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The production of experience has been fundamental to the growth of modern consumer capitalism. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, products are distinguished by their branding and how people (are supposed to) experience them, rather than by their material qualities alone. Competitive markets thus foster an environment in which the production of consumption experiences is a fundamental part of product development and business strategies, as well as consumer sensibilities. In the past three decades, cities have also become more and more akin to products in a competitive global market. In their attempt to appeal to the wealthy, highly mobile class of investors, they have also become increasingly seen as homogenized and interchangeable. This tendency raises questions as to why and how certain places maintain or cultivate a sense that they are somehow unique or distinctive. Rather than dismissing emotions and experiences, examining how they are produced and reproduced can reinvigorate economic and cultural histories which try to reconceptualise the history of capitalism from the angle of specific products, services, or practices. Gambling in particular is in need of new histories. As a shifting ensemble of economic and cultural practices of social interactions and business models, games of chance can be studied in order to investigate a wide variety of questions, such as the power and allure of goods and services in modern capitalism.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany

   Paul Franke

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG