Passionate about video games, Jean Mariotte is one of the three co-founders of the virtual reality e-sports spaces EVA, Esport Virtual Arenas, which opened their doors in 2021 and have since experienced significant growth.
The general manager wants to break the latest clichés related to e-sports.
What is special about e-sport in virtual reality?
JEAN MARIOTTE.
We started from a gamer's dream.
We thought it would be great to be able to move around and play Call off Duty on a football pitch.
We have therefore created spaces to mix gaming and real sport.
It's a mix between e-sport and physical exertion.
What is interesting is that we have to walk and move.
For example, we had the thanks of a father who came with his 14-year-old son.
We may succeed in reconciling the children and their parents.
What audience are you targeting?
Today, e-sport is no longer a niche.
It has become common practice.
We see that there is a real thing, which exploded even more during the Covid, where everyone was at home.
It is estimated that this affects 30% of the world's population.
Despite this, there are still many people who say that esports is not a real sport.
It is often linked to a sedentary lifestyle.
We are positioning ourselves in e-sport in particular, but we see a lot of non-gamers coming to play.
We can play in a very basic way.
And then we have more competitive modes.
We have an incredible field of possibilities in terms of universe.
What are the areas of development?
The concept appeals, especially thanks to word-of-mouth.
We developed our own game because we couldn't find enough quality content.
The objective is to continue to advance in technology.
We want to go to larger areas and we say why not one day at the Stade de France.
Eventually, we should also be able to eliminate backpacks.
We also launched the first competition, with seventeen teams from all over France.
We also want to launch a second game, which should be between handball and dodgeball.
Our ambition with this second game, which should be released in 2023, is to be at the 2028 Olympic Games.