To attract attendees to the show, a beam is installed in the middle of video game school stands. It is the one normally reserved for the ritual test of the GIGN. Thanks to the magic of virtual reality, this beam is found 25 meters above the ground. “When you look, you have the impression that you are going to fall”says Wendy, nine.
The gendarmes are not there to maintain order but to participate until Sunday November 6 in Paris Games Week, the biggest French event around video games. For the occasion, the gendarmerie sent its best gamers to meet the public and raise awareness. “Try to adjust the mask a littleadvises a policeman. “You walk on the beam one foot in front of the other. It’s safe.”
The queue is never empty. Olivier and his two children are the next to try their luck. They arrived there a little by chance, after having come face to face with the men in blue, on another stand. “At the time, I was surprised, recognize the dad. But at the same time, I understand the concept. It’s true that it’s smart to come and see young people, show them that the gendarmerie can be nice too and not only in repression. So I find it super fun.”
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As video games are mainly used online today, the gendarmerie wants to create a link and send prevention messages. “What’s happening online. This is real life, details to parents in the queue Captain Océane. She explains to them how to talk about cyberbullying with their children. “We often hear ‘in real life’, as if what is happening online is not real. But it is very real. There are real people behind it. Why would we behave differently when we are online ? Would we go and insult our neighbor because we missed the petanque game ? We wouldn’t !”
“You shouldn’t tell children that video games are a problem either. You have to be vigilant in the digital space and have the right reflexes, always being in communication.”
Captain Oceaneat franceinfo
A little further, in the queue, Constable Mimal chats with a couple present on social networks. He notably accompanies harassed streamers. For him, it is a subject that is more topical than ever. “As law enforcement, we have to talk about cyberbullying because gamers don’t have the reflex to think of the gendarmerie or the police in case of problems, he analyzes. We have more and more cybercrime units in the gendarmerie, the same for the police.” Computer units that the gendarmes also present to passers-by fond of digital. What perhaps add a few units to the 10 000 investigators already trained in cyber.