While Greece teeters on the edge of economic collapse, Ireland has now returned from it's financial shadows. Just 4 years ago unemployment was sky-rocketing in the Emerald Isle, mass emigration, a complete brain drain. A bailout and austerity measures were brought in and Ireland turned back to their traditional industries such as tourism, farming, forestry and fishing. However this time it was a little different. The presence of major e-commerce and digital platforms in Dublin such as Google, Yahoo and Ebay led a new generation of software and game designers to spearhead a new era for the Irish economy.
Now Java, C ++, Python are languages known to many along with the traditional Gaelic and English dialects. Leading the way is Galway based company 9th Impact. The company is a startup with innovation and flexibility at its core. Like so many others in Ireland it rose from necessity and a desire to take a leap of faith. The company's head of games is an Irish German representing a new generation of young Hiberno men who are digitally skilled and e-versed. Finn Krewer speaks with Huffington Post as we ask why Ireland and what happens next?
Q1: Why is Ireland emerging as an I.T and gaming hub
Ireland has long been home to a lot of Multinational tech giants like Microsoft, Facebook and Google, which has resulted in a lot of investment in education in ICT and Engineering. But Ireland has always been full of creative minds. These are the driving factors behind the large number of small high velocity Game and creative media studios in Ireland.
Q2: What do you need to be a successful I.t Entrepreneur?
I think a mix of technical ability, an ability to learn and a readiness to take risks. The best advice I ever got was to: start now, move fast and fail early. The more ideas you try and evaluate carefully, the faster you can find the right niche, the right innovation for the market. Everything moves very quickly today and to be successful means to move faster.
Q3: What is your latest game about?
Robotory is an endless arcade game, exclusively on iOS, which features a group of Robots who are trying to escape their factory as the floodwaters rise. They must jump through layers of pipes and moving floors while avoiding the drones and electric fences in their way. Inspired by the classic Jumping Jack game which older gamers will remember from the ZX Spectrum and with some Crossy Road influences and an almost Machinarium graphic style.
Q4: What does the future hold for 9th impact?
We have had some very early successes with out previous game NinjaGo Endless Runner which now has over 1.5 Million games played. But we have much bigger games in development at the moment. Obviously with an increase in the size of our games the development time increases. But we will soon be making an announcement of our next release.
Q5: What advice do you have for young gaming and computer developers in the Uk and ireland?
I think if you are a young games or software developer in the UK or Ireland you have an immense opportunity. The software industry is standing strong, there are more smart-phone users than ever before and getting a software product to market has never been easier. My advice would be to get some experience in agile software development, meet the right group of people with a vision and an eye for the newest trends and get building.
Link to 9th Impact's latest game trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9azLlH3DNwo
