An Early Gamestop Xmas

Recently at Chez Cherry we received an invite to the Gamestop and Zing Pop Culture Christmas showcase, and dear mammy knowing that games are my JAM immediately told me - only she forgot to mention it was at 7:30 IN THE MORNING!!

Now I can tell you that getting the bus at 6:30am on a 17° sunny morning didn't exactly set sleigh-bells ringing, but being greeted with lovely doughnuts and coffee certainly didn't hurt!

I know, I know, vertical pictures (IT WAS 7AM!!)

If you haven't been to the Gamestop on Henry Street here in Dublin you're missing out - being a PC person I hadn't in years - but they've opened the top floor as a lovely merch and model floor for more than just games. 

Coming up the stairs I was greeted by their life-sized Spider-Man wearing the new Fifa Ultimate Team jersey (Fifa is not my thing, but the jersey looks gorgeous) and a very friendly Snow Trooper from Star Wars (he was an Empire Did Nothing Wrong theorist..).

Here they were showcasing their new merch from Star Wars (!!!) and Harry Potter upcoming for Christmas. Sadly I couldn't get a full picture of the Star Wars setup because they have some top secret gear coming out soon for a certain movie, but there was a surprise appearance by Ms. CherrySue herself! 

Yes, they have a full sized one, no, he wasn't there :(

The Harry Potter setup had some really interesting stuff - the most impressive being a beautiful etched glass lamp of the Hogwarts crest that lit up from the stand (sadly that wasn't on).

Aside from the lovely plates, cups and mugs, what really interested me was the Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit. While we all have friends obsessed with the series, not many people know that one such person is de mhóthair herself! 

I remember lying in bed as a child, almost asleep; getting 'accidentally' nudged by my wonderful, young adult mother (perfect demographic!) because she was enjoying reading the book to us too much to stop - so I know for a FACT any attempt to play her in HP Trivial Pursuit will result in a swift brain beat-down.

The lamp really is beautiful

Just wandering around the store gave me great ideas for gifts for any time of the year, as they weren't specifically for Christmas at all. If you're looking for somewhere to shop for gear like game and movie merch I'd honestly recommend looking in your local Gamestop; I've actually started buying some lovely comic/game brand clothes from our local one.

I'll also be doing a post focused on the gaming part over on my own blog (Diehard Dublin) if you're interested - it'll even have a quick hands-on with the new South Park game!