“Every man hides a child within who wants to play,” Friedrich Nietzsche once said. Vincent Everaert hides nothing. Playing is his life. An “adult-child” of sorts. Behind that cherubic face is a Mathematics teacher. His passion: creating games. Winner two years ago of a game creator contest in Boulogne-Billancourt, he had to wait until this year to reap the reward of having a game published. “Deluxe Camping,” presented at the Cannes game festival, will delight everyone from 7 to 125 years old.
The concept: A game board representing a campground where vacationers attempt to occupy the most desirable spots. The rules of this particular camping are very lenient, so it’s not setting up the tent that poses the greatest difficulty, but rather the neighbors. The goal is both to reserve the largest and best-exposed space and to avoid the “nuisance” who disrupts the happiness of the vacationers. It’s a game of strategy through territorial confrontation. But as is the case with most games, everything becomes clearer once you start playing!
“The initial idea was to create a variation of the tiny squares game. I first thought about the mechanism. Transposing this territorial game into a camping setting came later. Probably because of my experiences camping with the infamous nuisance who is never far away and we have all known,” explains the happy designer of “Deluxe Camping.”
During the five days of the game festival, he had to respond to numerous media inquiries but always with a smile, showing evident good nature. “It’s a bit unexpected, I’m not used to it, but it’s quite nice. I’m here to present the game, explain it, promote it. It’s published by the Festival des Jeux,” specifies Vincent Everaert.
He is proud of his creation. With undiminished enjoyment, he sits next to his game board, surrounded by spectators he easily attracts with his freshness and humor. Ten times, a hundred times, he’s lost count of the rounds he’s played on the Croisette. And his game partners come away convinced, like Olivier: “It’s very pleasant, strategic, simple, fun. I also appreciate the speed. A game is finished in thirty minutes. And Vincent Everaert is great. I sincerely wish him to sell thousands of Deluxe Camping.” Vincent aimed to create a convivial and thoughtful game. His goal has been achieved. For now, Deluxe Camping has been produced in 4,000 copies.
Vincent does this out of passion. “Only five to six people make a living from game creation. This is my first published game. And then, I already have my job,” he recalls. And what a job! This Northerner is a mathematics teacher in Rouen. Is he just as spirited with his students? Only they can answer.
Through games, Vincent Everaert has found eternal youth. He appears ageless, and talking to him is a true fountain of youth. His love for games takes him, after work and on weekends, to game associations. He is also a freelance writer for a specialized magazine. Gaming is his life.
To learn more about Vincent Everaert and his game, visit: //sgcreation.eludique.com
