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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHM0U-IBqxc

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

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