Gilles Brougère is a professor in educational sciences at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord. He develops research and teaches on play and game, and the relationship between play and education. In 1981, together with Jacques Henriot, he founded the Master’s degree in Sciences du jeu (Game/play studies) at Paris 13 University (to-day University Sorbonne Paris Nord), and for which he is still responsible today. He is the editor of the journal Sciences du jeu which promote French-speaking researches on play and game, and the author of numerous books and articles on the relationship between play, education and learning.

In his keynote, Gilles Brougère will discuss the relation between game/play and our societies and their transformations. Do current gaming practices inform us about the functioning of our society and its transformations? Is there more play today (both entertainment and serious play) in our societies? Can we talk about an extension of the field of play and how does this relate totransformations in society?