THE PRODUCTION OF VIDEO GAMES IN FRANCE: THE HISTORY OF A SECTOR SEEKING TO ESTABLISH ITSELF AS AN INDUSTRY (1973-1991)

Abstract

Based on historical research on the video games sector in France from the 1960s to the 1990s, this paper analyses its status as an industry in relation to its production capacities. Three different periods of development are identified on the national market: the initial automation of entertainment, the arrival of peripherals connected to TV set in the 1970s, and, finally, the development of the computer video game in the 1980s. This analysis highlights the repeated
attempts of French companies to industrialize the production of video games on the national territory. These attempts included both hardware and software but were only conducted on a relatively modest scale and for a limited period of time. In conclusion, the article questions
whether the French video game sector can be considered to have become an industry during the first three decades of its existence.