From Wednesday to Sunday, Cannes hosted the major gaming event at its iconic Palais des Festivals, the 21st International Games Festival. Attended by more than a hundred authors, an “exceptional number,” according to the organizers, the 120,000 visitors had the opportunity to discover games as varied as the traditional Awalé, Chess, Checkers, Go, and Backgammon, new entries like Poker, Sudoku, Mahjong, and Scene It, and lesser-known games that found their audience like Rugby Penalty, Cross’n Go, or Deluxe Camping, to name a few.
Everyone rushed around the stands. Everything had to be tried and explored. Many walked around with a game box purchased here or there. It was a real success for the organizers, an “excellent year,” Elisabeth Lara confessed, or the exhibitors, who were very happy to see people of all ages testing their “invention.”
Philippe Ducreux was simply proud to show the joy of a father and his son playing Rugby Penalty, a skill game that involves passing the ball between posts. This rugby enthusiast had the idea on the beach by tossing a pebble between sticks of wood.
Among the major brands exhibiting, such as Hasbro, Mattel, or Asmodee, small publishers presented their games. We could thus discover Repos Production and its game nominated for the Golden Ace 2007, Ca$h’n Gun$, Gigamic which produces Marrakech, and the Creations Guy Jeandel with the 4X4.
In 2006, Deluxe Camping was published after winning the twentieth anniversary contest. Its creator, Vincent Everaert, claims that his game was “very well received by the public,” since only a few copies remain for sale. This first edition allowed him to create two additional games today, Exxit and Tortuga. This mathematics teacher has other projects in mind, notably a game with another creator, but he is certain that winning this contest has opened many significant doors for him.
Players also gathered around Carrom, Poker, Triomino, or Scene It, the latter of which was a real success. Johann and Jérémy recall this “electrifying” Friday where they had a lot of fun, the former from hosting on stage, and the latter from refereeing from the room.
In the Grand Auditorium, with a lower section of 900 people divided into three, each supporting one of the three actors who came for the occasion, Philippe Lellouche, Christian Vadim, and David Brécourt. According to the two hosts, the atmosphere was “warm with a receptive and easy to engage audience.” Happy that the actors played along, the two men, however, regret that the evening lasted 15 minutes too long although according to Johann, the “pitfalls to avoid were avoided.”
Another game found its audience, Cross’n Go, whose author Olivier Benoit and his children were in Cannes to present it. “Finding your path” is what you must do to win at this exciting game. “It’s a good idea,” said even a child delighted to have discovered it.
Finally, around the numerous tournaments that the public could sign up for, visitors were able to appreciate a magnificent model train at 1/87th scale. The Cannes Model Railway Club came to present its work of 30 meters long, representing years of work, as explained by the treasurer of the association, Daniel Bongrand, 64 years old. This train enthusiast, a former carpenter and salesman, tries to reproduce the cars as realistically as possible, and it works, since the visitors were impressed by this model.
This 21st festival thus hosted numerous different participants who lived to the rhythm of games for five days. It was a huge success for the organizers who declared that next year, the World Carrom Championship will take place for the first time in France, eliciting pride from Elisabeth Lara.
Thus, the appointment is set from February 20 to 24, 2008, to break new records once again.
