French firm putting the sport into e-sport
The players move slowly and cautiously, each carrying a rifle, hunting out their enemies in steaming jungles, baking deserts or even the surface of Mars.
They can hear, see and shoot their foes, but the field of battle is actually a vast warehouse north of Paris and the players are moving in immersive worlds thanks to virtual reality (VR) headsets.
This is the latest attempt to bring an element of physical exercise to the world of competitive video games known as eSports.
The "lack of real physical exertion" is "one of the reasons why eSports are not considered real sport", Jean Mariotte, the founder of EVA (Esports Virtual Arenas), told reporters at the warehouse, the first of 14 arenas to be opened across France and Belgium.
Esports tournaments feature hundreds of players often gathered in massive halls sitting comfortably while they battle it out on their favourite games for prize money and kudos.
Mariotte hopes to upend that model by mixing physical activity with gaming in what is called free-roam virtual reality.
The most successful game of this type is Hado, a dodgeball-style activity where players fling fireballs at each other in an attempt to prevail.
"You see the environment as it really is, but special effects are added on top," said Ludovic Donati, whose company Volt Events promotes Hado and other games.
Hado is huge in Japan and its promoters are keen to push it elsewhere.
But both Hado and EVA are still in experimental stages and have limitations.
- 'You just run!' -
So far, EVA is limited to the kind of shoot 'em up game with niche appeal.
It could well be popular with pre-wedding "stag" parties or other group get-togethers -- even if players end up sweaty.
On the upside, the instructions are
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