Why French games have always been way ahead of their time

France is the second-biggest producer of video games in the world. Franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Dishonored, Life is Strange, and … whatever the hell David Cage is doing, come from French-based companies. So France has had a huge influence on gaming, globally. But what you might not know is how weird and counter-cultural some of France’s early games are! In the 1980s, French game developers were going wild, making games that would fit right in on itch.io today.

0:00 What's up with France?
1:20 Counter-cultural French games
6:28 The games of Muriel Tramis
7:58 Games and French comic books
9:40 France's game industry
12:21 Games go global

For more in-depth on Muriel Tramis, check out this video from The Icon:    • Muriel Tramis | The First Black Femal...  

Special thanks to Filip Jankowski, author of "Beyond the French Touch: The Contestataire Moment in French Adventure Digital Games" and Tristan Donovan, author of "Replay: The History of Video Games."

GAMES SHOWN IN THIS VIDEO:
La Femme Qui Ne Supportait Pas Les Ordinateurs
Paranoïak
Le Crime du Parking
Baratin Blues
Le Mur de Berlin va sauter
L'Arche de Captain Blood / Captain Blood
Méwilo
Freedom: Warriors in the Darkness
Conspiration / Conspiration de l'an III
Le Bagnard
Chess Simulator
Meurtre à Grande Vitesse
Meurtres en Série
La Bosse des Maths (4éme)
Gobliins
Emmanuelle
Lost in Time
B.A.T.

Modern French indie games referenced:
dont_forget_me
Haven
Dordogne

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! https://goo.gl/D8prdf

Like us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/PolygonFB
Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/PolygonTwitter
Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/PolygonInsta
And for more gaming and entertainment coverage, visit www.polygon.com