A little less than two months ago, the department’s first eSports arena opened in the Polygone Nord area of Perpignan. EVA, for eSport virtual arenas, offers the possibility of playing video games in a completely immersive way. The Independent tested it. Explanations.
This Wednesday, May 8, 2024, L’Indépendant tested a session in one of the EVA arenas in Perpignan. Being two journalists, we are grafted into a group of five people. First, a short passage through the locker room, to put down your bag, coat and cell phones, which must not enter the arena. Then, a video is broadcast, explaining the safety instructions to follow, not to run, not to lie on the ground, and not to turn around too suddenly to avoid hitting another player.
Nicolas Parent – The Independent
After the rules are broadcast, head to the arena where a game master, master of the game in French, equips all the players, with a virtual reality headset of course, and a rifle. Then, everyone goes to their post, and the game begins: we land on Polaris, an icy planet. In this game mode (read elsewhere), in two teams, the objective is to eliminate as many opponents as possible to win the game. Death is not permanent, and it is possible to return to the game as many times as necessary throughout the session. We won’t say how many times we had to return to the point of appearance…
The immersion is total: the game follows each of our movements, one step in reality is equal to one step in the game, if we lower ourselves into reality, we lower ourselves into the game, and the shadows are respected, giving thus providing information on the position of other participants. It is also not possible to hit them by accident in real life, since they are always visible in the game, even eliminated by appearing in the form of ghosts. No risk of hitting walls or doors either, a message is displayed in the game asking you not to advance any further.
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In total, players participate in three 10-minute sessions, in different maps adapted to the chosen game mode. And it’s really sport: despite the ban on running, at the end of their 30 minutes of play, our teammates from the start of the game wiped their foreheads at the end of the session.
To reserve a 40-minute slot, briefing included, you must go to the eva.gg website, choose your arena, date and time. 10 different worlds are offered, depending on the game mode selected, four in total. Prices range from €19 to €23 depending on the time chosen.
