Pioneers in Designing Gaming Hardware
Design Partners have long been pioneers in designing gaming hardware so when the opportunity came up to sponsor the very first Dublin Gaming Summit, we jumped at it.
Aeon Sparks organised a great event with a multitude of interesting speakers from Steven Collins, talking about the history of Havoc, to James Dean from ESL talking eSports, to Professor Gary O’Reilly, UCD talking about mental health in gaming.
On entry we were immediately drawn into the creative mindset of the gaming community-driven event. To gain entry to the Dublin Games Summit you collected your accreditation from the piled attendee badges at the registration desk. Everyone exclaimed a small triumphant “found it!” once they had located theirs!
Steven Collins, Co-founder of Havoc and Partner at Frontline Ventures
Behind the Scenes
Our very own Creative Director Cormac Ó Conaire spoke about Design Partners’ approach to designing gear for gamers. Having created some of the world’s best selling gaming peripherals (including mice, keyboards and headsets), Cormac gave insights into how the team collaborates with clients, connects with gamers around the world, and crafts unique experiences for them. He revealed some of the skunk-works of how Design Partners mix highly advanced technology with traditional craftsmanship to sculpt highly effective early prototypes and he discussed the advantages of developing physical and digital designs in parallel to create holistic design solutions: “Product software is an often-neglected opportunity space where gaming peripheral companies can innovate. It is a crucial touchpoint in the gaming experience that is ripe for new and ownable ideas.”
Cormac Ó Conaire, Creative Director Design Partners
A Diverse Community
Some of Mixers top content creators, GeekyLuLu, NozzaBox and Antitinkerbell joined in panel discussions about diversity in Gaming and the issues live streamers have on a daily basis. Afterwards they hung out with us at the Design Partners stand, intrigued by our display of prototypes showcasing the design process. As those who follow her will know, Antitinkerbell was particularly full of energy and highly entertaining throughout the event.
Streaming is now a staple component of the gaming industry and a viable marketing avenue for product companies looking to build awareness of new gaming products and services. YouTube, Twitch and Mixer are platforms where the gaming community is thriving and, by building connections with key content creators, can be a shortcut to connecting with the right audience.
