Do you harbour dreams of lining out in a soccer World Cup final, driving a Formula 1 car or playing Rory McIlroy over 18 holes? None of those a biggy for the teenager of today who can do that at the touch of a button on an xbox or a playstation. OK, it's not the REAL thing but virtual sport is becoming big business.
Irish virtual games fans are expected to head to the Convention Centre in Dublin this weekend as the inaugural GamerCon kicks off on Saturday.
The two-day event will host everything from eSports competitions to YouTube stars and the latest in games technology. The event is being sponsored by GameStop, with Xbox and PlayStation also on board. Among the YouTube stars attending the event on both days are UberDanger, Ali-A, the AR12Gaming collective and JeromeASF. (sorry who?)
Fans can pay for VIP tickets to meet and greet their favourites, while Irish band All Tvvins will close the show on both days.
There's real money at stake too.
Five eSports competitions to take part in, each with a cash prize pool. The League of Legends competition has the largest, at €4,000, but players in the Counter Strike: Global Offensive competition stand a chance of sharing €1,400, while Street Fighter V and Rocket League have €800 each.
Founder Ferdi Roberts came up with the idea for GamerCon after he returned from Silicon Valley, having sold his company SaaS Markets.
GamerCon is intended to bring a “large-scale social connection” to the gaming public here, while also showcasing the games scene. The eventual plan for GamerCon is for it to become a Europe-wide event, with plans to expand it to cities such as London.
I looked at one of the vids from one of the key lads there this weekend UberDanger and wondered if this media/sports strand is the fodder for the 'pop music is evil' movement of this generation?
I also realised I'm old school and still prefer the GAA slogan for all sports 'nothing beats being there'!
