Over the last weekend in November, TN2 Games and Tech Editor Seán Clerkin and I were lucky enough to attend the very first GXI (Games Expo Ireland) in the RDS, organised by the people behind Dublin Comic Con, the exposition aimed to spotlight all facets of the Irish games industry; E-sports, indie, retro AAA and tabletop games were all showcased. This was also my first convention experience and I awaited it with giddy anticipation.

Press Preamble

On Friday evening, the floor was open to the press and a FIFA 18 tournament was run. Seán and I however, had little interest in the game and it was not long before we were wandering the as yet empty show floor. We came across rows of bare-trestle tables and wondered what would line them the next day. Beside them were rows of pristine high-end PCs that would be played on by numerous attendees, both young and old, for the majority of the weekend. I also watched Seán take his first leaps into the critically acclaimed Nintendo showcase, Super Mario Odyssey, . His surprise at the game’s fun-but-grotesque first boss was priceless.

We Gotta Get Back

The next morning, I was first to arrive and promptly began exploring the show floor. My curiosity drew me to the previously vacant rows of tables which were now lined with a treasure trove of retro consoles. The spread had been laid on by the 8-Bit Gaming Conference, an Irish Facebook page run by passionate enthusiasts. It was a feast for the thumbs. From Atari 2600 to the Sega Dreamcast, this ghetto of retro had a myriad of action. There was adventure, racing, and competitive games from decades gone, including a mausoleum for Mario Kart which featured all of the home console iterations from the Super Nintendo through to the Wii, all set up on old CRT  monitors nestled amongst a collection of promotional material for the games. I promptly gravitated toward the NES Console. It was my first experience with the control deck from 1985. I played a port of the first arcade game, featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles as they were then known in the UK and Ireland due to broadcasting regulations). It ostensibly plays like a primitive precursor to the beat ‘em up mechanics that would be refined in Super Nintendo titles such as Final Fight.

You Might Want to Lay off the Mega Mushrooms, JumpMan

At this point, Seán arrived. After a brief spin around one of Sega Rally’s courses, a photo opportunity arose for Seán with one of gaming’s most towering icons whose most recent appearance betrays his true size.

It’s A’Vive

We wandered to the virtual reality section where the HTC Vive was being demoed. This was my first experience with VR. When the headset was placed over my eyes I felt a sensation that one only feels when they are presented with something truly new under the sun. I was no longer in an event hall in Ballsbridge; I was standing atop a skyscraper in a futuristic metropolis. Distant streetlights glimmered in hues of gold and pink. I was in a wondrous statey. Suddenly, drones swarmed in from left and right, which I quickly dispatched with the laser pistol I found in my hand while ducking behind a shield to evade their fire. It was a frantic flurry of laser lights and synthesised tones. It felt like no time at all before the goggles were removed from my head, but I felt a tingling sensation to jump back in. Alas, there were other matters to attend to, such as our stomachs.

I Choose You

After some deliberation, we turned our attention to a vendor selling American and Japanese confectionaries. I purchased a packet of peculiar snacks called Sesame Moochi. They consisted of a thick peanut flavoured paste which was a touch thick in the gullet, surrounded by a chewy gelatines layer similar in texture to squid but lacking in any discernible flavour and encrusted with sesame seeds. The whole package was delightfully weird but I would not recommend them except as a curiosity. There were also Pokémon themed beverages of which I purchased two. One was a Jigglypuff-themed can claiming to taste of peach, the other, a Snorlax-themed can with a grape flavour. After much deliberation, I elected to try the Jigglypuff-can, which was a decision I would live to regret. The drink tasted similar to Haribo peach loops. It was sickly sweet to my pallet. I have not been brave enough to try the Snorlax can.

Dressed to Impress

At the event, there were a few cosplayers donning the garb of many popular video game characters. There was a swathe of people dressed as Overwatch characters such as Tracer and Mercy. Another popular game was The Legend of Zelda. I saw two very impressive Princess Zelda costumes. One was based on the Twilight Princess incarnation of the character and the other was based on the Breath of the Wild iteration. I also spied a Shredder (TNMT) and a Deadpool. However, without a shadow of a doubt, the most impressive cos-player of the weekend had manufactured a replica of the power armour from the Fallout games. This costume featured working hinges and an impressive looking fake rifle. The only thing we did not envy was getting out of the damn thing!

Interesting Indies

There was a host of Indie developers present with whom I spoke with extensively. Three of these games in particular I feel are worthy of more attention than they are currently getting. The first is Backworlds, a puzzle game which allows the player to paint of the screen with a virtual cursor in order reveal objects another time in your current location into the present. The system provides for some interesting puzzles that are not available in games with less nuanced dual world mechanics. The second is Squid Monkey Studios’ Final Horizon, an action game in the vein of Star Fox with beautiful visuals. In this game, the player destroys an enemy’s shield with one set of lasers before finishing off the ship with another. I am interested to see if the developer can spin this Ikaruga-esque concept in some interesting ways in the final release. The final game which impressed me was Mr. Grayscale: a mind-bending puzzle game in which one can platform, faze through walls and rotate the entire stage. This game is creative and full to the brim with satisfying eureka moments.

The Trouble with Tournaments

On Sunday, I spent the day participating in tournaments. Unfortunately, many of these clashed. This wasn’t so much a flaw of organisation so much as an inherent problem with long video and card game tournaments. For this reason, I spent the entirety of Sunday playing in a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament. The other players were incredibly friendly and I will certainly participate in similar tournaments in the future.

Closing Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at GXI. I met with interesting developers, played some great games with  people, and made some questionable dietary decisions. The only thing that worries me was the sheer scale of the event in contrast to the sheer lack of people. It’s normal for conventions to start out small, but one as ambitious as this needs a minimum amount of people in order to ensure they turn a profit. However, if there is another GXI I will most certainly be in attendance and indeed I feel this won’t be my last convention. I, for one, cannot wait to play intriguing new games and meet interesting new people at such events in the future.

Photos by Seán Clerkin and Sam Hayes