FIRST VICTORY FOR

PROJECTION VIRTUELLE! 

Tuesday, 25th of January 2022 

Winner of the RORC Transatlantic Race, Projection Virtuelle agreed to answer some of our questions. His experience on Virtual Regatta, the creation of his Youtube channel and his future goals on the game… Here is his interview!

As you said, this is an unexpected victory for you. One can imagine a lot of pride?

“Indeed, this victory is unexpected for me. When I chose the northern option very early on in the race, it was to try and get the best possible result, but the main group was quickly announced in front. So I was trying to be the best I could be in my group, and I was watching as a spectator the great fight in the main group. My teammates from the Projection Virtuelle teams, and those from PVe – ECAP France were among the very best in this group, whether it was Nico_Jud – PVe, Newteam – PVe, Pakebo Pve or 20-100% – PVe. I was in awe of their performance and only wished they would go all the way. Unfortunately for them, their road closed and opened the way for the northern group, where I was.

For my part, although my route was behind for a long time, I didn’t let go and did the best I could. The fight with ventdenfer finally turned to my advantage in the group, and it’s a pleasure to be at the top of a group with Toppen, Luxairfrance, rafal71 and so many other great players.”

What does this victory mean to you?

“Hope! This victory is that of a “normal” player, who does his best without being present at all the weather updates. With the exception of the last two days, when victory was more than a possibility, I only do 3 updates in a day, not doing the one in the early morning. So there is a certain amount of success involved, but I hope that many players will say to themselves: if Virtual Projection has done it, then I can do it too!”

What is your opinion on the evolution of the game since you started?

“I discovered the game during the Vendée Globe 2020. I had heard about it before, without having had the curiosity to try it out, and since then, I have noticed that it is evolving: regular new features, patches to fix bugs… The game is progressing, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so with both the top players and the casual players in mind, who make up the vast majority of ORV users.”

How did the idea of creating a YouTube channel come about?

“We’re changing the subject now. I created my channel, Projection Virtuelle, in July 2020 to share with others my discoveries, my experiences around virtual sports. I started on Football Manager, but I very early on had the desire not to be the channel of a single game, and when my daughter came home from school talking about the Vendée Globe, I remembered having heard about Virtual Regatta. I offered her to participate, which she did, and on my side, I thought it would be nice to participate and share my adventure, my discovery on Youtube. What I didn’t anticipate was that the videos would have such a high visibility, making the channel go from 200 to 2000 subscribers in 10 days, and then almost 8000 today! Another unexpected thing.

In the end, what was supposed to be a parenthesis has now become the main (but not the only) topic of the channel. And I owe this to you all, because without the subscribers, without the viewers, nothing would have happened. The quality discord, with the exchanges, is you. The motivation to play, the desire to progress, the sharing of tips, the Virtual Projection teams… until my victory on the RORC: all this is thanks to you. So thank you!”

What do you like most about live performances?

“Live shows and videos are two different aspects, and I like both. But for the live shows, it’s a moment of sharing, of exchange, of emotions too. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, everyone has to learn and to bring to the others, and I am in an intermediary role, I transmit what I have learned, I learn thanks to others and above all, we have fun! Virtual Regatta is a game! Gripping, exciting, addictive for some, but it is a game, and it must remain so. And as it is a game, we participate for pleasure, and we have fun with it. Having fun doesn’t prevent you from doing your best, and that’s what I try to transmit during the live shows: the pleasure of playing, and the learning, the progression that allows you to have more and more pleasure.”

What do you think characterizes the Virtual Regatta community?

“This is a difficult question that could be the subject of a live show (laughs). There are several types of players on the game and the vast majority of them are silent. But if we talk about the community of active players, those who make themselves heard, I would say that it is like society itself: very diverse. The vast majority of them are benevolent and willing to exchange ideas: they are the best publicity you can hope for the game.”

What is your next goal for the game?

“Individually, to do my best, and above all to continue to have fun. And collectively, to help my teammates as much as possible to get the best possible results in the team ranking. And more generally, to continue to understand the game as well as possible in order to pass on as much of my experience, my failures and my successes as possible on video.”

If there was one skipper who inspires you more than another, who would it be?

“There are so many of them, with different backgrounds… Clarisse Crémer, Loïck Peyron, Yves Parlier, who I remember listening to on the radio when he was participating in the VG 2000, but also Romain Pilliard and his Use It Again approach. But I suppose you meant the Virtual Regatta players. Among the players, there is not “The One”, but a multitude of players. Toppen, LuxairFrance inspire respect for their regularity in big results, MalibuCristal and YourMom inspire for their audacity, Baptiste_Rep, PassTaga and Florian16 for the quality of their progression, YokoRecaro, NewTeam and Nico_Jud inspire for their strokes of genius, the TPN inspire for their collective strength on some races…. And others, more anonymous like Ya_Foot inspire for their desire to learn and understand the game. Everyone inspires in their own way. I’m repeating myself, but we all have something to learn from each other.”

A word about your team?

“Without them, I wouldn’t be answering your questions. The team is what gives us strength, motivation and the desire to surpass ourselves. The PVe – ECAP France (named after the partner) is a great team. I would like to thank NewTeam, the current captain, and Temerus, his predecessor, for having brought together such nice and talented people in the team. There is a desire to succeed for the friends which is motivating… If you don’t have a team, you lose a great source of motivation.

And of course, my team is not limited to PVe. I involve all the members of the Virtual Projection teams. Whether they are fish, crabs, dolphins, peacocks, whales, turtles, wolves, octopuses, cubs, shrimps or crocodiles, all the members of the PVe teams are my teammates, and I thank them for their support, with a particular attention to Chargaet, one of the vice-admirals.”

A race you would like to see in the game?

“I would love a submarine race! So no, I didn’t get the wrong game, I assure you. It would be a race without ever seeing the other boats or knowing their position. We could know the ranking, but everyone would have to make their own decisions without seeing the other players. It could be a great show if this type of race was present on a regular basis.

And for a course, I would like a short race, in the northern islands of Canada for example, and of a duration of 18-24 hours, to, why not, make a live which would cover the whole race!”