Le Grand Jeu and the potential of money games for exploring economic possibilities

This talk focuses on a case study of the game Le Grand Jeu (LGJ), which extends into a general analysis of the potential of games in the diversification of the economy, in particular with regard to money. Further, we explore LGJ’s capacity to expand the horizon of the possible, as is often called for in theories of degrowth and related literature. Le Grand Jeu is a game, developed via community arts, used for the introduction of cryptocurrencies. We explore the development of that game and how it can be used as a tool that allows the utopian propensity to be explored and purposed to our own reality. We discuss the role of money, or more appropriately, monies, in generating social change, and locate this discussion in the context of degrowth literature. Practical degrowth alternatives to current mainstream economic approaches are needed. We argue that money games are a practical approach to fostering political imagination and are real-life versions of economic modelling. Furthermore, the ‘open world assumption’within some games adds personal presence and mutual reflexivity to the general understanding of an economic model. We show that the use of games in workshops and real-time play allows a more realistic, integral economics to be explored.

About the speakers: Marcus Petz is currently at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Jyväskylä University. He is currently looking at community economics with the Credit Commons Society. He is engaged in working in community currencies and rural regeneration. Federico Bonelli (1969, IT/NL) is an independent researcher and a multimedia artist. Has a degree in philosophy of science, studied history of mathematics and practiced media arts. His research includes figurative arts, music, cinema and theater. His work has been seminal for the innovation of cultural formats. Explorer of aesthetic forms, but also a researcher. Prefers to work in collaboration and within circles of peers. Founder of the Trasformatorio Lab who also directs the foundation. Teppo Eskelinen is a senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and academic co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Social Science in English programme at the University of Eastern Finland. His main research interests are development policy, global justice, political economy, heterodox economics, radical democracy, social movements.