The video games market is the fastest-growing area of the global entertainment and media sector, and the Programme for Government includes a commitment to support the digital games industry and promote Ireland as a gaming hub.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton TD, has asked Forfás to produce a report on the potential of the industry – which he hopes will pinpoint what Ireland needs to do to optimise Digital Gaming in Ireland.
The Epoch Times spoke to Mr Tom Cusack, who heads up the department for high-potential startups in Communications Software, Media & Entertainment Services at Enterprise Ireland. Mr Cusack said that the overall games market has grown quite rapidly globally, with market figures currently at 60 billion euro and which could grow to 85 billion euro in the next few years. “It’s fairly significant growth,” said Mr Cusack, who noted that the industry is moving away from the traditional video game console to the online, socially connected gaming world.
“Ireland has developed a strong reputation in this space, and there is a lot of excitement around it, our own indigenous companies like Havok, Demonware and Jolt … we have seen a huge influx in foreign direct investment, which has created that hub or buzz around Ireland in the games space,” said Mr Cusack.
Companies such as Bigfish, Zynga and Popcap have all opened offices in Ireland in recent times.
“Certainly there is a lot of excitement ... from our perspective in relation to funding, we launched a competitive start fund at the beginning of this year which was focused on the internet and games space,” he said.
Ten companies were funded out of that project from a pool of over 120 applications, explained Mr Cusack. Due to the popularity and demand for that fund, a second was created which closed in April. “We are just doing legals now with the companies,” said Mr Cusack, who added that EI would be announcing the results of that process shortly.
“The interest is there, we are seeing more and more promoters or entrepreneurs coming forward with ideas in this space, it is certainly an area for us that we view as strategically important and one that we see as a growth area.”
Enterprise Ireland’s overseas vision
“As an agency, we are very much focused on attracting international promoters to start up their businesses in Ireland,” said Mr Cusack.
The Enterprise Ireland High Potential Startup Unit (EIHPSU) funds between 80 and 90 startups in Ireland each year. A small percentage of these would traditionally come from overseas. Enterprise Ireland would have usually funded two to three starts per year with promoters who would have brought their startup idea to Ireland and commenced business here.
“We have put quite a push on that area in recent times, this year we expect that we will do somewhere in the region of 10 international startups here in Ireland, and one good example of that is a company called 2PaperDolls,” said Mr Cusack.
2PaperDolls create “entertaining and purposeful” games for mobile devices, which give players the chance to interact with friends, community and brand while training computers to solve problems.
2PaperDolls CEO, Louis Ravenet, has founded, directed and grown several successful technology and service companies, such as Rent-A-Jalopy, Invoke Systems, Wild Radish, Lorelei Films, Vanitas Holding, and iCommunicate, which was purchased by Microsoft.
Mr Ravenet had many positive points to make about the gaming sector in Ireland and the potential that he believes it has. “The technology sector here is alive, it is healthy,” said Mr Ravenet.
The serial entrepreneur had been living in Paris when he and colleagues decided to venture into the gaming sector. They wanted to start a new venture; however, they wanted to do business in a country where they could have an American-style startup. They drew up a shortlist of Amsterdam, London and Dublin.
“We drew up a table comparing the three cities, we liked all the cities: however, we really liked Ireland, in the end it came down to a couple of things,” explained Mr Ravenet.
The first factor, according to Mr Ravenet, was that there is a game energy and culture in Dublin.
“There is a lot of games synergy here … there is something to be said for an area where a geography of people recognise what’s hip and cool, Dublin definitely had that.”
The second factor, according to Mr Ravenet, was the fact that the government had a very attractive corporate package to go with the educated work force. “There is a highly educated work force here and Ireland is cool, especially amongst Americans … there is something about the mythology of Ireland, all of those things came together.”
Mr Ravenet said that he and his colleges came for two weeks to investigate the viability of Ireland, and they soon realised that “this is where we wanted to stay.”
According to Mr Ravenet, Enterprise Ireland were very helpful, they helped with introductions to existing technology companies. “Our biggest question was whether we would be able to hire enough programmers in Ireland,” he said.
He was worried that a country with a population of 4.5 million might not have enough of a percentage of the work force skilled in the areas that he required. “What percentage of those folks are programmers, what percentage are good programmers, or great programmers … Enterprise Ireland put together a very competent tour and we visited five or six technology companies that were based in Dublin from startups to companies globally recognised … we became convinced. There was a gamingcomputer culture, the Irish government has spend 15 to 20 years courting technology, so there is a sort of savviness here,” said Mr Ravenet.
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