Naoise O’Hare – Retro Gamer Ireland Interview
We chat to Naoise O’Hare, who you may know as Retro Gamer Ireland, as he talks to us about how he got his collection started and his role at the upcoming GamerCon event in Dublin on March 18th & 19th 2017.
Brian – Firstly, can you tell us about yourself?
Naoise – I am 29 years old, from Dublin and have a passion for all things geeky and gaming related. Over the past few years I have been collecting retro video games and blogging about retro gaming on social media, recently creating my own blog website RetroGamerIreland.com.
B – When did you begin collecting games and memorabilia?
N – I started collecting video games about 4 years ago after I got a Super Nintendo as a birthday present from my girlfriend. Along with the SNES I got two games, Lemmings and Super Mario Kart. Once I powered on the SNES and started playing Mario Kart, the nostalgia took over and I was hooked on retro video games. Since then I have collected hundreds of games for various consoles.
B – What is your favourite era of gaming?
N – It would have to be the 90’s as it brought us such amazing games like The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario World and Pokémon Blue/Red.
B – Have you any tips for any budding collectors?
N – I have started a series of collecting tips on my website www.RetroGamerIreland.com where I focus mainly on retro video game collecting tips. One main thing I would say is to just take your time and enjoy the games you are collecting, it is easy to get carried away buying numerous games at a time and not getting the chance to play them all. Take it one game at a time and experience the games you are collecting.
B – What developer excites you nowadays?
N – Nintendo has always been my favourite video game developer and I am very excited about this years The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. I have to give honorable mentions to some other great developers such as Rare, Square Enix, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft and Bethesda as they have given us some amazing games over the years.
B – Do you see any current games that are destined to be future beloved classics?
N – Definitely The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of The Wild and it hasn’t even been released yet. I think that there will be a lot of kids who will grow up playing that game and when they are older they will look back on it like I look back on The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and think it is an absolute classic.
B – How did you become involved with GamerCon?
N – I was contacted by the GamerCon team through my Instagram page @Retro_Gamer_Ireland where they noticed my passion for retro gaming and asked if I would like to be involved.
B – There are several major conventions held in Ireland each year and GamerCon is set to be one of the largest conventions of its kind in Ireland. What will make GamerCon stand out from the rest?
N – I think the sheer size of the event and the fact that GamerCon will have something for everyone will make it stand out from the rest. There are different zones covering many aspects and eras of gaming from retro games, e-sports, virtual reality and modern console games. At The Retro Zone alone we will have up to 100 gaming positions where you can play the games of the past.
B – What can people expect from you at GamerCon?
N – I am curating ‘The Retro Zone’ at Gamercon where I have chosen the games and consoles that will be on show at the zone. I have chosen games from many different genres across various home consoles from the Nes, Atari 2600, Sega Mega Drive and more. I will be hanging out at the retro zone all weekend and look forward helping people who might not have played these games in years take a trip down memory lane with and also introducing some old games to new people.
B – Are you surprised with the support and feedback you have received about the event?
N – I am absolutely blown away by the support and constant positive feedback about the event. For me, it has been an amazing experience so far and that’s just the lead up to it. The gaming community in Ireland are hyped about GamerCon and with so much on offer it is easy to see why.
B – Any other tidbits we should know about yourself?
N – I have followed in the footsteps of the great Super Mario Bros and work as a plumber by trade when I am not gaming and saving Princess Peach from the evil King Bowser.
B – Is there anything you would like to say to The Arcade community or any exclusives you can let us in on?
N – I look forward to seeing so many gamers under one roof and I think that no matter what genre or era of gaming you are into, GamerCon will have something that will appeal to you.
B – Where can people find out more about you and can they follow you online?
N – You can check out my blog website www.RetroGamerIreland.com which has links to all my social media pages. My favourite medium to use is Instagram, you can follow there @Retro_Gamer_Ireland.
Thanks again for your time. I want to wish Naoise the best of luck with everything in the future. We will definitely be checking out the ‘Retro Zone’ at GamerCon and are looking forward to the whole event in March.
Are you going to GamerCon? Have you got your ticket yet? Let us know what you are looking forward too. Keep an eye on The Arcade and GamerCon’s website for all the upcoming info.
