Slipping into the shoes of Kylian Mbappé, Luke Skywalker or Mario, the most famous plumber on the planet, for a moment.
All you have to do is go, this Saturday, to the Paris Ynov Campus, in Nanterre, on the edge of the A86, where the Hauts-de-Seine department is organizing the very first edition of its video game and digital festival.
Before opening its doors to the general public, the event was inaugurated this Friday by a thousand middle and high school students, delighted to discover some 70 Nintendo or PlayStation branded gaming stations, partners of this first festival dedicated to video game, which has become the first leisure activity in the world.
A hobby practiced regularly by 58% of French people according to the latest figures from Sell, the union of leisure software publishers
.
Certainly, Mattéo and Nabil are among these 58% of French people.
Barely arrived, the two teenagers seize the controllers and launch, after a conspiratorial wink, part of the latest Fifa.
On the bill: PSG against… PSG.
An unexpected, bitter and disputed duel in which PSG - that of Nabil - will emerge victorious, with a narrow score of 2-1.
"I was under pressure, I'm not used to playing in front of so many people", justifies the beaten of the day, a little annoyed by the scathing comments of the hilarious boyfriends.
Behind the game, trades and opportunities
Further, different atmosphere but even frenzy: eyes riveted on the screen, Maëva works her hips in front of Just Dance 2022 while her friends try, between two bursts of laughter, to stay within the limits of the tortuous circuits of the famous Mario Kart.
“They grew up in it, it's their world, observes mischievously Farid Hamzi, head of innovative projects in the Hauts-de-Seine department and organizer of the event.
This playful dimension is of course important, but the idea is also to go beyond that, to show that behind the game, there are lots of jobs and lots of outlets.
In fact, the game is only a gateway.
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From Mario to the latest Fifa game, a wide range is offered to fans.
LP/DL
On site, in fact, the 3,000 m2 of the Paris Ynov Campus, which usually house more than 1,200 students, are not all reserved for gamers.
Far from there.
On the floors, start-ups, companies, associations and specialized companies await job seekers and people looking for an internship.
Their industry?
Programming, coding, 3D printing and animation, design or web marketing.
Disciplines that visitors can get to grips with in the many educational and interactive workshops set up for the weekend.
On the program of these workshops: coding of video games, robotics but also design and secrecy of a web TV, a web radio or a streamer.
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“This festival incorporates a strong educational dimension in its programming, rejoices the president of the departmental council, Georges Siffredi who opened the show this Friday.
Through the world of video games, we are invited to take new paths of knowledge, paths that relate to 3D modeling, graphic art, design.
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But if the digital universe opens the field of possibilities, it can also be that of all dangers.
An aspect that the department, funder and organizer of the event, has not overlooked.
A place has been reserved within the festival for the association E-Enfance and the NGO Respect Zone, which fight against cyberbullying and campaign for respectful and benevolent online expression.
The boss of the department even signed the charter drawn up by Respect Zone to label this brand new festival, which is to become the counterpart, beyond the ring road, of Paris Games Week.
More than 8,000 visitors are expected for this first edition.
Paris Ynov campus, 12, rue Anatole-France in Nanterre.
Free admission.
Reservation and complete program of the event:
festival-numerique.hauts-de-seine.fr