Online tournaments, Fortnite stand worthy of a theme park, youtubeurs stars: the environment of e-sport has been widely honored at the Paris Games Week which has just ended, a industry with great potential, which brings together millions of players of all ages in France alone.
In the huge pavilion of 24,000 square meters dedicated to discipline, the noise is deafening. Thousands of visitors, especially teenagers, pile up in front of podiums where players are chaining online games competitions.
Fifa football simulation, survival game such Fortnite or PUBG and strategy games like League of Legends, there is something for everyone. Players enter the acclaimed stage as NBA stars and the models of keyboards or mice with which they play sell as jerseys of the rising star of French football Kylian Mbappé, a day after the World Cup final.
In another hall, the Fortnite phenomenon game stand has come out of the box with many attractions worthy of a carnival, like this sixty-meter zip line. If access is free, this title of the American studio Epic Games has generated more than a billion dollars in revenue, thanks to paid updates to customize the parties.
And with the applaudimeter, it is the animators of Fortnite who win the palm. These youtubers are not among the best players in the world, but videos of their online games, with touches of humor are extremely popular.
In the living room, it's impossible for "Jbzz" to move without his three bodyguards, which prevent teenagers from jumping on him to pick up a selfie. "I record live on Youtube while I play and I try to make the valves to laugh those who follow me , " he told AFP to summarize a job he lives with sponsors and sponsors. advertisement.
At 24, more than 650,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel (owned by Google) follow and comment on his exploits.
I wanted to see @Skyyart too much but I still have Jbzz # PGW18 pic.twitter.com/2h4hNEgUWv
- matheo henin (@MatheoHenin) October 27, 20185 million consumers of e-sports in France
"It's not a fad, it's a practice that is starting to settle and that brings together millions of players in France," says AFP Emmanuel Martin, general delegate of the Union of Software Editors of leisure (SELL) which organizes the show. "For years, it was a niche for fans, but the game network and the ability to broadcast live parties have exploded the phenomenon," he says . For him, as soon as we play online a video game in competition mode, we practice e-sports.
According to a survey conducted by Médiamétrie in partnership with the France Esports association, 2 million Internet users are now e-sports practitioners and 5 million French have already watched an event in the discipline.
High numbers but only a small part of the 31 million French players. The Twitch platform, which specializes in the online distribution of games, was bought in 2014 by the American Amazon for $ 970 million and the American media group Fox announced in September that it would invest $ 100 million in the platform. Caffeine.
The @rushesport selection of the best images of the week is back for the 5th episode of Zapping Vitality! This week, the PGW did not stop our players from shining more than ever! #VforVictory
https://t.co/PxFqtAZzL4 pic.twitter.com/IGQRdhmFPO
Aware of the potential, former professional athletes are involved in the sector, like the former French Formula 1 driver, Jean Alesi, who created an e-sports academy in his name.
The analogy with sport does not shock him. "It does not take less concentration or precision than some Olympic sports like archery," he told AFP. "There are bridges between the virtual and the real; the Formula 1 drivers train long hours with simulators, " adds the one who will be the ambassador of Game Shakers Awards, an e-sport awards ceremony, in Cannes in February.
And this thriving industry gives ideas to companies: SFR (Altice group) sponsored a competition at Paris Games Week and the Dutch temporary work giant, Randstad, had an impressive stand. The group has identified eleven promising professions (manager, manager, commentator, player ...) and bridges with the "traditional" courses for the skills sought.
But if the craze is real, the sector is not nearly as lucrative as football: only 200 players are under professional contract in France.