- French President Macron is running for a second term
- In a recent interview, he was asked about the influence of videogames
- He said he wants to see esports being played at the 2024 Olympic Games, which France is going to host
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is running for a second term in office, says he wants to make “France THE country of video games.”
Macron Wants to Make Esports More Prominent in France
France is in the middle of a presidential election campaign and candidates for the post are busy discussing important economic and cultural issues, current global events, and so on. Current French President Emmanuel Macron is running for a second term and he recently went up in a heated debate against opposition candidate Marine Le Pen.
The two discussed topics like recovering from the Covid pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. But both candidates continue to make appearances and give interviews on their own. Macron recently spoke for the French news outlet The Big Whale, where he was asked a few questions about new technologies. One of his answers might intrigue gamers and esports fans, not just in France, but all over the world.
When asked about the cultural revolution that new technologies like video games have brought, Macron said that he wants to make “France THE country of video games,” both as a hub for esports, and game development. “I have to mention that I was a very active gamer,” Macron said in the interview. “I was a part of a generation that grew up with video games, and culture is often measured through the lens of video games, especially by our young people.”
Macron Wants Esports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The current French president, running for a second election, was surprisingly well versed in the area of esports. He mentioned that France is a country with popular esports teams like Team Vitality and Karmine Corp.
He stated that this gives France a unique opportunity to host esports events at the 2024 Olympic Games, which are to be hosted in Paris. Macron even gave examples of games that should be played at the event, saying: “We should profit we should profit from making the link between the two sports worlds by hosting the biggest esports events in the world like a CS:GO Major, the Worlds of League of Legends, and The International of Dota 2.”
Over the past few years, esports has grown substantially. Some traditional sports events like the Asia Games now include gaming titles played as fully-fledged medal sports. Recognition by governments and leaders like Macron could lead to a similar situation in Europe, with esports becoming a staple of mainstream sports in the not-too-distant future.
