At the crossroads of the arts, video games no longer have to demonstrate their cultural impact on society. This finding prompts the Center Pompidou and the public information library (Bpi) to explore all its facets and to offer the ninth edition of the Press Start festival from 22 September.

The event will take place in the library of the Center Pompidou in Paris, but also partly online for Internet users who want to follow certain interventions made by game creators. This year, Press Start will focus on the topic of animals within this media.

From the chocobos in Final Fantasy to the Pokémon that pass through Raving Rabbids, the heroic mouse in Ghost of a Tale, or even the paper creatures in Paper Beast, animals always have a special place in video games. Specifically, this will be the whole theme of the Video Games Forum that will be organized on Saturday 25 September and which will address the question “From nature to virtual worlds” from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Center Pompidou.

The journalists Erwan Cario and Jean Zeid will organize a debate in the presence of the star creator Eric Chahi, father of the games Another World, Heart of Darkness or even the recent Paper Beast in virtual reality. The one who recently received the National Order of Merit medal from the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, will be accompanied by Vincent Péquignot, head of the Gamabilis studio and Cédric Babouche, founder of the Un je ne sais quoi studio.

[J – 8]Discover the highlights of the 9th edition of Press Start https://t.co/3ferdyceGN

With @libe @afjv_twit Digital leisure, Afca, Images in libraries, @ScienceGames @omnsh_officiel Brut pop @TechLab_APF @Capgame_France @FestivalNumok @Cnam_Enjmin @gobelins_paris

– Public Information Library (@Bpi_Pompidou) September 14, 2021

Discover the professions of video games

But beyond the subject of animals, Press Start aims to discover all facets of the game, starting with their professions. In the full program (available here), the curious will be able to discover programming workshops and others related to artistic creation, whether around drawing, 3D tools or even music.

And what would a videogame festival be without being able to appreciate some nuggets with the joystick in hand? The event refocuses on little-known French games that deserve a detour, like this soccer game starring Lamas in Alpaca Ball League: Allstars, or the student-created Bulle game inviting the ranger to play.

Press Start: Videogame Bestiaries, organized by the Public Information Bank (Bpi) and the Center Pompidou, from September 22 to 27, events and workshops with recommended reservations.