Zee Problem of Zee Budget

The plan for a French Budget Game, as described in Collision Detection, is a tantalizing object of study for critics of digital culture, because it is as a "serious game" intended to educate citizens about the complexities of govenment funding. Nonetheless, it is not actually the daring invitation to gather collective wisdom from the electorate that it could be. Unlike the Policy Analysis Market, that created some interesting debate in this blog, the simulation in France doesn't allow user input to shape the model. There may be protestors in the streets, but there won't be flash mobs on the web.

Stay tuned. On his website, the economic minister assures us that soon we will in fact be able to direct the national budget ourselves -- or at least pretend to -- through this interactive game: "Bientôt sur ce site un jeu interactif où vous pourrez prendre les commandes du budget de la France."