By Jack Coleman This article originally began as a look at the game “This War of Mine” in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, I expanded it to include some of the responses from the gaming industry at large, the experiences of Ukraine-based game developers and Ukrainian esports players and teams. This…
By Jack Coleman University College Cork is a place of many hobbies, there are societies and clubs that cater to the majority of interests. One that is near and dear to my heart is the esports scene in UCC, which currently operates under the banner of the Networking and Gaming society (Netsoc). I’m using my…
By Jack Coleman For those who are unfamiliar, Damien Scattergood is a legend among Irish game developers. Known as “Mr. Z80” (named for the Z80 assembly language), Damien developed a multitude of games during the 1908s, the golden age of game development. Working for a studio full of young and hungry developers like himself, Damien…
By Jack Coleman I first got into Korean pop music at the beginning of 2017. The genre was beginning to pick up serious steam at that time, with acts like BTS and BLACKPINK just starting to hit the Western market. However, the genre was still seen as unusual at the time. If you told someone…
By Jack Coleman You may have heard murmurings of Non-fungible tokens or NFTs while scrolling social media (you may have heard more than murmurings depending on who you follow). Essentially, NFTs are certificates of authenticity for items that are easily copied (like pictures and videos). Using blockchains, the ownership of an NFT is of public…
By Jack Coleman Many traditional sports are heavily influenced by tribalism. It is particularly prevalent in sports like football where most if not all fans align themselves to a particular club. This is often the local football team in the area. Though, many people also choose to support a larger club in addition…
By Jack Coleman Last April, I was as surprised as anyone when Munster Rugby decided to get involved in the rapidly expanding world of esports. Sure, lots of traditional sports teams have significant investments in the sphere but a rugby team, especially an Irish rugby team, seemed an unlikely candidate. The majority of sports teams…
By Jack Coleman “However, sadly, we find ourselves in a position where the ongoing operations of the business are not financially viable and as such, have taken the decision not to operate going into the new academic year” so read the final statement of Irish Collegiate Esports (ICE). ICE was the organisation in charge of…
2019 has so far been a tumultuous year for two of the gaming industry’s biggest players, Riot Games and Activision-Blizzard. Their situations are similar in many ways, they were both beloved by their communities, they both faced major controversies, and now both companies have announced their huge plans to shake up the online gaming…
Protests in Hong Kong have been ongoing for over 20 weeks as citizens seek to pressure their government into meeting their demands. The unrest was originally in response to a bill proposed by the Hong Kong government which would allow local authorities to detain and extradite fugitives to territories where Hong Kong does not have…