iDig 2016 Highlights

I am just back from iDig 2016 & it was amazing!  I wanted to take some time out from my regular posts to share a few highlights from the three day event.


For those of you who are not aware of the iDig Music Festival it started in 2015 & is the brainchild of the fantastic, talented & wonderful Eimear Noone.


It's hard with just simple words to explain what exactly iDig Music Festival is as I really feel it is something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated, that being said I will do my best. The iDig Festival is a celebration of Video Games Music but it is so much more than that.  It's about those who create the music, the games they are part of & the people who play them.


I am going to talk about some of the highlights for me from this years festival & try to give you a better feel of what it is all about.

DAY ONE

29 APRIL, RDS DUBLIN

My first day I got to play a lot of new games & software being developed by Irish Companies.  While there were many great products being showcased there were two that really stood out for me.

The first was a game called Project G by Nebula Interactive . I met two of the team & they spent a bit of time talking about their game with me.  It's a retro style side scrolling game set in the future where there are secret marine farms being used to produce food.  There are cybernetic fish-bots being used to protect the farms from Predators.  Then one day your fishy friends seem to be hacked or are experiencing some kind of glitch & become enemies.  It is your job to fight back & save the human race from extinction.


You are in a futuristic submarine that has your basic primary weapon & secondary weapons system. There a number of different weapon loadouts & the submarine itself is upgradeable. In terms of gameplay the early levels aren't too tough but as you move through the different levels & areas the enemies get bigger, become more numerous & even harder to kill. Making for a challenging experience.


The game has a great fast paced soundtrack which I feel really works well especially with the sometimes hectic gameplay.  Both the foregrounds & backgrounds feel rich, deep & colourful.


All in all the game is a great fun side scrolling title that could end up becoming a classic.


The game is available to pre-order on Steam today & is released on Friday 13th May. I would highly recommend adding this to your Steam wishlist.

The second stand out product/website for me was GameX. In a nutshell the site builds a profile based on the games you have played & gives you suggestions as to what else you might like.  By using their hub you can download from platforms such as Steam & get discounts for doing so.  If you get your friends to like & use them, that gives you rewards. On top of this there are regular giveaways in the form of vouchers.

There will be a smart phone version of GameX being released which I think is a great idea as sometimes I like to mess around with my phone on lunch break or on short journeys & I am not sure what to play. I always feel like there might be a great game I am missing out on & this product might be able to stop that from happening.


GameX will be relaunching in the next 60 days & if it lives up to all I was told about it then it will be something really special.

DAY TWO

30 APRIL, RDS DUBLIN

Day 1 one was great for me but Day 2 was even better!  There are two things that really made my day; the first was watching the documentary Beep & the second was seeing Spoony Bards perform live.


Firstly I want to talk about Beep, which is a look at the evolution of music in the games industry. It opens by talking about the first sound chips used & the limited sounds they could produce.  The musicians & composers outlined the struggle they had to try to get so much from so little & the innovation that was created because of it. As the technology evolved so did the sounds that could be produced, while more complex music could be created new struggles arose & had to be overcome.


I really don't want to spoil it for anyone that has not seen it but I highly recommend watching it whether your a musician, composer or just a game enthusiast.

The second highlight of the day was watching the Spoony Bards play live, these guys are so good I would have paid just to go & see them. Why, what's so great about them? Well, I'll tell you.  

You have the leader of the group Peter playing keytar which should be enough in itself, I mean come on keytars are cool but he also has the voice of a bard.There's Marcus who goes hell for leather on the drums & always has a smile on his face. On keyboard you have Orla creating some simply awesome sounds. You have Thomas, a fantastic & talented bass player who if I am not mistake was also part of the orchestra at iDig 2015. Then there is Dario who can really shred on guitar but he also has another great talent - he is able to play the ocarina!


They play music from games such as; Kirby, Tetris, Skyrim, Zelda & many others, they also add there own unique sound to them. Listen to just a taste of their awesomeness below.

While there were many great reasons to be at iDig 2016 seeing the Spoony Bards play again was definitely one of the best & am looking forward to seeing you guys at iDig 2017.

DAY Three

1 may, convention center dublin

Video Games Live

While the matrix dialogue is overly used I do think its apt to use it here, "unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is you have to see it for yourself". Video Games Live is more than just a concert its an experience, no matter what words I share with you it will not be enough to do it justice.  I got to listen to talented artists create music from video games old & new along with watching amazing visuals on three large screens from those games.

It very hard to pick my favorite parts of the concert but I will try to do it all the same.  The first thing that caught my eye was the outfit being worn by Eimear Noone & designed by Claire Garvey.  I have never seen anything quite like it but it suits Eimear perfectly (see below).

Then there was a piece from the Journey soundtrack which is very moving & was made more so by the vocals of Maykay from Dublin band Fight Like Apes.  She has a great voice & has made me want to listen to more of their work.

The next part that really got me really excited was watching the opening cinematic from Overwatch along with listening to the music from it.  Up until this point I had not paid a lot of attention to Blizzards upcoming release as I am not a huge multiplayer fan but I have to admit it got me pumped up about it, it might be time for me to look at playing some more multiplayer games. 

I have to give a big hats off to the Tri-Force Quartet who not only helped in creating the iDig Music Festival but also played tirelessly throughout the festival including the night of Video Games Live.
The quartet is made up of Chris Ferrara - 1st Violin, Jacob Roege - 2nd Violin, Stanley Beckwith - Viola & Chad Schwarz - Cello.  As you have probably guessed they like to play a little Zelda from time to time but also play music from; Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Mario, Halo 3, Super Smash Brothers & many more.

If you have never heard them play before I recommend taking a few minutes to sample some of their music below.

It was a huge surprise, hearing the music from Phoneix Wright Ace Attorney live! Getting to hear the music from the game along with seeing a selection of some of the best moments played out on screen was a real treat.  The moment Mr Wright's face came up on the big screens it just made me smile.  A great series of games & since the show all I want to do is play the games again.

Everything I mentioned are just some of the highlights from the evening but there were many others I loved too.  If you have never been or listened to Video Game Music played live then you are missing out on something special & I implore you go & experience it for yourself as soon as you can!

shout outs & thanks

Idig 2016 festival

It might seem a bit over the top giving thanks to all these amazing people but my wife and I had such a great time that we want to take some time to give a few shout outs to the people that helped make iDig 2016 so great:

Eimear Noone - your enthusiasm & passion is amazing, to see someone as talented as you perform again was a real treat.

Craig Stuart Garfinkle - you helped produce yet again another amazing event along with composing & talking about your craft, I am looking forward to seeing you at iDig 2017

Andrew Overfield - you were fantastic on stage at Video Games Lives & hope to hear you again next year.

Spoony Bards - ye are like no other bards I have heard before, twas a great show & I look forward to hearing more of your epic adventures next year.

Dara (sorry if that's the wrong spelling of your name) - I really appreciated the time you took to speak with me & my wife about the show & listening to our feedback.

There are just so many other people to thank including:

Tri-Force Quartet

Terran Gregory

Neal Acree

Russell Brower

Classroom Battles

JJ McNamara

Allan Duggan

DIT Traditional Irish Music Ensemble 

Team Laughing Reign Games

Team Wozi

Team Out of Curiosity

& not forgetting all of those who worked tirelessly behinds the scenes to help in creating this amazing event.

Thank you everyone & I look forward to see you at iDig 2017!