Hippolyte, Nohô Host in Caen: When a Passion for Board Games Becomes a Career

Some passions begin around a table with friends and eventually take over everything. For Hippolyte, board games have evolved from a simple pastime into a true calling: as an author, publisher, trainer, and facilitator, he has turned games into a cultural phenomenon in their own right. From Caen, where he founded his publishing house, Sofa Edition, he shares this world with those who want to understand, create, or simply get a behind-the-scenes look at a world we often imagine to be simpler than it is.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Hippolyte; I’m a board game designer and publisher with a company called Sofa Edition, based in Caen. I specialize in the world of board games.

What was your journey to get here?

I’ve been working in social services and community outreach for over 15 years. I earned my degree at the FM2J school in Lyon, which trains professionals in the game and toy industry. After that, I worked as a game librarian, and I’ve also been involved in the game industry for a long time in areas like events, festivals, entertainment, and education. I’ve really been involved in many different aspects of the game industry over the past ten years.

Were you into board games before that?

Yes, that’s right. I became a bit of a gaming addict when I was a young adult, in college, studying something I didn’t enjoy. And I thought to myself: I’m going to turn this into a career. I became really interested in the professional side of it—not just the fun of playing, but really what you can do with it as a cultural object, as an educational tool, everything you can get out of it.

You’ve created several games. Can you tell us about them?

Yes, I currently have three officially released games, and others coming soon. The first is called Mycélium; it’s a little puzzle game where you play as armies of mushrooms. Then I have a party game called Rock-Paper-Salmon-Scissors—the title really says it all—it’s a lot of fun. And the newest one is called Bas les Masques, a game that’s a cross between Werewolf and games in that genre. And as for what’s in the works, I have a lot of prototypes that haven’t been released yet.

Que proposes-tu sur Nohô ?

Tout ce qui est autour de la création de jeu. Si les gens veulent quelque chose de créatif, s’ils ont des envies, des idées, s’ils ont besoin de comprendre comment faire ou de prendre de la hauteur, mais aussi ceux qui veulent découvrir ce qu’est le milieu du jeu en général : qu’est-ce que ça veut dire, quels sont les intérêts, pourquoi on édite celui-là et pas celui-là. C’est tout ce travail-là qui est passionnant et qui intéresse beaucoup de gens.

Tu seras présent sur des salons ou festivals prochainement ?

Oui, tous les festivals ludiques de la région, on est présents pratiquement tous les week-ends. Et sinon on va avoir la foire de Caen à la rentrée, et Cidre et dragons. Dans la région, tout ce qui peut être autour du jeu, on sera présents.

Quand le jeu devient sérieux

Sur Nohô, certaines rencontres ouvrent des portes sur des univers qu’on ne soupçonnait pas. Rencontrer Hippolyte à Caen, c’est découvrir que derrière chaque jeu de société se cachent des heures de réflexion, de prototypes, de choix éditoriaux et de passion. Que vous ayez une idée qui vous trotte dans la tête depuis longtemps ou simplement la curiosité de comprendre comment naît un jeu, il est là pour en parler, sans filtre et avec enthousiasme.

What if, like Hippolyte (see his Instagram), you shared your passion on Nohô? : Sign up now and create your listing for free on Nohô.