Mapping Business Simulation Games to a Component Architecture

Abstract

The paper proposes a component-based approach for the development of educational business simulation games. We identify common features of educational business simulations and construction and management games, and merge these in a reusable and extensible software architecture.

Mobile Gaming - A Serious Business!

“…One-sample T-test against the neutral rating value 4.00 confirmed these interpretations (t 13 = -1.61, not significant (n.s.) for question 1; t 13 = -4.77, p<.05 for question 16; t 13 = 4.36, p<.05 for question 20). From this we can see that the participants valued the situated learning aspect of the game, but perhaps could see that mobile devices were not the only way of achieving this.…”

“…It is asserted in [20] that possible activities in such games relate to procurement (sometimes called acquisition), production, distribution, management, and construction. This game-like learning activity includes procurement of resources (both virtual and real), management of these resources, and construction of a synthesis that can address the underlying production and distribution problems faced by the virtual company represented in the game play.…”

Seamless integration of game and learning using modeling and simulation

“…For a more sophisticated integration of games in ITS, we have conducted a literature review (Maciuszek and Martens 2011b) and introduced a concept for a fully-integrated game-based ITS architecture based on JaBInT, both for educational computer role-playing games (ibid.) and for educational business simulation games (Neef, Maciuszek, and Martens 2011).…”

“…To shape a truly immersive learning experience, it is not enough to 'sneak in' educational content into the story -the Genius games do that, too -it ought to be integrated in gameplay -in the case of simulation games in interactive simulation mechanisms. We have previously documented educational gameplay mechanisms in business simulation games (Neef, Maciuszek, and Martens 2011), science-oriented simulation games (Maciuszek and Martens 2009), and in computer role-playing games (RPGs) with simulated activities in micro-virtual worlds (Maciuszek and Martens 2011a). For instance, the activity Crafting appears in entertainment RPG series like Drakensang, Dragon Age or Gothic, but also in Minecraft -a game focusing only on that activity, and the Harry Potter action adventure games in which the player brews magic potions.…”