RandomSelect.ie & IFGC First International Open
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of heading along to Randlomselect.ie & IFGC’s first International open. It took place in the Dublin Citi Hotel on Dame Street in the heart of the city. Randomselect.ie usually hold around nine or ten tournaments a year, they try to bring as many folks together to celebrate all things beat ’em up. I had never been to one of these tournament events before so I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect, but when I arrived I was pleasantly surprised by both the turnout and the level of commitment and organization that went into this event. I spoke with Brian Quigley who was looking after the technical end of the streams and the over saw the set-ups that were spread out around the area assigned to each title that was being played throughout the day, be it part of the tournament itself or just for fun, he informed me that one of the few places in Dublin for these types of tournaments is the XGC on Liffey street in Dublin, but due to the size needed to host this event the organizers had to think outside the box and rent the basement bar area of the hotel. Brian also told me that Fighting Game players were picky about their lagless gameplay, a drop of a few seconds can mean a lot in an important fight. Of recent years with the explosion of geek culture in Ireland establishments have become more open to renting out spaces for 
events such as this, and now see the financial opportunities that come with hosting an event that garners high attendance.
Now I love me some Street Fighter II. I even consider myself okay at it and can take on a challenge every now and again, but these folk were on a whole different skill level. Walking around the event I saw folks of all ages setting up their gear, practicing the combos on joypads that weren’t even plugged into consoles, some wore gloves to stop their fingers from slipping off joypads, others had brought their own arcade sticks, these folks were in it to win it. Now even saying that I have been to events of other types and there can be a air of elitism involved with certain groups, but not this one. Everyone was enjoying themselves, I was asked numerous times if I wanted to sit in the challengers seat (I declined politely, waving my camera miming a clicking motion) and it was overall a very welcoming atmosphere. The tournaments themselves ran throughout the day starting at 11:30am and running up to late afternoon. Games that were being played Ultra StreetFighter 4, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Tekken Tag 2, UNiB and Project M.
Aaron Jackson was the man in charge on the day, and himself and his crew did a great job keeping the tournaments going. Everyone that was there seemed like they were enjoying the atmosphere of the event, also as I mentioned earlier Brian Quigley was responsible for all of the streaming on the day, using all of his own equipment. The man ran a tight ship and while I was there everything ran like clock work. I highly recommend checking out one of Randomselect.ie’s events. It’s a community with some players very kindly bringing their own kit, be it consoles, arcade sticks or monitors. I didn’t partake of any of the games on offer, because believe you, me I would’ve been destroyed. The level of skill at this one was high, but do not let that deter you from attending any future Randomselect events. These folks are very welcoming, and like myself share the belief that because the culture in Ireland is so small everyone needs to work together to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and has a good time. If you want to check out more from Randomselect or Brian himself here is Radomselect’s website, and Brian’s YouTube Channel and Twitch feed where you can see some of the feeds from last Saturday’s event.
https://www.youtube.com/user/BrianVonDoom
http://www.twitch.tv/brianvondoom
