Those who know nothing regarding video games and virtual reality will perhaps be a little lost going up to the first floor of the building rented by Jacou Naway and Arthur Petitjean along the chaussée Verte, just opposite the sign. Oh ! Green in St. George. A 500 m2 arena lined with white and black slabs, QR-codes on the walls, large screens for spectators, a corner for streamers (who should comment live on future tournaments that will take place there) and, in a corner , virtual reality masks and “guns”, dummy weapons, to evolve in the games offered. Because we are indeed there to play, to have fun. To take on a role, in a virtual universe. And universes, the only EVA arena (Esport Virtual Arena) in Wallonia, offers seven different ones: in the desert, in the jungle, inside a spaceship, in an ice landscape… We also choose to play alone or in a team, in five modes (every man for himself, in cooperation, team deathmatch, etc.). Once briefed through a short film, we can finally enter the arena. Put on his virtual reality mask and his weapon. And there, the game can begin. We offer 40 minute sessionsexplains Arthur Petitjean. If we count the briefing, the equipment and the unequipment, that’s a good 30 minutes of play. We also offer players, before starting, to install a free app on their phone, which will allow them to see all the related statistics. to their part”such as the number of times the player has “killed” or “been killed”, the distance they have traveled in the game… “and therefore to be able to try to improve the next time”.
If the players, at the time of equipment, receive information on how to use their mask and their gun, the gestures to (not) do and the safety rules to respect, they quickly get caught up in the game… times in the arena. Thanks to their masks, they can communicate with each other, advise each other to evolve in the game while avoiding the “enemy”. And, quickly, we can hear them giving each other orders, laughing and seeing them making big gestures to guide their teammates in multiplayer modes. “For the best possible experience, you have to play in four once morest four, it’s also like that in tournaments”, assures Arthur. And speaking of tournaments… “We will enter the EVA tournament this year”, also in a network with players physically present in an arena in France or in the United States (EVA has opened or will open regarding twenty halls in each of these countries). What makes the strength of the franchise is its replayability, the fact that it regularly makes new universes or game modes available to its followers. “They are working on versions for children and for people with reduced mobility”further clarifies Arthur.
The arena, accessible from 12 years old, is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. on weekends (the bar too). You can book your session online via www.eva.gg
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