Paris Games Week is back from October 23 to 27. Every year, this general public video game show provides an opportunity for enthusiasts to test the new back-to-school products and, a little in advance, those that will perhaps end up under the Christmas tree. In fourteen years of existence, the show has also expanded to accommodate all kinds of activities and occupy the immense spaces of the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles.
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A sign that video games, perceived as violent or stultifying in the 1990s and 2000s, now have their place in France? Nicolas Vignolles, director of the leisure software publishers’ union (Sell), which organizes Paris Games Week, wants to believe that video games and their show are now vectors of links.
What should you expect at Paris Games Week this year?
The 2024 edition is the most ambitious post-Covid, expanding to pop culture, manga, anime, e-sport and sport. I have an example of new features in each hall, starting with a large manga village operated by the Mangas.io application in hall 1. A new B2B space will be opened in hall 2. Finally, in hall 3, 3,000 m2 will be dedicated to sport and e-sport, with basketball, skate ramps, and several sports federations. The aim is to show that gaming is part of sports preparation. There will also be a 2,000 m2 stage with 1,800 seats operated by Webedia, which will also serve as a fan village for the League of Legends World Cup which will take place at the same time. [avec les quarts et demi-finales de l’autre côté de Paris, dans l’Adidas Arena Porte de la Chapelle]. All this in addition to recurring things, such as the presence of the three big console manufacturers, Nintendo, Sony (PlayStation) and Microsoft (Xbox). It’s very sturdy.
Why open a professional game? Is it to get closer to shows like Gamescom in Germany?
We do not want to take precedence over the very “general public” identity of Paris Games Week. However, we lacked this professional side. We want something that meets the standards of international trade shows, very premium and very exclusive. There is no matchmaking between studios and publishers yet, we are moving more towards conferences. But we do not exclude development in year 2 or 3.
General public, for you, who does this correspond to?
We are a show that is convincing more and more families. In our statistics, there are two profiles: the family with pre-adolescent children, which comes for the “game testing” side. And groups of friends aged 15-20, who come in groups of 5-6 to spend a nice afternoon.
Would you say that this family spirit reflects an evolution in the public and in the perception of video games?
This is work that I also carry out at Sell. The union releases a study every year on the practice of video games. For quite some time now, we have seen that players consume more cultural and sporting activities than the average. This counters a misconception about the sedentary nature of video games.
Have screen time and social networks taken the place of video games in parents’ concerns?
There is competition between screen time. The objective of Paris Games Week is to come to video games. I would say that video games are a chosen time: we sit in front of our screen, we reserve a moment when we feel good, there is a notion of performance sometimes. This cannot be done in all circumstances. Game creators are looking for a qualitative commitment from the player, not necessarily a number of hours of play. These are other forms of consumption. Video games, unlike certain social networks, are not a model of attention. With fifty years of existence, it is also at the age of maturity.
How does the growing interest in e-sport contribute to this dynamic?
E-sport is an incredible showcase for video games. It is the most visible access to the passion of millions of Frances. An e-sports hall looks like a stadium. There is extreme competence in the discipline, soft skills, and, for the spectators, very efficient production and management. Being there is much better than 10,000 words. Afterwards, make no mistake, it remains a video game marketing activity.
The senior trophy final, a Wii Sports competition, is taking place again this year. There, too, is e-sport giving video games a family image again?
The competition has phenomenal media coverage. It’s a very moving moment, and the recognition of the strength of video games as an intergenerational link. Older people see it as a link with today’s world. There is no irony, the enthusiasm is sincere. In general, at Paris Games Week, what is striking is the diversity and kindness, which has few equivalents.
Are you planning to organize or directly host a major competition in the future?
We see ourselves more as a deported area. The young person who did not have a ticket for the Worlds has his place to watch the matches in the Paris Games Week fanzone. We want to be a major cross-sectional popular festival. Typically, the e-sport Olympics would put stars in our eyes. We are open to all projects. If France were to welcome them after Saudi Arabia, we are candidates to host a fan zone or events.
