Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 28 mins ago
(Seo alt ónár bhfoireann Gaeltachta. Is féidir an bunleagan as Gaeilge a léamh anseo)
BEFORE THE END of this week, the latest console game to feature the Irish language, Gaelic Football Laochra, will be launched, one of a growing number of Irish-language electronic games being developed across the country.
This is a reflection of the growth in the use of Irish in video gaming and, while there are obstacles to that growth, developers are making efforts to weave the language into the development of these new games.
GFL, from the Belfast company Buckeejit Games, is an example of technology and language blending naturally. The names of the counties are given in Irish and tracks from well-known Irish-language groups, Huartán and IMLÉ, are used in the soundtrack.
Speaking to The Journal, Peadar McMahon of Buckeejit Games said they wanted to use as much Irish as they could within limited resources.
“We used ‘Laochra’ in the title because we wanted something unique that would also be a nod to Irish that we couldn’t incorporate into the game itself,” he said. “We list the county names in Irish, but that’s about as much as we could do.
“We would love a full translation and commentary but the time, resources and money didn’t allow for it,” he said, indicating those would be considered if there was sufficient demand for the game, which will be available for PlayStation, Xbox and on Steam from this Friday.
GFL is just the latest game to make use of Irish. Beyond The Bark is a theatre and puppet company from Limerick, but they recently turned their hand to game development and the result is Éalú – a game about a mouse trying to escape from a maze, rendered in stop-motion style.
Ivan Fisher-Owen, an American who moved to Limerick where he met his wife Emma, founder of Beyond The Bark, did all the animation for the game in their garden shed, and he said he wanted there to be a connection between the game and the place where it was put together.
He also received help from a lecturer in Irish at Mary Immaculate College in the city, which was a major support in the Gaelicisation of Éalú.
He said more than 6,000 copies of the game had been sold worldwide and that he had players in Kazakhstan and the United States.
The developer described Éalú as a game which was very similar to a silent film and that there were menu screens and other elements in Irish. These were generating interest rather than confusion or incomprehension among players, he suggested.
“I’ve seen people – streamers and the like who make a living from it – playing the game and they open it and they’re reading the menu screens and they don’t know what language it is, they go and do research and find out it’s Irish,” he said.
“We hope it will be a gateway into Irish for people who would not have been in contact with it before.”
Another person engaged with gaming who has been weaving Irish into her work for a number of years is game developer and player Úna-Minh Chaomhánach (Kavanagh).
Her most recent game, Domhnach na nDeascán/Gleaning Sunday, won a prize at a Game Jam held under the auspices of the Narrative Design Awards. She had to put the game together – which she describes as a story about two girls in Corca Dhuibhne gathering the last of the autumn harvest at the end of August – in a very short timeframe.
Úna-Minh played a central role in the development of Eyes of Hellfire, a horror game featuring various characters such as Fionn and Orla, which won four prizes at the Irish Game Awards. However, she does not believe Irish has made a significant impact on the gaming sector as yet.
Irish can be seen in games like Among Us, VVVVVV, Axyz and Crowded.Followed., and it is a very welcome thing to see, but there is not yet major demand for it in terms of gaming.
“That said, individuals, companies and the community can all help to cultivate that demand.”
She said it would be challenging to create games in which Irish was central.
“Creating a game is not an easy or simple thing and you generally need a development team,” she said. “A game typically takes between two and five years to put together and it’s a very costly undertaking as well.”
She welcomed TG4′s partnership at the Gamer Fest held at the RDS in Dublin last weekend.
“It is wonderful that TG4 is the ‘Official Partner’ of the GameDev Zone at GamerFest, as it is important that ordinary people see them as a company that is aligned with the community and with market trends.
“The games’ industry is a massive sector.”
Speaking to The Journal, TG4 director general Deirdre Ní Choistín said the broadcaster was interested in creating “safe spaces” where young children could engage with screens.
“We are trying to look at where perhaps Irish language content and TG4 fit in that space as well, and in particular focusing perhaps on children and young people – being able to reach them in a safer online space while also providing entertaining new content differently. It is something we have great interest in developing as well,” she said.
Wherever there is a screen and an audience, TG4 arguably has a duty to look at why people are using those spaces, whether there is a place for Irish there, and whether we can be innovative and central in the new media that is to come.
She also indicated that Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland was showing interest in this area, along with Northern Ireland Screen, and she also referred to Imirt, the umbrella organisation for games developers in Ireland.
Imirt provided The Journal with a list of games that have made efforts to incorporate Irish. Among them are The Corner Cafe, Fallosophy, Protect the Pit, Dicey Dungeons, Super Hexagon, The Little Acre, Daemonium, Factorio, Foundation, Lumo 2, Mini Metro, Rise of Piracy, Crowded.Followed., If Found…, #DRIVE Rally, Dwarf Guild Mania, Backpack Hero and Familiar Findings.
An Imirt spokesperson added that interest in Irish among developers was growing rapidly.
Tá tacaíocht á fháil ag Beartas Gaeltachta The Journal ón Scéim Tuairiscithe ar Dhaonlathas Áitiúil.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say