How do politics and play relate to each other? Six Leiden academics hope to find an answer to that question over the coming years. They have received an NWO grant of 750,000 euros. Professor Sybille Lammes and University Lecturer Bram tell us how they plan to spend the money.
'When you look at how politics and play work, they have something in common,' says Lammes. 'In both cases we are talking about the creation of worlds. We can see this relationship in a lot of films and series, like The Queen's Gambit.'
Ieven adds: 'Politics does not represent a world, it creates one. It does so using play. It has always been that way, but over the past twenty years the game element has gained a completely different dynamic due to the rise of social media. Politicians say one thing on Instagram and another in the House of Representatives. This way, they move between different platforms in a very playful way. But don't get me wrong: this game can be a very serious one, possibly concerning matters of life or death.'
