The game is leaving the living rooms and shelves: for fifteen days, the Bordeaux metropolis will experiment with the role of games as a social link, leading up to a big festive day on the quay.
The game is leaving the living rooms and shelves: for fifteen days, the Bordeaux metropolis will experiment with the role of games as a social link, leading up to a big festive day on the quay.
Long confused with a mere pastime, gaming is reinventing itself.
Today, it is no longer just familial or childish: it unfolds as a cultural and social practice.
In Bordeaux, this transformation is reflected in a collective initiative that places gaming at the heart of local life, making it a lever for inclusion, diversity, and civic participation.
It is a perspective on gaming that goes beyond pure entertainment, viewing it as a common language capable of bringing together diverse audiences (yes, even those who think they don't like to play).
From May 15 to 29, the Game Fortnight unfolds across the entire Bordeaux Metropolis.
The idea: to increase points of contact with the public by investing in various locations, cultural institutions, associations, specialized shops, and offering free workshops, introductions, and game nights.
This extended timeframe facilitates encounters, allows residents to engage with different formats, and reaches people who may not typically attend centralized events. In short: the game steps out of its boxes and comes to meet the neighborhoods.
Highlight Day: On Saturday, May 30th, the riverside will transform into a "game village." From 11 AM to 9 PM, the Quai des Queyries, facing the botanical garden, will be fully dedicated to hosting dozens of playful activities accessible to everyone.
There will be traditional, contemporary, symbolic, assembly, and rule-based games.
The temporary occupation of public space aims to create a meeting place where social and generational boundaries can blur: play as a catalyst for informal exchanges, discoveries, and conviviality.
Three structuring principles: the event focuses on free access, diversity of formats, and openness to all, regardless of age or skill level.
The programming offers different types of games and strives to be an entry point for everyone:
exercise games,symbolic games,construction games,strategy games.
The location of the site (easily accessible by tram, bike, or car) also contributes to this desire for openness.
Moreover, the integration of games from various traditions makes play a vehicle for intercultural exchanges, yet another simple and effective way to promote diversity.
This is not just a turnkey programming.
The Game Festival is built with local stakeholders, game libraries, associations, game cafés, specialty shops, publishers, and the residents themselves.
Collaborative workshops, participatory activities, and co-created installations encourage participants to become actors, not just spectators. The goal: to strengthen local ties and foster lasting connections between the actors in the area.
A collective of about fifteen actors is leading the initiative. At its head: Virginie Queval, president of the Collectif Fête du Jeu and deputy director of Interlude, alongside Benoît Hec, treasurer of the collective.
Together, they coordinate this ramp-up that combines local programming with a unifying day.
The approach is deliberately cross-cutting: to make play an accessible and structuring tool for local life, strengthening the connections between different places and audiences.
Beyond the one-time event, the project aims to be evolutionary. The collective plans to expand its scope and develop new dedicated spaces, particularly for early childhood, a focus that aims to enhance accessibility and reach a broader audience.
In short, the goal is to sustainably integrate playful practices into the cultural and urban landscape, viewing them as tools for participation and diversity.
Some words for orientation
• Game library: a place where games are available to play on-site or borrow. It is a space designed for discovery and playful sharing.
• Playful third places: hybrid spaces (neither entirely private nor solely institutional) that promote collective practices around play, often blending friendliness, facilitation, and experimentation.
The Game Fortnight and the day on May 30 offer more than just a simple recreational afternoon: they outline a way of thinking about games as a component of living together. If the idea appeals to you (or if you're just curious), you can find out more through the collective's Facebook page.
A great opportunity to see how, sometimes, a board, a few dice, or a well-placed table are enough to create connections in the city.
To follow the schedule, discover the workshops, or obtain visuals, the collective's Facebook page is indicated as an information point. For other questions, a coordinator named Virginie Queval is mentioned as a contact.
Author Audrey on 22 September 2021
Sports and Leisure : Leisure
Author Audrey on 10 December 2021
Sports and Leisure : Leisure