The Game in Reims is the meeting place for all heroes. The show dedicated to pop culture in the broadest sense is seeing its 7th edition this Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, 17, during which nearly 20,000 people are expected around the approximately 150 stands and events that will take place at the Reims Exhibition Center (Marl). On the program: video games, robot and lightsaber fights, exhibitions, meetings with voice actors or streamers and cosplay (disguise). But also many stands of artisans and traders who will sell games, toys and other related products.
Jules will once again be faithful to the appointment. This resident of Épernay (Marne) has been collecting old games and toys for a dozen years and the birth of his first child. And more precisely Lego, of which he has an impressive collection made up of several hundred thousand bricks. “I never counted how many I owned, but it is very possible that my stock crossed the million mark,” laughs the forty-year-old.
“It all started with a gift I was given: a Lego figurine of Indiana Jones. Since then, I have been buying parts, here and there, for my own constructions and to bring new life to sets complete who are sometimes more than 50 years old. » His latest discovery? More than 20 kg of bricks and characters with yellow heads, at a small neighborhood flea market.
In search of the “rare pearl”
Almost every weekend of the year, this enthusiast goes shopping. Even on vacation, deep in the countryside, he doesn’t hesitate to set his alarm for 5 a.m. to visit the local garage sale. “I obviously hunt with the hope of finding that rare gem, but I also particularly enjoy discovering new places and new people, knowing that each region, each town or village has its own specificities,” confides Jules.
The Marnais will experience its third Game In Reims as a semi-professional trader, since he carries out a full-time activity alongside his passion. Its stand will offer “several hundred setsall complete, dating from the 1980s to today, as well as dozens of figurines and other more original or rare pieces: books, derivative products… » At the end of this weekend, he hopes to make a nice nest egg, between 3,000 and 5,000 euros. An amount that may seem significant, but which will be used almost exclusively to reimburse the rental of his stand and fuel his all-consuming passion. “I don’t sell anything on the Internet,” he explains. “The Game in Reims actually allows me to finance my passion and rotate my collection which grows every week, while sharing my passion with other brick lovers. » A virtuous circle.
