The Science Festival returns from October 2–12, 2026 for its 35th edition, offering thousands of free activities across France. Created in 1991 by the ministry in charge of Higher Education and Research, the event aims to bring the general public closer to the world of science through workshops, talks, demonstrations, and meetings with researchers. This year’s theme, "Savory Science," highlights the links between science, food, and innovation, while showcasing the many other disciplines represented. In Paris, ISART Digital joins the edition by opening its doors to reveal the science and technology behind video games, 3D animation, and special effects.
Founded in 2001, ISART Digital is a higher education school specializing in the fields of video game development, 3D animation-VFX, programming, and sound design. Based on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, its campus now hosts close to a thousand students and regularly collaborates with industry professionals in these creative sectors. The programs blend artistic training, digital technologies, and software development to prepare students for careers in interactive creation. The school has also become known for the many awards won by its students and for its close ties to the video game and animation industries.
The Science Festival offers a wonderful opportunity to glimpse another side of video games and computer-generated imagery. As visitors step into ISART Digital, they can better understand the scientific and technical skills involved in designing a game, creating animations, or developing visual effects. Computer science, mathematics, physics, artificial intelligence, and sound processing all have very concrete applications here. For tech enthusiasts, prospective students, or simply the curious, these encounters facilitate conversations with teachers and professionals while unveiling the behind-the-scenes workings of a school that has become a reference in the world of creative digital careers.
Astounding science and video games
At this conference, David Louapré, the creator of the Science étonnante channel, invites you to dive into the scientific behind-the-scenes of video games.
From the physics of movement and artificial intelligence to probability, as well as history and geography, discover how the science of gaming helps bring real-world realism to immersive virtual worlds.
Curious players or simply science enthusiasts? This conference will be the perfect occasion to understand how science makes video games possible and exciting.
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and older
• Requirements: Reservation required
Schedule: Friday, October 2 — 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The Secrets of Virtual Worlds
What if every explosion, every leap, and every monster were actually... a science story?
Behind every video game there are real “masters of science”: the game engineers.
In this animation, discover how they turn scientific laws into ultra-real, immersive experiments.
Understand how physics lets us simulate movements, rockfalls, collisions… or water, smoke, and waves as in the real world.
See how light is recreated to produce photorealistic 3D scenes.
Explore how mathematics and artificial intelligence enable enemies that can learn, react… and sometimes even surprise you!
In the end, you’ll see that creating a video game is about more than coding: it’s blending science and creativity to build worlds that feel alive.
👉 An immersion into the invisible secrets that make your favorite games so realistic and captivating!
This animation is part of the science track: “Discovering the science behind video games” and gives you access to all the other animations and workshops offered during the Science Festival.
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and older
• Conditions: Booking is required
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
The odds are in play!
Why are some items harder to obtain?
How do games tweak their difficulty to stay engaging without tipping into frustration? In this interactive demo, discover how game designers use probabilities, statistics, and player data to craft experiences that feel balanced — not too easy, not too hard. Rewards, progression, difficulty levels: behind the game mechanics lie math concepts that can influence how we play.
A playful, accessible way to see how the laws of random probability help shape video game creation.
This animation is part of the science program: “Exploring the science behind video games” and gives you access to all the other workshops and activities offered during the Science Festival.
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15-18 years, 18-25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Reservation required
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Creating ambient soundscapes: science you can hear
In this workshop, you don’t need complicated formulas to grasp how sound reverberates in a room, how echoes travel through a valley, how diffraction occurs in a narrow tunnel, or how attenuation grows with distance. You’ll see how the science of sound underpins immersive, emotionally charged sonic experiences. During the workshop, you’ll take part in an interactive, playful experience that lets you: Discover how creators apply acoustics principles in their studios to bring imagined worlds to life. Record your voice and experiment with creating ambient sounds (footsteps, gravel crunching, rubbing, impacts…). Transform your voice into a virtual character, a monster, or a fantastic creature. Enter a virtual universe and hear how sound changes with the space: an echo in a valley, a resonance inside a tunnel, or a sound dampened underwater… You’ll understand how physical phenomena are used to heighten immersion and the player’s emotions. This activity is part of the science trail: “Discovering the science behind video games” and provides access to all other animations and workshops offered during the Science Festival.
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Conditions: Advance booking required
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Step into the secret lab behind video games
Step through the doors of a lab unlike any other and watch science come alive… at the heart of digital creation!
Here, there are no standard white coats: you’ll experiment, test and interact directly with the technologies used in video games and animated cinema.
During your visit, you’ll: Discover how artificial intelligence can animate a painted work or learn to play… and to win! Create your dragon and grant it any powers you like in natural language, Test your ability to read the emotions of a virtual avatar, Simulate pollution and heat in our cities… as in a video game, Explore how Brain Glial Cells work through 3D animation, and many more projects await you...
An immersive, surprising, and interactive way to discover research from a new angle—and especially an opportunity to chat with students and ISART Digital researchers and teachers.
This animation is part of the scientific journey: “Discovering the science behind video games” and gives you access to all other animations and workshops offered during the Science Festival.
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Conditions: Reservation required
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Play and dive into the magic of creative video games.
Explore the projects created by ISART Digital students and go behind the scenes of the science powering immersive experiences. PC games 💻, consoles 🎮, or virtual reality 🥽: try out innovative worlds while learning the technologies that make them possible. Meet the creators and chat with them about the artistic, technical, and scientific choices that bring virtual worlds to life: artificial intelligence, motion mechanics, acoustics, animation, simulation, and game design. A unique chance to experience science from a fresh angle and to understand how creativity and technology converge to craft immersive experiences. This animation is part of the science track: “Discovering the Science Behind Video Games,” and gives you access to all the other animations and workshops offered during the Science Festival.
Participation rules:
• Target audiences: 15–18, 18–25, 25 and up
• Requirements: Booking required
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Exploring the science behind video games
An astonishing and absorbing journey awaits, offering a unique behind-the-scenes immersion into the art of creation (video games, animated films, sound design, special effects, and more).
You’ll discover how science touches every step of the creative process through interactive workshops, technological demonstrations, game tests, and direct exchanges with the creators: you’ll see how science fuels art… and art fuels science in return!
The program features a range of animations and workshops: step into a laboratory unlike any other and discover new ways of researching video games and animated cinema. You’ll explore numerous collaborative projects that bring together researchers, artists, and developers around varied themes: virtual avatars, digital twins, 3D animation, scientific simulation—applied especially to digital health, smart cities, culture, and much more.
Interact with video game engineers and discover how mathematics and physics can create believable interactions (shoot, jump, collision, gravity, fluid). Apply acoustics principles in a sound design workshop: science can be heard!
Master probabilities and game balancing.
Play and dive into the magic of video games on consoles and in virtual reality.
Attend David Louapré’s lecture! Amazing science & video games
For more details, click below on the animation linked to each event in this scientific journey
Participation requirements:
• Target audiences: 15–18 years, 18–25 years, 25 years and up
• Requirements: Registration is mandatory
Hours: Saturday, October 3 — 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
Dates and Opening Time
From October 2, 2026 to October 12, 2026
Location
Isart Digital
Rue de la Roquette
75011 Paris 11
Route planner
Official website
www.isart.fr
