Invited Wednesday in "La France bouge" on Europe 1, Marie-Sophie de Waubert, the general manager of Ubisoft Paris, estimated that "the video game has never been so much a part of our lives" as recently because of Covid-19.
Europe 1 looks back on five figures that illustrate the importance of video games in our country.
The accumulation of confinements and other restrictions against Covid-19 has boosted video games in France.
Invited Wednesday in the show
La France bouge
on Europe 1, Marie-Sophie de Waubert, the general director of Ubisoft Paris, one of the studios of the French video game giant, estimated that "the video game has never done so much part of our lives "since the onset of the health crisis.
Europe 1 offers you a quick glance at five figures which bear witness to the weight of video games in the daily life of the French.
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Almost 9 hours of play per week on average
"According to a recent study published by Sell (the French video game union), the French play an average of nine hours per week" in these games, said at the microphone of Europe 1 Marie-Sophie de Waubert.
More precisely, they would have thus devoted 8h54 per week on average to this activity last year.
5.3 billion euros in turnover
Faced with this development, the French video game market experienced a record year in 2020. With growth of 11.3%, the sector's turnover reached 5.3 billion euros, according to data from the Sell.
This is a historic performance.
Over 27 million games have been sold and 2.3 million consoles.
"It's huge," commented Marie-Sophie de Waubert.
51% of female players
According to figures consulted in early March by Europe 1, women represent 51% of the public who play video games.
In a Sell report last November, "gamers" already accounted for 50% of players.
In total, more than 70% of French people play video games at least occasionally, which represents more than 36 million people.
On the other hand, women represent only 14% of professionals working in the sector.
Players aged 39 on average
Some people may think that video games are "a thing of the young".
But not that much "The average age of players in France is over 35," said Marie-Sophie de Waubert.
And according to a Sell study in early March, this average age is even 39 years for regular players.
Budgets sometimes exceeding 100 million euros
"On a large video game production, the development budget can exceed 100 million euros," said the general manager of Ubisoft Paris.
According to her, "up to 1,000 people can work on a title" in the event of a large production.
A significant figure while Ubisoft has around 20,000 employees worldwide.