In this episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon immerses himself in the rapidly expanding world of virtual sport with Maxime Recoquillé, journalist at the Tech department of L’Express.
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The team: Xavier Yvon (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Marion Galard (editing) and Jules Krot (directing).
Credits: RTL, LCI, RMC, Public Senate, “France Esports” YouTube channel
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon / Studio Torrent
Picture credits: Vladimir Zivojinovic / AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain / Benjamin Chazal
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Xavier Yvon: You’re a bit grumpy right now. You have been hoping for years to be able to attend the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. You have registered for the draw. You got a slot to buy tickets. But your joy was short-lived: the ticket prices are much more expensive than you thought.
So you won’t see Simone Biles on the beam, or Teddy Riner on a tatami, or even Tom Daley on the diving board. Your dreams of Olympus have just gone up in smoke. But don’t worry, La Loupe may have found a fallback solution for you, at less than 40 euros per day. And no need to wait until 2024, this event will take place at Bercy in Paris in May. This time, no athletics track, climbing wall or large pool but screens.
This event is the final of the international tournament of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, one of the most popular games in the world of electronic sport, “e-sport”.
As at the Olympics, the international virtual sports championships attract a huge audience. And like Olympic athletes, e-athletes follow a very particular lifestyle. For now, the names “Gotaga” or “Zywoo” may not mean anything to you, but the discipline has its superstars, often with hundreds of thousands of subscribers on social networks.
E-sport is gaining momentum, so much so that it has recently gained very prestigious defenders such as the International Olympic Committee or even… Emmanuel Macron. Will this discipline one day become as popular as the Olympic sports? That’s the question we’re looking at today.
For further
PODCAST. Goals and Cryptocurrencies
PODCAST. How does Qatar intend to prolong the “Football World Cup” effect?
Esport: crazy audiences but a still unstable economic model
Paris 2024: the Organizing Committee of the Games caught up with inflation