Simulation game

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Business game describes a method for simulating complex real socio-technical systems . Simulation games are often used for teaching and learning purposes. Examples are the flight simulator in pilot training, the business simulation game in management training or the management simulation game for training leadership skills . Its origin lies in the simulation of military conflicts ( military simulation game ).

Components

A simulation game consists of basic components:

  • a (social) environment of the system,
  • an interactive role play component and
  • a rule game component (rules of the game).

This is where business games differ from simple simulations. For a number of years now, a comprehensive concept of simulation games has been gaining ground in German-speaking countries. This corresponds to the English-language understanding of "gaming simulation" .

commitment

Almost all socio-technical systems can be simulated with business games . One example is solving conflicted situations with many actors. Based on a scenario , each participant takes on an assigned role (see role play ). In these roles they try to represent their specific interests. In contrast to mere role play, the participants usually act in small groups. They often receive a group or role profile that contains information about the course of the simulation game, their respective roles in the decision-making process, and specific interests and positions with regard to the subject of the conflict.

The (game) reality developed together is particularly suitable for the subsequent processing. There are usually four phases in the evaluation:

  1. Intuitive game analysis (possible questions: What happened? What did the players feel?)
  2. Game reflection and distancing (How can the course of the game be explained? How do the groups assess the game result? What influenced the result?)
  3. Transfer (Which aspects of the scenario and the course of the game were realistic, which were not? What relevance does the result of the simulation game have for our view of reality?)
  4. Game review (What did we learn? What not? What do I take with me personally? How could the game be improved?)

The first known business game is Chaturanga , a forerunner of chess . An important sub-category of the business simulation games are the business simulation games , which are used to an increasing extent to train employees, trainees and students in entrepreneurial issues. But business games on political issues are also very common.

Simulation games live from the willingness of the participants to get involved in open learning processes. The players therefore determine the result of the simulation themselves. Management games enable self-controlled and creative work and learning. To do this, the complexity of the real world must necessarily be reduced to the essentials in the simulation game.

Business games enable fellow players to try out different roles without harm and are a tried and tested method of " action learning ". The action-oriented approach of simulation games can lead to a deeper understanding of social processes for the participants in addition to a gain in factual knowledge. At the same time, thinking about unfamiliar positions can contribute to reflecting on your own views. For this reason, simulation games are often used in education for democracy and tolerance.

Simulation games enable experience-based learning, especially on spatially and temporally distant phenomena. As in a "flight simulator", players can experiment with different strategies and experience their effects on complex systems without fear of effects on the real world. This makes simulation games suitable, for example, to convey climate change and international climate policy. The potential of simulation games to mediate climate change has been empirically proven for individual climate games.

literature

  • Ewald Blum: Teacher training and application transfer. An empirical field study using the example of a business simulation. 2020.
  • Ewald Blum: Business simulation games - a method for teaching vocational schools? In: Economy and Education. 11/2005, pp. 363-367.
  • Ewald Blum: Teacher Training: Use of Business Games in Retail - Longitudinal Study on Application Transfer. In: U. Blötz (Ed.): Business games and serious games in vocational training. Selection of concepts, learning arrangements, experiences. 2015.
  • Gregor von Fürstenberg: Simulation games: for youth groups, schools and political grassroots groups . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1993, ISBN 3-7867-1669-2 .
  • Lutz J. Heinrich: Young managers at the sandpit. In: The world. 123, May 28, 1965, supplement "Operation and Profession".
  • Lutz J. Heinrich: Simulation games for basic and advanced training in the craft. In: LGA mirror. 8/1965, pp. 145-148.
  • Lutz J. Heinrich, Fritz Müller: The simulation game as part of active teaching methods. In: The German Engineering School. 31/1967, pp. 15-17.
  • Lutz J. Heinrich, Fritz Müller: Do simulation games have to be abstract? In: Journal for all accounting. 5/1967, pp. 116-119 and 6/1967, pp. 137-140.
  • Lutz J. Heinrich; Blohm, Hans: Business-specific simulation games - meaning, development, application. In: The company. 22/1966, pp. 829-831.
  • Heinz Klippert: Simulation games : Game templates for social, political and methodical learning in groups . Beltz, Weinheim 2008, ISBN 978-3-407-62591-5 .
  • Fritjof Kollmann: The implementation of web-based simulation games in the context of economic models. (= ZMS series of publications ). BoD, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-7357-9504-5 .
  • Simon Raiser, Björn Warkalla: Understanding Conflicts. Simulation games and their potential in teaching peace and conflict research (PDF; 15.3 MB). Working paper No. 13/2011 (anniversary edition) of the Center for Conflict Research, University of Marburg.
  • Thomas Rogel: Online business games: a qualitative study on the possible uses of network-based business games . VDM, Saarbrücken 2007, ISBN 978-3-8364-1903-1 .
  • Dietmar Herz, Andreas Blätte: Simulation and business game in the social sciences . Münster / Hamburg / London 2000, ISBN 3-8258-4752-7 .
  • Wolf Rieck: Simulation games in university lessons. Göttingen 1975, DNB 760505152 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Simulation game  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Reinhardt, Sibylle .: Political Didactics: Practical Guide for Secondary School I and II . Cornelsen Scriptor, 2005, ISBN 3-589-22051-1 .
  2. ↑ Jasper Meya, Lukas Meya: Risking the climate Simulation of international climate negotiations with the business game KEEP COOL . In: GWP - Society. Economy. Politics . tape 65 , no. 2 , June 15, 2016, ISSN  0016-5875 , p. 249-259 , doi : 10.3224 / gwp.v65i2.24022 .
  3. ↑ Jason S. Wu, Joey J. Lee: Climate change games as tools for education and engagement . In: Nature Climate Change . tape 5 , no. 5 , May 2015, ISSN  1758-678X , p. 413-418 , doi : 10.1038 / nclimate2566 .
  4. ↑ Jasper N. Meya, Klaus Eisenack : Effectiveness of gaming for communicating and teaching climate change . In: Climatic Change . tape 149 , no. 3-4 , August 2018, ISSN  0165-0009 , p. 319-333 , doi : 10.1007 / s10584-018-2254-7 .
  5. ^ John Sterman, Travis Franck, Thomas Fiddaman, Andrew Jones, Stephanie McCauley: WORLD CLIMATE . In: Simulation & Gaming . tape 46 , no. 3-4 , January 9, 2014, ISSN  1046-8781 , p. 348-382 , doi : 10.1177 / 1046878113514935 .