Interview: Irish Retro Gaming
It’s cool to be square and retro pixels are where many gamers are many turning their focus and their wallets to! Retro Gaming has become huge in the last two years with an explosion in the community as we dust off our SNES, rub clunk cartridges on our t-shirts and cross our fingers as we hit the on button! A return to the ancestors of modern gaming has meant an increase in demand not only for console repairs but in the purchase of the games and for many of us looking to replace our old friends, the consoles themselves!
Facebook being the whizz kid at deducing my hobbies and interests suggested recently that I take a little look at a new page called ‘Irish Retro Gaming’, an online store based in Dublin that offers its customers a chance to travel back in time, selling some classics, vintage consoles and even some rare treasures.
I caught up with Ger from IRG to talk about the store and why we’re all going mad for Retro…
Who are Irish Retro Gaming?
We are an online based business that specialise in selling retro gaming consoles and games.
How did you guys get started?
There are a few stores and sites who specialises in retro games, what sets you guys apart from the rest?
We have a wide selection of stock and tend to have lower prices than what you will find in the shops or on EBay, and most importantly we offer free delivery to your door if you’re in Dublin or the surrounding area. You won’t find that anywhere else.
It seems as a community, gamers looking backwards at the games we first played, why do you think Retro Gaming is so popular now?
It’s funny how the more technologically advanced games are becoming with 3D and Motion Senors, the more people are looking toward playing more basic platform games. Maybe it reminds people of happier times? It’s a form of escapism, and who doesn’t need some of that right now.
I find a lot of younger gamers are interested in the Super Nintendo. They start off playing Mario for the Nintendo DS or the Wii and then they want to have a go at the original. In my eyes anything that encourages younger gamers to appreciate Retro gaming is always a good thing.
When it comes to the site, how does it work? Can people contact you looking for specific requests?
Yes definitely. Customers tend to use our Facebook page moreso than the website. This is the most convenient way for people to drop us a quick line to enquire or request stuff and we always post up our new stock on our page as soon as it arrives, and there are a lot of albums for customers to browse through. Our stock is rare and our levels fluctuate depending on what deliveries we get in, if we don’t have your request in stock at that particular time we will keep you in mind and notify the customer if and when we get it in.
Still on topic, are you interested in people contacting you who’d be looking to sell their consoles/games?
Yes we will always consider purchasing from people however they must be fully functioning and of course, they must be retro!
What are your plans for IRG? Could we see a physical store in your future?
It’s not in our immediate plans but it’s always something that we would hope to do in the future.
Finally, if you were trapped in an Arcade for all eternity, what one game would you play to pass the time?
Official Irish Retro Gaming Site
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
