The first edition of Pegasus, an award ceremony for the French video game, takes place Monday evening in Paris. Modeled after the Oscars, with a red carpet, trophy and live broadcast on television and on the web, it must reward the best tri-color video games released in 2019.

There are the César for the cinema, the Molière for the theater, the Victoires for music… and now the Pegasus for video games! A brand new ceremony to reward French video game creations. The first edition is held Monday evening in Paris, at the Madeleine theater. Objective for video game professionals: to obtain critical and public recognition which they sometimes lack. An aberration when you know that video games are the leading cultural industry in France and that 70% of French people play them occasionally.

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An Oscar-style ceremony

While such ceremonies already exist in the United States and England, it was time to reward the best French video games. Red carpet, golden trophy of the most beautiful effect, distinguished guests, sketches: the National Video Game Syndicate (SNJV), on the initiative of the event, saw things big, with a clear inspiration: the Oscars. "I would say that we are looking for a kind of cultural respectability. We often see the video game by its negative aspects and rarely by what it can create in terms of image, international influence. the cultural and artistic video game ", explains Julien Villedieu, general delegate of SNJV.

D-4 ✨ # Pegases2020pic.twitter.com / w1ZEfEe8Cv

- Academy of Video Game Arts and Techniques (@AcademieJV) March 5, 2020

The organization, which brings together video game professionals in France, has therefore set up the Academy of video game arts and techniques. As with cinema, the games, more than 200 this year, were submitted to a college of voters from the sector (1,200 this year). In the 16 categories relating to games - including best game of the year, best character, or even visual excellence ( see box ) - only three were selected each time to compete during the ceremony. The winners will be presented with a gold-plated bronze statuette representing a winged horse, a "timeless" and "poetic" symbol according to the wishes of the SNJV.

Two favorites stand out

One of the favorites, with six nominations, is Life is Strange 2 , a moving narrative fiction in which the player must make choices to advance in history, already multi-awarded abroad this year. Oskar Guilbert, the boss of the studio Dontnod Entertainment, who made the game, is in heaven before the ceremony. "You have to know that a game is three and a half years of work. It's a lot of effort and sweat. It's something that is very close to our hearts, so for us it's a huge recognition We are extremely honored, "he enthuses at the microphone of Europe 1.

The game of this Ile-de-France studio is, however, ahead of the number of nominations by one of the best games of 2019, all countries combined: the excellent A Plague Tale: Innocence , developed by the Bordeaux studio Asobo. Like Life is Strange 2 , it is named in the "queen categories": best game, best sound universe, narrative excellence, visual excellence, best game design, best game universe and best character. In A Plague Tale: Innocence, we embody, in the year of grace 1348, the time of the black plague, Amicia, a rebel teenager and Hugo, her brother suffering from a mysterious illness, both chased by the Inquisition.

Promote French know-how

The ceremony will be followed live, from 7:30 p.m. for the red carpet, then at 8:30 p.m. for the ceremony, on the channel specialized in the video game ES1, available on all boxes, but also live on the web TV LeStream, on the channel Youtube from "jeuxvideo.com" and on the Twitch channel of the Academy of video game arts and techniques. A way of addressing not only professionals but also the general public.

How was the Pegasus trophy created? Here is a preview of what you will discover on Monday evening during the first ceremony of # Pegases2020 ✨ pic.twitter.com/WNm7u8Svwy

- Academy of Video Game Arts and Techniques (@AcademieJV) March 6, 2020

And then the Pegasus must also serve as a showcase for French expertise in video games. And to attract the big American and Japanese names, prizes will also be awarded to the best foreign productions. The battle royale Apex Legends , the Ukrainian game Metro Exodus and finally the very nice Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are thus named.

The nominees at the Pegasus 2020:

Best Game : A Plague Tale: Innocence, Life Is Strange 2, WRC 8
Best Indie Game : Crying Suns, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, Night Call
Best Mobile Game : Dead Cells, Rayman Mini, TokoToko
Best First Game : Night Call, A Fragile Step, Unruly Heroes
Best Student Game : Aurore, Don't Look, Toxic Pink!
Academy Special Prize - Beyond Video Game : Alt-Frequencies, GreedFall, Life Is Strange 2
Visual Excellence : A Plague Tale: Innocence, GreedFall, The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature
Best Soundscape : A Plague Tale: Innocence, Life Is Strange 2, Alt-Frequencies
Narrative Excellence : A Plague Tale: Innocence, Life Is Strange 2, Night Call
Best Game Design : Alt-Frequencies, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Crying Suns
Best Gameplay : A Plague Tale: Innocence, GreedFall, Life Is Strange 2
Best Character : Life Is Strange 2, Un pas fragile, A Plague Tale: Innocence
Best Operating Service : Dead Cells, Just Dance 2020, Frag Pro Shooter
Best Foreign Game : Apex Legends, Metro Exodus, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Best Foreign Indie Game : Pikuniku, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Outer Wilds
Best Foreign Mobile Game : Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lemmings: The Puzzle Adventure, Dungeons and Dragons: The Warriors of Waterdeep

To these 16 categories will be added two Pegasus awarded to "video game personalities".