The 21st edition of the world’s largest event of its kind is off to a promising start. From ages 7 and even younger to 77 and even older, nearly 25,000 people have visited, played, and discovered while having fun. The organizer, Bernard Oheix, does not hesitate to say that “everyone lets go upon entering and becomes a child.” We eagerly await this weekend and the various tournaments to immerse ourselves for a few hours in a magical world, the “planet of games.”
It was at 1 PM on Wednesday that the Games Festival opened its doors. Anticipated by thousands of fans from the Azure Coast, the first two days were excellent, attracting 10,500 visitors at the opening and about the same number yesterday. Bernard Oheix, the event director, is pleased with this result. A performance that heralds a particularly successful 2007 meeting while the main events of this edition only take place over the weekend.
Indeed, the Fan Festival starts on Friday, for which the organization expects “nearly 110,000 spectators, surpassing last year’s figure.” The Scene It evening takes place tonight at the Palais des Festivals with Philippe Lelouche, Christophe Vadim, and David Brécourt assisting the various candidates in answering the game questions. This is the highlight of the 2007 edition, as entry is solely by invitation, which can be collected from the Mattel stand (level -1) for several hours of good humor and laughter.
The many tournaments occupying the festival week remain open to all, whether free or paid. Everyone can thus engage in games of checkers, wargames, Othello, or discover the game of Go, sudoku, and poker since workshops are offered every day in the 10,000 m² space.
Catherine Sztargott, from the Tours Poker Club, is very satisfied because the “people are very eager after seeing it on television.”
The other highlight of the event is the presentation of Deluxe Camping by its creator throughout the weekend. Vincent Everaert himself comes to Cannes to showcase his work, which was nominated for an As d’Or last year and should be enjoyed by both young and old. This highly anticipated game is set to be the great success of the 2007 event.
The two Golden Aces / Game of the Year 2007 awards, which are “Du balai!” for adults and “The Night of the Magicians” for children, also seem to have found their audience with many visitors at the stand.
This first day thus appears to be a success, especially as no major problems have occurred. The site is a place of “magic and dreams thanks to the champions who come to perform,” described as the “largest event of its kind in the world” and features a diverse array of games. Bernard Oheix is pleased to know that “the festival will come alive with daily tournaments.” For him, the “success is evident,” with “a formula that works and knows how to regenerate itself.”
The festival will unfold with three facets. The first is devoted to games for enthusiasts and tournaments that have already reached “an unprecedented number of 15,000 registrants.” The second includes the range of games to be discovered, mainly situated at level -1. The final aspect is the performance element, particularly Friday evening, with the Golden Ace awards and Scene It.
The organizer is proud of his “nested event where everything fits together.” This “planet of games” gathers more than fifty nationalities, representing all social classes who “let go everything and become children for the duration of a weekend.” He now dreams of “universal harmony, of which the festival is a key, a symbol,” because during this festive week, everyone wants to beat, to dominate—in the game—to live a wonderful moment.
