French firm putting the sport into esport

A player plays the game ‘After H Battle Arena’ in a virtual reality esports hall of the company EVA in Toulouse, on Aug 3, 2022. With virtual reality, eSport is freeing itself from the controllers and allowing several players to compete on the same physical field. In France, the startup EVA aims to open a hundred or so ‘arenas’ by 2024. — AFP

PARIS: The players move slowly and cautiously, each carrying a rifle, hunting out their enemies in steaming jungles, baking deserts or even the surface of Mars.

They can hear, see and shoot their foes, but the field of battle is actually a vast warehouse north of Paris and the players are moving in immersive worlds thanks to virtual reality (VR) headsets.