Gibao, the innovative game made in Cotentin appeals to all generations

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In a workshop in Teurthéville-Hague (Manche), a wooden board comes to life to become the Gibaoand light game, tactile et intergenerational. Its creator, Titouan Escartinan electro-acoustic engineer, transformed this simple idea into a completely captivating artisanal and technological adventure.

An idea inspired by Pong

It all started in August 2022with a wooden board, two buttons, and an idea inspired by Pongone of the first video games.

Titouan, electro-acoustics engineer and creator of immersive installations for escape games, wanted to transpose this concept onto a tactile and wooden support.

After making a first prototype, he tested it during an evening with friends and their children. The mayonnaise set immediately, the children, captivated, played all evening without even asking their parents for their phone or tablet. The adults, intrigued, waited until they were in bed so they too could discover the game and have fun. That’s when he said to himself that this game could appeal to children, but also adults.

Fabrication artisanal et high-tech

Back in his workshop, Titouan set to work perfecting the Gibao. The choice of materials fell on birch plywood, a wood that is both beautiful and robust.

Precisely cut using a CNC milling machine, he then sands and treats each piece with a French product based on linseed oil, which protects and colors the wood. Once the finishes have been applied, it’s time for the electronics.

The cards, designed by Titouan and a partner electronics engineer, are programmed on site, one by one. The LED strips and batteries are then carefully integrated by the inventor. Each Gibao is finally packaged in a fabric pouch made locally by people with disabilities, with instructions and a charging cable.

Two hours of work for a Gibao

Making a Gibao requires around two hours of work, between cutting and assembling all the elements. Despite the help of his digital machine, Titouan spends each day juggling between production and management of his activity. The workshop, which he designed himself, is both a place of creation and reflection. Its objective is above all to produce a quality game, while optimizing each step.

A local and ethical commitment

Gibao is also a story of commitment. Inspired by gibbons, the game has a name that means “gibbon” in Galician, a tribute to the Kalaweit association. Part of the profits are donated to this organization which works to protect gibbons in Indonesia. For Titouan, this partnership is a way of giving meaning to his work while raising awareness of animal rights and biodiversity.

A game that evolves thanks to technology

In May 2024, after months of development and validation of CE standards, the Gibao was launched on the market. This popular game is also scalable. Through a free mobile app, users can customize the colors, adjust the speed or even turn it into a mood lamp. This app also allows you to receive updates, to track new features over time.

Its future looks promising. Titouan is already working on a professional version of the game, intended for bars and restaurants. Integrated directly into the tables, the Gibao Pro will be a challenge for customers to share, managed remotely by the establishments.

This concept, already commissioned by a bar in Granville, could well revolutionize convivial spaces. Beyond these developments, Titouan is imagining other projects, games for several players, tournaments organized via the application, and even entirely new concepts. But for him, the essence of Gibao remains the same, that of being an accessible, meaningful game, made with his hands in Cotentin.

In the region, in the shadow of large industries, Gibao shines as a flagship of local innovation. What if you too let yourself be seduced by this innovative and bright game?

From our correspondent Laure GHANNAM

To find out more: www.gibao.fr. Facebook and Instagram page

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