Irish blog to cover computer games

An Irish blog, the Irish Games, is set to have video games news, features and reviews.

The site, jokingly described as “the illegitimate brain child of two native Limerick dwellers with a
passion for video games”, was launched late last week and can be found at theirishgamers.wordpress.com.

The blog is to cover both console and PC gaming, as well as the odd post about films. A post on the site says one of the reasons it was set up was “the belief that the Irish games scene is in need of a serious boost”.

It added: “We’re just getting started, but we hope to start specifically covering what’s going on in Ireland when it comes to games, as well as talking about the regular plethora of daily international industry happenings too”.

The use of the name the Irish Gamers follows two similarly named but unrelated sites – the now redundant Irishgamer.ie, and one of Game Toaster’s past names, the Irish Gamer.

Irish video games podcast launched

Citizengame.co.uk, although it has a UK web address, is a newly launched Irish games podcast. The first edition, a ‘pilotcast’, was released on March 3 and has been so-far followed by three more shows.

In the podcasts presenters cover computer games news and talk about the latest games. The podcasts in MP3  - which vary from an hour to an hour and 25mins - can be downloaded in from citizengame.co.uk.

Star follows Sun’s lead on games in prisons

- More sensationalism on games consoles in Irish prisons two years later

The Irish Daily Star has followed the Irish edition of the Sun to sensationally link PlayStation access in Irish prisons to an individual criminal on their cover page.

The start of the year must be a slow news time for the two tabloid newspapers; the Irish Sun’s story was published Friday January 27, 2006, while the Star’s story was published on last Friday, February 01, 2008.

The Sun screamed “PLAYSTATION KILLER,” when there was no link to the killing in question and the games console. Meanwhile, the Star had the slightly more sober headline of “PAEDO’S PLAYSTATION”.

Nevertheless, Irish prisoners having access to games console has little to do with individual cases, and how likely it is for the 65-year-old convicted paedophile Martin Meaney to have much if any interest in computer games is also questionable.

The Star is normally levelheaded compared to the Irish editions of UK redtops available in Ireland, but in this case it invited readers to read on to page two where readers to a less than 150 words at the bottom of the
page.

The story focused on the prisoner being allowed a games console, a colour TV, and a kettle in their cells, rather then any detail of the court case which ended with Meaney receiving a two-year sentence.

In Ireland only children play video games

Above is how Toyota created an SUV television advertisement using the World of Warcraft game. That was in the US. In Ireland, only children play computer games.

Or at least that is what you’d think looking some things such as the Irish Film Censor’s ban on Manhunt 2.

With the massive amounts of advertising spend by games firms in Ireland recently ad space sellers here should by now notice the scale of the computer games market.

Of course, it has been growing in the past years, but on going high-profile ad campaigns such as those for PS3, Halo 3, and Fifa 08 should cement the view how widespread computer games now are.

But if we have really moved on might remain a unanswered question for some time. It’s only a year or two ago that one of us at Games Toaster had a phone conversation with a regional newspaper to be told that there is no money in computer games.

Richard Dean Anderson to launch Halo 3 in Dublin; Record breaking attempt planned

Actor Richard Dean Anderson is to launch Halo 3 in Dublin on Tuesday, forming one of the main elements of Microsoft’s Irish high-profile release of the highly anticipated Xbox 360 game.

News that the actor, most famous for playing MacGyver and more recently Jack O’Neill on Stargate SG-1, will launch the game was confirmed this evening to Games Toaster by a Microsoft spokesperson.

However, his visit to Dublin is still somewhat shrouded in mystery as there is still little detail of Anderson’s visit.

Record breaking attempt

Meanwhile, tomorrow - in the build up to the European release on Wednesday September 26 - Irish gamers will attempt to set record breaking times completing Halo 2.

The Guinness World Record - also organised by Microsoft - will start midday at the Dublin city centre in the morning. Microsoft expects hundreds games to turn up to the event at the Xbox Live Gaming Centre / Xbox Live Cafe.

The current record holder is Cody Miller who finished the game in three and a half hours with the ‘legendary’ difficulty setting on in August 2005. The publisher and console maker will be incentives such as prizes of
the limited edition ‘Legendary Edition’ of Halo 3, Marvel Halo graphic novels, and Halo 3 branded merchandise.

Promotion around Ireland

Microsoft also said that the game will be promoted across mediums and are aiming to make it one of the most high-profile entertainment launches. The Halo 3 TV advert, a still of which is pictured above, is just one example.

On the streets, Halo’s star Master Chief - or at least a person dressed as him - will appear on Grafton Street in Dublin this Saturday and Sunday, and move on to Cork, and Galway after that.

By the time of the launch, shoppers entering the main entrance of the St Stephens Green Shopping Centre will be greeted by Halo branding. This will link in with retailer Gamestop’s midnight launch at their new store at the shopping centre. Full details of of Gamestop’s midnight opening across Ireland can be viewed here.

IGN.ie launched, domain and business name conflicts with US site

A new Irish games website has been launched using the name IGN at ign.ie. It is not connected to the internationally known US-based website IGN.com.

The name of the Irish site stands for Irish Gaming Network, It’s
offering news, event listings, new release listings, forums, and online
arcade games.

The original IGN.ie site pre-dates the US site by the same name,
but the new Irish site is linked to a business name registered at the
Companies Registration Office in Dublin only at the end of June of this
year.

The US publication could endanger its future rights to protect its
trademark if it does not take action against the Irish site and
business name holder, it is understood no such moves have been made
so-far.

A user posting on internet discussion site boards.ie on behalf of the Irish site says that they were unware of the US site and the problems the use of the name might cause.

“And just in case the worst happens the site is also available at www.irishgamingnetwork.ie,” the user said in a recent post on boards.ie.

A statement on IGN.ie says the site’s goal “is to give full support
to the Irish gaming community and its events. We strive to keep the
Irish gaming community as up to date as possible with all gaming
consoles, games and events”.

Irish computer games websites

We’ve updated our links page, mostly containing links to Irish games websites.

It now includes Irish news/review games sites, community and LAN
sites, Irish sites with games sections, games cafes/centres, game
retailers in Ireland, local official console sites, and links to games
companies based in Ireland. There’s also a selection of international
games sites.

Games Toaster’s links section can be found here, or by using the link on the side bar.

To make a suggestion of a site we’ve missed, use the comments section below, or the ‘email me’ link on the side bar.

Manhunt 2 banned in Ireland

Manhunt 2 has come under a prohibition order by the Irish Film
Censor’s Office, effectively  banning the sale of the game in
Ireland. The moves follows a ban by the British Board of Film
Classification.

“IFCO recognizes that in certain films, DVDs and video games,
strong graphic violence may be a justifiable  element within the
overall context of the work” states a notice on the Censor’s website. “However, in the case of Manhunt 2, IFCO
believes that there is no such context, and the level of gross,
unrelenting and gratuitous violence is unacceptable”.

The company behind the game, Rockstar Games, issued a statement
which said that they were “Disappointed” with the UK ban, but would
respect the authority of the UK censor and abide by the rules.

“Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological
thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with
other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers”, the Rockstar statement added.

The games company is owned by publisher Take Two, and have also been
involved in controversial titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Bully.

Ireland subscribes to the European age rating system PEGI, however the Video Recordings Act 1989
covers games but it is up to the publisher to submit games for rating.
The censor can class a game prohibited under section 3 (1) of the Act.

The wide-ranging section allows banning for games in which elements
could be “likely to cause persons to commit crimes…, would be likely
to stir up hatred against a group of persons…, would tend, by reason
of the inclusion in it of obscene or indecent matter, to deprave or
corrupt persons who might view it”, of where “it depicts acts of gross
violence or cruelty (including mutilation and torture) towards humans
or animals”.

Also see:
- FEATURE: Irish parents ignore age ratings on violent and obscene computer games
- Youth Council of Ireland wants boycott of “shocking” game, Canis Canem Edit

Lisa Geiran, UCD; Barry Dolan, Shamrock Rovers FC, Karina Kelly, UCD.

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PS3 to Dublin - Is this living?

Since the Irish PlayStation 3 launch, a huge amount of advertisements with the slogan “This is living” have occupied advertisement spaces across Dublin, backed by TV spots — pictured above is a bit of a twist.

On Grafton Street, one of the main shopping areas in Dublin, Sony
asks shoppers and commuters who have just departed the near by Luas
tram, “is this living?”. The advertisement also points to the thisisliving.ie website.

Meanwhile, we never expected an answer to
“what’s the strangest way to make sure journalists will try your
game and enjoy them selves?”

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 publisher Ubisoft answered by
rounding up some journalists and bring them to a paintball arena in the
Wicklow Mountains (pictured below, and more beyond the fold) — there’ll be no escape.

Add to the mix were a few competition winners, Sarin and Jam from the publisher’s ‘Fragdolls‘, and eight Xbox 360s and flat-screen TVs from the Xbox Live Gaming Centre. 

Playing with Xbox 360s in an open shed in the Wicklow Mountains just after paintball, Games Toaster
was thinking it must rank as one of the strangest PR events. Surprising
the staff at centre weren’t that shocked, another publisher had held
a similar event a few years ago.

 

- Last four photographs Ubisoft press images, all others Games Toaster.

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