What is the Mini Dublin Gaming Market?
I had the privilege of attending a mini version of the Dublin Gaming Market last Saturday the 12th of May. Taking place in Ramp Action Dublin (RAD) an indoor skate park just off the Belgard Road, Tallaght. The aim of the event was two-fold. The first was to raise awareness for the bigger Dublin Gaming Market event which will be taking place later this year. The second was to raise funds for the Make a Wish Ireland.
The Location
Ramp Action Dublin is a great place to take the kids to let them loose on their scooters, rollerblades, bikes and skateboards. I’m not going to lie, I was equally terrified and in awe of kids who fearlessly launched themselves at speed off of the ramps. They sped through the course and completed many spin-ey tricks (yes that’s the technical term) with an easy flourish. It made me want to boot up my old copy of Tony Hawk on the PlayStation. After seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and their ability to skate safely I’d recommend you give them a try. You can check out their website and prices here.
Who Was There?
While small in scale, the room was jammed packed with amazing goodies that fit everybody’s tastes and budget.
Game Freeze had all the old retro games, such as Resident Evil, Spyro, Sonic the Hedgehog and more. They rounded out their selection with some Manga and Harry Potter merch designed by Crafting Magic Designs. Pokemon, Nintendo and Anime fans were catered for by Like The Bog Flower Designs and Pebbles Toy Box. A Hello Kitty Captain America figure stole my heart with its perfect balance of Avengers and Cats. Made by Jaconi Crafts, who specialises in adorable pixel art figures and gifts. I was there with some video game merch too.
Things to Do
The organisers (Nate from Guild of Nerds and Paddy from the Republic of Gaming) did something that is almost unheard of in Dublin. They allowed free entry to all! Attendees could come in, mill about and play Mortal Kombat and others retro video games on the old arcade machines. Xbox, Nintendo and Playstations were all set up and ready to play too. While having a ball, attendees could buy a wristband, a raffle ticket or simply make a donation to the charity of the day – Make A Wish Ireland. Who grant the wishes of children aged 3-17 in Ireland who are living with life-threatening medical conditions.
In Review
We loved The Mini Dublin Gaming Market. Nate and Paddy managed to create an amazing day full of nostalgia and awesomeness. Much needed funds were raised for Make A Wish and as always with anything organised by these guys, the atmosphere was fun and welcoming. I got to meet new people Roger from AllCast Irish Gamers, Emma from The Temple Wolf (check out her store – there are no words), Stephen and Ryan who has 99% convinced me to sign up to JCon. Honestly, I can’t wait for them to announce the date for the bigger Dublin Gaming Market. Based on the tidbits I overhead of the plans it’s going to be savage!
Did you attend The Mini Dublin Gaming Market? If so let us know your thoughts!
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