Gaming ‘as Gaeilge’ – Gamers go Celtic on Twitch
Ag Imirt agus Ag Sruthú as Gaeilge
People young and old love their social media, and Irish has found itself a welcome home among the myriad platforms we now use to stay connected. It is particularly pleasing to see young Gaeilgeoirí using social media to promote their love for Irish and to encourage others to learn it.
Instagram, for example, features many accounts that promote Irish learning and usage. One can find online Irish conversation groups on Facebook, a platform which, by the way, has long had an Irish-language interface option. Irish-language programming of various sorts is now available through streaming apps, including Netflix’s House of Guinness, which is subtitled in Irish.
Celtic Gaming Online
Then there is online gaming. Sad to say, few video games exist in the language, even if they feature Irish or some other Celtic culture. This has not stopped Irish speakers from using their language while playing.
Twitch is an online streaming platform primarily dedicated to online gaming, although it is not exclusively focused on gaming. My own introduction to it came from a former student of mine who hosts a variety of streams on his channel. When I did some searching, I found some streams available in the Celtic languages, including Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and, of course, Irish.
Mind you, not many streams exist in any of these languages, and I do not have a lot of free time. However, I do like to game myself when I have some spare time in the evenings. I am not the most skilled gamer in the world, by any means. What’s more, while I consider myself to have reasonably strong knowledge of Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and I can hold my own in Welsh, I am not natively fluent in any of them.
But I found that some of the most enjoyable moments watching other Twitch streams were those that were blooper-worthy. So why not? I set up my own account, decorated my channel with various Celtic-themed graphics, and gave it a go.
The games I play often feature Celtic aspects, such as the Scottish-accented Dwarves of World of Warcraft and the intricate Celtic knotwork in their capital city of Ironforge, the Celtic/Nordic-inspired cultures in The Elder Scrolls Online, or Hogwarts Legacy, which is set in the Scottish Highlands.
Are you noticing a lack of Ireland in these? You should. I did some research online into games set in Ireland. Nearly everything I found that was supposedly “set in Ireland” was really more generic Celtic in nature. Yes, this is better than nothing, but still… (By the way, if you know of a good video game whose story is set in Ireland, I’d like to know about it.)
My Experiences Streaming as Gaeilge, sa Ghàidhlig, yn Gymraeg
I do not have a lot of visitors to my stream, and I am not the world’s best at keeping to my schedule, but I do have a small handful of regulars who view my stream when I am online.
I achieved Twitch Affiliate status about a year ago, and I set up my viewer rewards points system to play back Celtic culture-related sound clips. Even more fun, viewers can use their points to change the language I am using!
Again, the object for me is to put our beautiful languages out there. I do keep several online Irish dictionaries on a separate screen when I am streaming as Gaeilge. When I come across a word in the game that I don’t know in Irish, you’ll hear the clicking of my gaming keyboard as I look it up. I keep a spreadsheet of new game-related words I’ve learned, which I can consult whenever I need a reminder.
Whenever a game features cultural items that allow me to share a real-world story while streaming, I do so. However, what is really a joy is seeing viewers chatting with me and each other in Irish, Gaelic or Welsh.
What really brings a smile to my face is when someone chats for the first time and expresses their surprise that someone else is streaming in their language. Some of them are native speakers, while others are beginning learners, but all are glad to hear the language being used in a contemporary situation, rather than as a relic of literature from a bygone era.
Sometimes, those chatters are Irish learners who confide that they are looking for places to learn the language. I always encourage them to check out Let’s Learn Irish.
A Small Community with a Big Purpose
No, I do not have 10,000 followers. No, I do not stream for eight hours a day, seven days a week. I have a very small community of occasional chatters and a few lurkers, and I am fine with it being that way.
I do not stream for the income that a wildly successful streamer can conceivably earn; I do it to relax and to share my own passion for these Celtic tongues.
Maybe the community will grow, and maybe that growth will lead to a demand for video games written in Irish, Gaelic, Welsh or another Celtic tongue. For myself, if my stream leads to even one person choosing to learn Irish or one of the other languages, I will call it ‘go maith’!
Úsáid í nó caill í. Cleachd i no caill i. Ei ddefnyddio neu ei golli. Use it or lose it!
I’m using mine on Twitch. Maybe I’ll see you there.
Join the online Irish community – beidh fáilte romhat!
Take a Course, join a Comhrá session or attend a Ceardlann.
For more, follow us @LetsLearnIrish – bígí páirteach!
