The room, on two floors, is entirely dedicated to the world of video games and its competitive aspect.
In the middle of a forest of computers and screens, Romain and Lina are busy. This weekend they are hosting a League of Legends tournament, a competitive video game. The two partners, also as a couple, have opened since the end of July the first place entirely dedicated to e-sport in Lyon.
Arranged on two floors, the place would make drool with envy any person who knows a little in the world of video games. Fast fiber connection, state-of-the-art equipment, recording studio, bar, catering and broadcasting of video game competitions, everything is designed to best accommodate both amateur and professional players.
New in Lyon, this type of room is also very rare in France and in Europe. Usually, the organizers who want to organize a so-called “LAN” esports tournament (with all the players present in the same place) have to rent a room and equipment, which requires a lot of organization. The creation of a place like La Source could give a new turn to e-sport by making it easier to hold a LAN competition.
A five-year gestation
The idea germinated in the heads of the two partners in 2015. They were inspired by a Korean model: the PC bang, a sort of cybercafé specializing in video games. Their ambition is to create a place to promote e-sport in Lyon and host competitions. The objective is then to find funding. “In 2016, when we announced that we wanted to create the largest e-sports hall in France, the funders did not believe it too much”Romain remembers with amusement.
If Lina already has an entrepreneurial training after a master’s degree at IDRAC Business school in Lyon, Romain feels the need to train. In 2016, he won the Entrepreneurs in the City competition and received training in business creation. Thanks to this competition, the partners also win 5,000 euros for their project.
A long obstacle course follows to collect the 700,000 euros needed to obtain a room and purchase the equipment. An online fundraiser provides initial funds, and then investors bring in the bulk of the money. The project wins the innovation prize from BPIFrance, which finances part of the project. Ultimately, it was a bank that financed the remaining needs.
After financial and administrative hardships, and despite some obstacles encountered with the pandemic, the couple managed to open La Source at the end of June 2021.
Spaces dedicated to all facets of gaming
The place consists of four zones. The “launcher”, dining and relaxation room, welcomes visitors. Its name is taken from the games home page, where players can “start” their game. Esports competitions are broadcast on screens. Players can come and rest between two games, but it is also possible to work there as in a co-working space.
On the same floor, there are four streaming rooms. There, players, called “streamers” can come and connect and rebroadcast their games of video games on the internet, by renting the room. For some, this is a real full-time job. If they usually stream from home, this type of room open until 1am allows some to benefit from more efficient equipment or to reconcile family life and streaming.
Further on, at the end of the “launcher”, we find the “gaming house”. Real small apartment, with kitchen, living room and dormitory, it allows teams of professional or semi-professional players to come and train together. The room is a little successful, because Romain indicates that reservations are full until December 2021.
Finally, you have to go up to the second floor to access THE flagship room of the place: the “training zone”. Equipped with 100 computers, it can accommodate daily players who come for leisure or occasionally for tournaments. The set cost 400,000 euros and is equipped with a high-speed fiber connection. Adjoining, a control room allows “casters” to comment on tournaments live.
Put the human back in the video game
Posted at the entrance of his large “training room”, Romain remembers with nostalgia his beginnings in video games. He played with his friends, all on the same couch, in an arcade or in a garage where they had gathered their respective computers. The development of online games has turned this image of Épinal upside down. “The Internet has isolated us and we have lost the physical and human side of gaming. And this isolation has slowed down the progress of players”, regrets the thirty-something. With La Source, Romain and Lina dream of reviving a social bond in the practice of video games.
“Young players are taught to say stop. Here, they know they are paying so they manage themselves better. They learn to play only effectively for a given period of time, rather than spending hours in their room. “, summarizes Romain Ragusa, founder of La Source.
If the place receives adult players and inveterate gamers who come to enjoy a good internet connection and the conviviality of the place, for Romain and Lina, the idea is also to supervise the practice of young players. Romain gives the example of young teenagers from La Source, who play Fortnite, a very popular shooter game in their age group. “They are taught to say stop. Here, they know they are paying so they self-manage better. They learn to only play effectively for a given period of time, rather than spending hours in their room.”, summarizes the owner of the premises.
Promote e-sport in the Lyon region
Lina and Romain chose Lyon because the city benefits from the presence of several video game publishers such as Bandai Namco, Arkane Studio or EA. Also because e-sport and the video game world are decentralizing more and more from Paris to settle in cities like Lyon, Lille or Montpellier. The room is a partner of Riot Games. This allows players to benefit from all the characters in the game, their “skins” (character customization usually paid) and 40% more experience gained. The two partners are looking for other partners, to attract players and make La Source an essential place for video games in and around Lyon.
“There are about fifty e-sport associations in the Lyon region. We want to recreate a locality by offering a training place. The idea is to have local teams, like in sport”, Romain Ragusa dreams. He explains that he contacted communities to organize a rental of the premises of the Source during time slots, for local e-sport clubs. A solution that could be more advantageous than investing in equipment for municipalities.
The opportunity also to spot promising young players in the local pool and bring out future professionals who would have remained in the shadows.
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