Video games

Player, training, figures, what does the video game industry in France look like?

In 1952 is created the first video game of the history, OXO, a game of crabs thought by an academic. This game will not be distributed to the general public but will remain the trigger of thehistory of video games. In 1972, the first consumer video game PONG will be released. A arcade game whose success was total. And since then, the evolution of the video game has taken a crazy look. Until becoming a real art and creating its own culture.

The video game a sector in very good health on PC, console or mobile.

The cultural domain of video games is almost constantly expanding. Despite a slight decrease of 2% in 2019, its turnover has continued to increase since 2013, reaching records in 2020 with a turnover of 5.3 billion euros, up 11.3% compared to 2019. A sum divided into three media: 

- 2.7 billion linked to game consoles
- 1.4 billion linked to the mobile games
- 1.2 billion linked to pc games

As the Syndicat des Editeurs de Logiciels de Loisirs (SELL) attests in a 2020 study on the video game market, the sector is one of the few to have been energized by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Gamers of all ages passionate about the video game culture

Video games on PCs, consoles and smartphones are a real phenomenon.

Since the beginning of thehistory of video games with the appearance of the first games on Atari, discipline has conquered billions of players all over the world. There is a real video game culture. Many of these followers are enthusiasts who don’t miss out on game-video news as seen in the live performance, the music industry or thecontemporary art.

Video game sites, blogs, youtubeurs, influencers, collectors, content related to video games are everywhere and are seen and read by millions of people in France as everywhere else.
Despite preconceived ideas it is a culture that interests all genders and all ages. According to a SELL study, the average age of regular video game players is 39. All platforms combined.
These regular players, are for many players, 47% female gamers against 52% of players men.
Among all French players (regular and occasional), there are also 19% retired.

Working and training in video games in France

French companies are not on the sidelines in the creation of video games, quite the contrary. Some of them are true market leaders who publish very successful. The video game is an area that contains many trades listed on the site SNJV (Syndicat National du Jeu-Vidéo).
So there are several kinds of companies linked to this universe, from the video game publisher to the creative service and development agencies. On the website of theFrench Gaming Agency, 630 companies are listed and classified by discipline.

In terms of training, there is a public school in France for video game professions theENJMIN (Ecole Nationale du Jeu et des Médias Interactifs Numérique). This establishment is considered the better training to train in the video game professions by the SNJV (Syndicat National des Jeux-Vidéo).
It is also possible to move towards BTS, BUT, private schools or specializations within art or computer school.

National measures to increase the creation of video games in France

Because it represents a flagship and that it is the center of passion of millions of French and French, the Ministry of Culture through the CNC supports the video game companies.

The CNC, the main contact for getting help and developing a new video game

According to the SNJV, 49.9% of companies say they have used public aid to finance their companies. Embark on the creation of leisure software is a great challenge, both professional and financial. Some games have cost their creators several million euros and sometimes without the guarantee of success at the release. Especially in the competitive environment of video game. In 2019, for example, 1200 games were in production according to the SNJV annual barometer.

The CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée) and offers some help for video game companies :

- Tax credit video game "which allows creative companies to deduct from their taxes a share of the production expenses of a game."

- Video Game Fund (FAJV) (aid for writing, aid for pre-production, aid for production, aid for collective operations

It is also advisable to approach its local institutions and in particular its region. Funding is often earmarked for cultural projects.

Download video games with the Culture Pass

Since 2019, young people have been entitled to the culture pass. The Pass is a budget of 300 euros offered to these young people to promote access to culture at this crucial age between school and student life. This amount can be spent in the purchase of video games on the platform provided that: 

- Its publisher is French
- The game does not depict any violent or pornographic scenes
An initiative that does indeed dedicate video games as a vector of culture.