France\u2019s Macron backpedals on video game criticism & vows to host more esports events WikimediaFrance President Emmanuel Macron has backtracked on his criticism of the impact of video games, stating that they are \u201can integral part\u201d of the country. In a June 30 press conference, Macron blamed social media for demonstrations in the country but also said that video games played a role in the violence and vandalism by \u201cintoxicating\u201d youngsters. His comments came as France was experiencing a wave of riots and protests following the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. Macron\u2019s remarks sparked outrage in the gaming community, with Tekken director Kastuhiro Harada among those who criticized the French President\u2019s negative stance. \u201cBlaming something is a great way to escape the burden of responsibility,\u201d Harada wrote on X\/Twitter at the time. In a lengthy post on X\/Twitter over the weekend, Macron sought to clarify his views on the impact of video games and had nothing but praise for the industry. \u201cVideo games are an integral part of France,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI have always believed that video games are an opportunity for France, for our young people and their future, for our jobs and our economy. \u201cI expressed my concerns at the end of June because delinquents had used video game habits to trivialize the violence on social networks. It is this violence that I condemn, not video games.\u201d Macron went on to describe video games as a \u201cfield for artistic experimentation\u201d and a \u201cfascinating learning space, blending all the arts.\u201d Macron backs esports again The French President also spoke about esports and how the \u201ccompetitive practice of videogames is a sport, an ecosystem, with true professionals, high-level gatherings, and international tournaments that make history and forge generations with powerful values.\u201d \u201cIn June 2022, I brought together a large number of esports and industry stakeholders to the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace,\u201d he added. \u201cMy words were sincere. I promised a new era; it\u2019s beginning. \u201cI remain fully mobilized to continue supporting the organization of major events in France, to act in support of the sector, and to help it grow.\u201d In April 2022, Macron said that esports and gaming were an \u201cimportant component of French soft cultural power\u201d and promised that France would host large-scale events if he was re-elected that year. He won the presidential election in the second round with 58.5% of the votes. In May 2023, Paris hosted the last Major in CS:GO history. The announcement of the event was made by Macron himself on social media, a clear sign of the role he played in bringing the event to France. Macron finished his post over the weekend by making a pledge to gamers. \u201cYou can count on me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France\u2019s Macron backpedals on video game criticism & vows to host more esports events WikimediaFrance President Emmanuel Macron has backtracked on his criticism of the impact of video games, stating that they are \u201can integral part\u201d of the country. In a June 30 press conference, Macron blamed social media for demonstrations in the country but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}