deliver.
With 35 speakers taking part in 21 talks over three stages, this one-day conference explored some hot topic industry issues and offered the opportunity to talk shop with the best in the biz.
Business and eSports
Stages at the event were themed, the first of three themes being Business and eSports. The stellar line-up of speakers included David Yarnton, Director of Gfinity who has been involved in the video games industry for over 30 years. He spoke candidly about the evolution of eSports – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Cormac Ó Conaire, Creative Director of Design Partners took to the stage to talk about how their company has partnered with global brands to create award-winning products like headsets, mice and controllers – with some of these brilliant designs attracting a crowd in the lobby after his talk.
Future of Gaming Diversity and Health
The second stage was themed around the future of Gaming, Diversity and Health. Speakers touched on everything from custom-built computer games for mental health, to the future of VR. Ayse Dibek, who is Account Manager of Facebook Global Gaming, spoke about why diversity in the gaming industry matters. She shared a number of studies around how Facebook is committing to transforming the gaming industry, with actions like encouraging people from minority and diverse communities to get involved. There was also a panel discussion on how VR is shaping our perspective of realistic experiences, which discussed just how far the technology will go.
Game Development and Engineering
Game development and engineering was the theme on stage three. Jen Carey, founder of Fickle Games, spoke about Ireland’s underground Indie Gaming industry. She noted that the country has a huge community of Indie game developers, and offered practical tips around getting funding for an Indie game hit.
Jen was followed by Alex Mann, Associate Development Manager at EA Games. Alex discussed the changing landscape of the gaming industry. Like the music biz, it’s been revolutionised by internet advances. He explained how EA has evolved from single-player boxed games to become a live service provider, and the business implications of that decision.
Network with the Best
The conference offered plenty of opportunities for networking, and some of the expert speakers were available for meetings too.
Want to Find Out More About the Irish Games Scene?
Move to Ireland and you’ll find a thriving community of Irish game designers and a strong games scene. From monthly meet-ups to yearly events like The Galway Games Summit, you’ll find a passionate and tight-knit community here.