Virtual reality rooms are spreading all over France. Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes… Several dozen have opened in recent years, although some have not resisted the pandemic. HAS Margny-les-Compiegnein the Oise, Oumar Adamou chose this new niche to set up on his own.
In his Arcades VR Héros room of 630 square meters brought to light thanks to an agent of the Agglomeration of the Compiègne region (ARC), Oumar Adamou offers various activities related to virtual reality and augmented reality.
Virtual reality headsets and simulators
The main activity of the site: a sports game in augmented reality, the hado. This new e-sport, which combines virtual and real, is practiced with an augmented reality viewer and a connected bracelet. Two teams of up to three players compete in what might be called a “VR dodgeball,” “VR” designating “virtual reality” or virtual reality. “Players generate fireballs with their hands and aim at their opponents to try and hit them,” explains Oumar Adamou. The games take place in three 80-second rounds and are accessible for ages 7 and up. ” It’s extremely physical “, assures the manager of the hall.
The Hado affects all over the world. To the point that there are already national tournaments, as well as a European Cup and a World Cup. Oumar Adamou hopes federate an entire club around this e-sport, e set up a subscription system for regular practice. He also plans to try his luck in official tournaments, in addition to the standard activity accessible in free time mode for one session.
Other activities are also available, such as virtual reality immersion stations, a escape game or also virtual dynamic simulators. “We offer a flight simulator with a virtual reality helmet, another simulator to pilot a motorcycle around a circuit in total immersion or even a ‘double egg’, a VR cabin for two people, which simulates a roller coaster,” explains Oumar Adamou . .
On professional training
If, today, the manager of Arcades VR Héros appears to be a virtual reality expert, his beginnings in this emerging sector are, in fact, recent. A forklift operator for eight years, Oumar Adamou converted to baking in hopes of setting up his own shop in the United States, a country that has always attracted him. It is also there that he will find his way out, when he is declared unfit for baking in 2020 due to a back injury. “My dream collapsed, I had to find an alternative,” he says. That’s when I came across a video showing a VR activity. It was already well developed in the United States and I told myself there was an opportunity there to be seized. »
Some franchise networks have already positioned themselves in this market and Oumar Adamou contacted several to get an idea. But in the end he decides to do it go alone, “to build a room according to my taste,” he explains. With only 3,000 euros in his pocket, he set off on a tour of France of VR rooms forced to close during the pandemic, in search of good deals. “My simulators work very well and they are all used. This has allowed me to save 80,000 to 90,000 euros compared to new equipment,” says Oumar Adamou.
By purchasing the material, it forms at the same time as the use of these machines at the vendors’ premises. He is also provided with training when purchasing licenses for VR programs. “It’s quite easy to get started and I will personally train my employees to be as versatile as possible,” continues the manager of Arcades VR Héros.
In total, the opening of its arcade has mobilized an investment of around 75,000 euros. To finance it, Oumar Adamou was able to count on his personal contribution of 3,000 euros, 16,000 euros in honorary loans from the Initiative France network of Bpifrance, an Agefiph grant of 5,000 euros and a bank loan.
The Covid crisis, far behind
Even if the Covid crisis has damaged the world of leisure and various players in this market, the banks have not closed the door to the project led by Oumar Adamou. Even while he was trying to raise funds in full during the confinements. “The crisis has caused a significant delay compared to the initially planned opening date. Instead of opening in April, we inaugurated the space in December 2022. But this hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm for the project», reassures the manager.
On the contrary, he hopes that after the difficult years that everyone has gone through, interest in entertainment will strengthen. “For two years, people have lost all sense of fun. Today they want to go out and discover new activities,” she says. And to confront the virtual to escape the real.
