2023-11-04 18:31:11
Terminals in a row in the space dedicated to the fighting game “Tekken 8”, previewed by Bandai-Namco, on November 1, 2023 during Paris Games Week. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
Long queues for a few minutes of joy. Those who wanted to enter the Spiderman-inspired decor of the PlayStation stand had to be patient on Saturday, November 4, during Paris Games Week, the largest French video game show which is being held in the capital until Sunday.
“For every twelve-minute gaming session, that’s regarding two hours of waiting.”warns a young man in a T-shirt adorned with a logo of the Japanese console. Spiderman 2available since October 20, can boast of attracting the crowd.
” Two o’clock ? But are we at Parc Astérix or what? », laughs Arthur, 21, who with his friends Ines and Sofiane immediately come out of the queue, laughing. The three students from Chambly (Oise) are coming to this show for the second time and are seeing an increase in attendance compared to the last edition. In 2022, the event welcomed 150,000 visitors; for this edition, called Next Level, the organizers are expecting 200,000. The aisles are all the more crowded as Saturday is traditionally the biggest day of the show.
Being able to test without buying
The other mascot on site following the spider-man is Nintendo’s mustachioed plumber. In the queue to test Super Mario Bros. Wonder, released on October 20, the Normans Luka and Jessica wear the costumes of the brothers Mario and Luigi. The 28-year-old young woman accompanies her nephew, who was offered this day for his birthday.
The fifty minutes of waiting does not frighten the 11-year-old boy, who is holding his own: he is a fan of Mario and has long dreamed of getting his hands on his new adventures. His aunt may not be playful, but she savors the moment with him: “We keep ourselves busy by watching people, it’s already a spectacle”she comments, referring to the numerous costumed visitors, the cosplayers, who parade through the aisles.
Also read: “Super Mario Bros. Wonder”: why the platform game pioneer hasn’t aged a bit
A few dozen meters away, a trio of Bordelais have just crossed the “Waiting time thirty minutes” sign, placed in front of the stand presenting Prince of Persia : The Lost Crown from Ubisoft, which will be released on January 18, 2024.
Sébastien, 44, has been a player for more than twenty years. He accompanies his sons Nathan and Louis, respectively 14 and 18 years old, with whom he shares this passion. The family is organized. For their second visit to the show, they were in front of the doors from the opening, at 8:30 a.m. “It paid off. We waited barely five minutes to play Forza Motosport [un jeu de simulation automobile sorti le 10 octobre]rejoices the father. Coming here is a good way to test the games, because you can’t buy everything. »
In the queue to play “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown”, at Paris Games Week, November 4, 2023. PIERRE TRUVé / “LE MONDE”
To keep themselves busy while waiting, all three nibble biscuits, consult their smartphones or a games catalog. They showed good intuition in choosing the stand at the end of the morning: in around twenty minutes, the line doubled. A sign displaying “Waiting time 1 hour” is then added further on.
Matches the e-sport
Elodie, 32, daydreams in front of the screens which flash to the rhythm of the fights. Final Fantasy VII Rebirthwhich is scheduled for release on February 29, 2024. This young woman from Armentières (North) has been waiting for forty minutes, in the company of her husband and two friends for this preview of the new game from Square Enix.
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Unlike the majority of visitors, Elodie does not queue up to play: “I love watching other people’s games. There, since I don’t know the buttons, I’m not tempted to take the controller”, she confides. She prefers to immerse herself at home in Hogwarts Legacy, the latest video game inspired by Harry Potter. Despite the noise and the crowd, she enjoys every moment of this first visit: “It’s phenomenal, I didn’t expect it to be this big”confides the one who left her children with their grandparents for the occasion.
Read also: “Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy”, a captivating but academic journey into the world of “Harry Potter”
A little further in the line, Théo appreciates trampling less. “Once you enter, you never dare come out”, says this 24-year-old video game developer. Big fan of Final Fantasy, it seemed inconceivable to him not to come and test this one. But the more the minutes pass, the more he tells himself that he won’t be able to see everything he wanted during the day. “I’ll make up for it by going to smaller games on the Made In France stand [consacré à la création française]where you don’t have to wait too long »he advises.
Video game testing is also far from being the only occupation on site, recalls Meriem, 23, from Marne-la-Vallée (Seine-et-Marne): “We come for the atmosphere and the cosplayers. I was even hoping to eat a Japanese curry, but I mightn’t find one. »
The young woman and her two friends from Lyon appreciate the e-sport scene near which we meet them. They hope to attend a game of League of Legends from the Ile-de-France team K-Corp. Because if the games and the cosplayers’ disguises are indeed the stars of the event, the professional players and streamers are starting to steal the show. To see them, there is no need to queue in front of a stand: you just have to trust the crowd movements they cause or the lenses of the phones that are turned towards them.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Bruno Le Maire gets acquainted with the video game industry at Paris Games Week
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