Ireland’s biggest video game tournament is gone: here’s why that matters

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Two men, AJ and Brian, are driving in a white van, proudly donning Republic of Ireland plates, into Northern Ireland. It takes no time at all for them to be stopped by police once they cross the border. Questioned by the cops, the pair had to explain they weren’t headed to Belfast with nefarious intent. They were heading there to pick up 30 monitors for a gaming event: Celtic Throwdown.

This is just one of the small stories attached to the belt of Ireland’s biggest competitive gaming event. For over a decade, the pair who created it — alongside a weekly tournament series with AsOne — built a hub where the world could get a taste of Ireland’s passionate community and that community could be spotlighted to the world in turn. Last week, Celtic Throwdown ceased to be. Hanging up their sticks, both AJ and Brian are moving onto new adventures.

This is obviously rough news, but understandable. Look at the reactions to the announcement and see the waves of respect and gratitude from people who had enjoyed Celtic Throwdown. To many, it was the best event this side of Europe. But no one in their right mind could blame AJ and Brian from retiring from these events: the money, the time, the amount of legwork needed – it stops you from working a better job, from having a better work-life balance, from taking a trip to the Bahamas.

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