Very good news for French video games just dropped!

Game News Very good news for French video games just dropped!

When a video game invites him to the National Assembly

It all started in 2017. Under the encouragement of deputy Denis Masséglia, a rather special study group was created in the National Assembly: the Video Game study group. But already, it’s good to know what study groups are for. Luckily, we can count on Jean Massiet, the streamer who popularized and democratized politics on Twitch, to enlighten us with his explanation:

A study group is a lighter, looser and less formal organization {compared to a committee} that allows members of parliament who wish to do so to keep each other up to date on a particular topic.

Extract from Policy FAQ #5

On the one hand, these study groups are places for exchange and discussion on a given topic, able to provide the necessary resources to debate and legislate on a matter if necessary. Therefore, the goal of the Video Game study group is to document and support the development of video games in France. More specifically, he is very concerned about questions about wages and working conditions in the industry, as well as serious gaming, addiction, diversity and e-sports. At least that’s how Denis Masseglia summed up his group’s trip in March 2018. But four years later, this initiative is being called into question. Indeed, at the end of last year, we learned that the Vice President of the National Assembly, Sébastien Chenu, had decided to bury the Video Game study groupto the chagrin of its members and the entire industry.

Game over, really?

Yes, but that’s without taking into account the tenacity of video game-loving lawmakers. It must be said that video games were the first cultural industry in France. As Anne Devouassoux, vice president in charge of social affairs at the Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo, recently recalled, “in France we have 25,000 talents in video games (…) for 1200 games per year, 90% of which are original intellectual property creations”. If we take the figures for 2018, we find ourselves with 4.9 billion euros in revenue and 74% of the French define themselves as players. For a country like France, that’s pretty colossal. That’s why we couldn’t imagine missing out on a study group on the subject.

Denis Masséglia and his colleagues won their case: their babies were cared for and part of the 80 study groups approved for the XVI legislature. To be honest, we’ve known about it for a few weeks and Jean Massiet mentions it in his video mentioned above and dated December 15th. But these huge returns are now registered and official. The Video Game study group will be able to continue its work in this growing industry in France, still led by the deputy of Maine-et-Loire. This is all that is known about its composition for now. For information, the Video Game study group of the previous legislature had as vice president Ugo Bernalicis (against whom Denis Masséglia let alone won the LoL game on the Jean Massiet channel), Agnès Firmin Le Bodo , Thomas Mesnier, Thierry Michels and Sebastien Nadot. In any case, it is good to know that the video game industry is receiving all the attention it deserves from our deputies.