Just Adventure in Paris: Part 1
or Too Many Women, Too Little Time

By Randy Sluganski

So Where to Begin?

I receive a telephone call from Dreamcatcher asking if I would be interested in visiting Cryonetworks. In Paris. Paris, France. All expenses paid. A week before Christmas. I'm not presently working since I've just been laid off from my real life job. Is this a no-brainer or what?

Flashback to four semesters of college French. Nothing. I draw a blank. Nor do I have a passport, but for an extra $45 on top of the $75 I have already paid, the great state of Pennsylvania is more than glad to expedite my passport application so I can have it within the next ten days. A representative of Cryonetworks emails me an itinerary and my flight information and the time has finally arrived--Just Adventure is going to Paris.

Day 1

France is six hours ahead of my hometown of Pittsburgh (sometimes I think the entire world is six hours ahead of Pittsburgh, but that is a different story), so my flight that departs at 5 p.m. does not arrive in Paris until 7 a.m. the next morning. Immediately it is as though I am in another world. Everything looks familiar, but I cannot understand a word anyone is saying, nor can I read any of the instructions posted about the airport. To make matters worse, I can't even find my way out of the airport, and I walk in circles until I finally enter a Virgin mini-store only because I feel comfortable surrounded by the video and computer games. As luck would have it, while bent over a rack of Playstation games attempting to convert the francs to dollars, my pen falls out of my pocket between the games on the rack. The moment my hand reaches between the games to retrieve my pen, I have visions of Midnight Express and decide that my wife would probably not visit me in prison and "press the flesh" against the glass. The pen stays where it is and I resolve to summon my wits and find my way out of this airport one way or another, especially since my first meeting with Cryonetworks is at 10 a.m.

It takes another thirty minutes, but by using my French/English dictionary and some convoluted hand gesticulations that probably had the airport personnel thinking I was an American mime, I finally find a bus that will not only take me to Paris but also drop me off across from my hotel. The cost for the bus ride is sixty francs, so I give the clerk a twenty-franc bill, mistakenly believing it to be the equivalent of an American twenty-dollar bill (actually, there are approximately seven francs to every dollar). A quick burst of Ugly Americanism attempts to rear its head as my mind screams, "I'm in France, speak English dammit," but I fight it back and decide that since I seem to be outnumbered by French people, then I need to adapt to their culture if I am to survive. One long bus ride later through the most unbelievable traffic I have ever witnessed, and after a quick shower to freshen up, it is time to meet Patrice Rullier, the president of Cryonetworks.

The next eight hours are spent scrutinizing the Cryonetworks operations (which will be described in detail in part 2). Thanks to an intense itinerary prepared by the wonderful Tiphaine Locqueneux (Communication Manager for Cryonetworks), I am truly exhausted by the end of the workday and immediately pass out upon returning to the hotel. A short three hours later, it is time to experience French culture at one of France's best restaurants, Chez Francois, with Patrice Rullier, Baptiste Marmey (Project Manager for The Fog), and Louis Van Proosdij (Cryonetworks Production Director). Our table looks out upon the Eiffel Tower, a magnificent sight as it twinkles with thousands of lights starting at the top and slowly winding to the bottom at the top of every hour in honor of the millennium (we'll not mention the incident when I tripped over my coat and fell as I attempted to go outside and do the tourist thing with my camera). Probably the most memorable experience of my trip, the type of thing that makes you realize you are indeed in a different culture, occurred about halfway through dinner. As we were engaged in conversation, I thought I heard a dog's bark. To my left were seated two well-dressed, elderly women. Across from them sat two more elderly women, and between these two women sat a small Pekinese. Seated in front of a dinner plate. Just as I thought maybe my mind had been deceiving me (remember, for me it was now about 3 a.m. and I had only slept about six hours total in the past two days), in came a couple leading a black Labrador on a leash. As they settled into their chairs, their pet rested underneath the table. Later I discovered that not only are dogs permitted in public businesses, but some storefronts that do not welcome pets will have a dog in a circle with a line through the circle (similar to America's "No Smoking" signs) posted on their front doors.

After an "exciting" automobile ride with Baptiste and Louis, I returned to the hotel and climbed into bed at 11 p.m. As I lay in the darkness, it finally occurred to me what a putz I was going to bed so early in the most famous city in the world. After getting dressed, I spent the next three hours wandering the streets of Paris and finding out firsthand why it is called the "City of Lights."

Day 2

After another day full of interviews and meetings at Cryonetworks, it was time to party. Tonight was to be the Cryonetworks' Christmas party at the Cave, a tres chic Paris nightclub. But first it was off to the Champs-Elysées, Paris's largest shopping district, to purchase presents for my family. The mile-long stretch of stores is capped by the Arc de Triomphe at one end and a giant millennium Ferris wheel at the other. The stores and the enormously wide sidewalks were bustling with foot traffic, but there was none of the rushing and pushing so common to American shoppers. Browsing the numerous varieties of stores, searching for items indigenous to France, and mentally doing price comparisons was actually a delightful way to spend three hours, but now it was time to meet with Tiphaine for a quick tour of Paris before partying for the evening.

Now let me confess that I no longer drink or smoke, so I am not much of a party animal. Most of my evening was spent either watching others dance or engaging in conversations. But what I saw! I have been at many work-related American Christmas parties and never have I seen anything like I saw at the Cave that evening. As the music blared and the strobe lights glared, everybody, and I mean everybody, danced and sang and hugged. There was a contagious feeling of nationalism and spirit and happiness that does not exist among the diversity of the American workplace. It was as though everyone was "letting loose" in congratulations for a job well done for the year. And I felt honored to be able to observe.

As for me, I spent most of the night with my butt on a barstool drinking Coca Cola and entertaining visitors. (I was by now too frightened to return to the restroom after being surprised by a women entering the--unbeknownst to me--unisex restroom and offering a jolly greeting as I was standing at the urinal. I kept my legs crossed for the remainder of the evening.) I had a wonderful conversation with Gillaume Fondaumiere, the Executive Producer at Arxel Tribe (don't worry, Gillaume, I haven't forgotten your offer!), who was kind enough to make a special visit to the party just to speak with me. Talking with Gillaume is like reading a history book on French adventure gaming, as he is intimate with the histories and products of Cryo, Index, and Arxel. Looking back on our conversation, I know that the future of the adventure genre is in good hands as long as people like Gillaume and Patrice are around. Later this year, Arxel Tribe will be releasing an adventure game entitled Hitchcock, which I predict will be the talk of the industry after this year's E3--and Just Adventure will be sure to keep our readers abreast of its development.

The rest of my too-short trip was spent sleeping, wandering the streets some more, and returning to the airport for the flight home. But if you have read this far, I would like to bore you with some thoughts about France.

The stories of French people's rudeness toward American citizens are totally unfounded and exaggerated. Everyone I met could not have been kinder, from the employees of Cryonetworks to strangers on the street. Store clerks, who could have easily ignored my questions in broken English/French, instead went out of their way to help. French people love their food and dine with glee. Lunches were a delight as my hosts constantly worried over my meals. It was great to explore the streets and not see a fast food restaurant blighting every corner. Instead, small food stores dot the avenues displaying fresh fish, poultry, and beef. Bakeries are places that inspire worship. The abundance of perfume shops is amazing, and they are frequented by just as many men as women. Traffic is breath-stopping to watch as cars approach from every direction imaginable and then merge into a single lane as drivers on motor scooters buzz about like flies. If there was any single disappointment, it was that the camera I was promised (by a clerk in the U.S., of course) would take wonderful pictures at night did take crystal clear shots, but only in the daytime. So our photo gallery is a little on the brief side. In fact, the picture of me standing in front of the Eiffel Tower was actually taken at Dave & Busters.

Since this is an adventure webzine, I guess I should mention that adventure games are very popular in France, and besides being released on computer, they are also sold for DVD players and for the Sony Playstation. In fact, Patrice Rullier dropped a tidbit about adventure games in the United States that I found unbelievable, as I am sure you will also when we next meet and talk with the employees of Cryonetworks, who I hope you will find as interesting and informative as I did.

Be here next week for "Just Adventure in Paris: Part 2" as we meet the people who operate Cryonetworks and take a look at the role that Just Adventure and Cryonetworks will play in the future of online adventure gaming.