Join Up!

So you’re pretty keen on getting the pro advice you need huh? Internet relay chat, or IRC has been around for quite some time and other than forums it serves as the primary means with which gamers communicate with one another.

Here’s a quick guide on how to get you started and engaging with the gaming community in South Africa, and also the world at large.

Perhaps the easiest and quickest way to get connected is by using a web-based IRC means. Probably the most popular of the web-based IRC websites is called Mbbit. Once you’ve entered the site you’ll be presented by a friendly dialog box asking but a few details before you get started.

Ignoring the 2 lower dialog boxes, fill in the necessary information in the first box – server (see here as Shadowfire), your nick and the channel you wish to start out in. When choosing your server, make sure you select ShadowFire selected if you wish to chat amongst those in South Africa. Otherwise Quakenet will serve you well if you want to join up with the greater gaming community from all parts of the world.

I suggest starting out in the #Starcraft2 channel on the Shadowfire network, you’re always guaranteed to stay in the loop with all the Starcraft 2 happenings in your area. If you choose Quakenet however, you may want to start out in the Teamliquid channel and see what other channels users are hanging out in. Bare in mind you are able to join multiple channels during your session.

Once inside the channel will look something like this:

You’ll see users down the right and the main chat window in the center will start to fill with text as folk start chatting away to one another. Sit back, grab the popcorn and join in the conversation. IRC can otherwise be described as “Multiplayer Notepad”, enjoy!