In this book, Guillaume DAGORRET Guillaume and Thibault DE VESINNE-LARÜE tackle the foundations of capitalism and its future. The essay approaches the subject from a highly original angle, through games, and specifically through video games. In a playful way, the authors invite us to reflect deeply on the question: does capitalism still have a future, and can it meet the economic, environmental and social challenges of the 21st century?
In order to understand the link between video games and capitalism, the authors look at the definition of games, what makes them successful and what makes them addictive.
What defines the game is the conjunction of the “core” and the “meta”, notions that will be the common thread running through the entire essay. Core” refers to a set of elementary actions that a player repeats over and over again. It is essentially an iterative loop of simple actions. The “Meta” refers to the incentive system that drives the player to repeat the basic actions of the “Core” over and over again.
Once the debate is over, opposing visions collide. For some, capitalism cannot be a game; in the sense that it is not entertainment, free choice or outside reality.
For capitalism to be a game, it must satisfy the “core” and “meta” formula. In a capitalist world, economic players exchange goods and services between themselves.
For several decades now, productivity gains have been slowing down in developed countries due to the evolution of economies: they are more difficult to achieve in the service sector, innovation is lagging behind, household consumption is also at half-mast, the ageing of the population raises questions about the financing of social services, etc….
In line with these observations, capitalism could collapse as a result of social inequalities or global warming: “capitalism is dying from a lack of growth, not an excess of growth”.
The authors then propose 3 possible scenarios for the future of capitalism:
1- Capitalism could regain its former vitality thanks to dynamic, sustainable growth. Hopes are pinned, for example, on the development of AI. Productivity gains could match those generated in previous industrial revolutions: by automating complex, repetitive tasks and speeding up decision-making.
2- The rebirth of the old games: in this section, the authors associate war with a game. This parallel may seem far-fetched, but on closer examination they demonstrate that war respects the rules of the game: the “core” is the repetition of human and material destruction; the “meta” is the conquest of territories.
3- The emergence of new games, such as the fame game, with the development of social networks: this means repeatedly posting photos, videos, etc., with the aim of getting more and more “likes”. This accumulation has become the “new gross domestic product” of influencers.
This essay is an invitation to take a fresh look at capitalism, through the metaphor of the “game”. Readers will be able to form their own opinion: what is obvious and natural for some, can also be absurd and senseless for others.
Guillaume DAGORRET is a graduate of HEC Paris, where he teaches. He is Project Director in an international consulting firm. Thibault de Vésinne-Larüe is vice-president and head of game production at Voodoo, world leader in the mobile video game industry. He is a graduate of Centrale Paris.
by Sophie Friot
