The history of the development of business simulation games started in 3000 BC, and the development of modern business simulation games began in the 1950s. Since the introduction of modern business simulation games, it has grown rapidly and is widely used by corporations, managers, educators, development consulting firms, and collegiate business programs for training and teaching purposes. A dynamic business environment and changing economic conditions require the reorientation and modification of educational programs. The learning process should focus on strengthening knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attitudes according to market needs and wants. The use of business simulation games in education can overcome this problem and even increase student motivation and engagement. This chapter covers three main sections: (1) history of business simulation games, (2) types of business simulation games, and (3) the use of business simulation games in teaching and learning.
TopIntroduction
The world is changing now (Turns, 2020)
A dynamic business environment and changing economic conditions require the reorientation and modification of educational programs. The learning process should focus on strengthening knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attitudes according to market needs and wants. Students also need to have entrepreneurial intentions to have an in-depth understanding of market dynamics, financial management skills, and exchange methods.
Even, Covid-19 pandemic changes the world and global outlook. The education needs to change to better prepare the young generation for what the future might hold. The changes include educating citizens in an interconnected world, redefining the role of the educator, teaching life skills needed for the future, and unlocking technology to deliver education (Luthra & Mackenzie, 2020).
Also, one of the problems in education is the boredom of students in the classroom. The effective use of games can spark interest and enhance active learning in business courses (Ritzko & Robinson, 2006). The use of business simulation games in education can overcome this problem and even increase student motivation and engagement (Zirawaga, Olusanya, & Maduku, 2017). Games offer a unique structure to complement traditional teaching strategies and make learning more enjoyable for students (Boyle, 2011). The role of games in education can be referred to in Figure 1. To this end, business simulation games can play an essential role as a true representation of market operations in a virtual environment (Zulfiqar, Sarwar, Aziz, Chandia, & Khan, 2018).
Figure 1. The use of games in education
Since the introduction of modern business simulation games in 1955 (Faria, 1998), it has grown rapidly, and it is widely used by corporations, managers, educators, development consulting firms, and collegiate business programs for training and teaching purposes (Faria, 1987, 1998). Business simulations currently support three types of applications: educational programs, training firms, and evaluating business strategies (Gonen, Brill, & Frank, 2009). Since the late 1960s, over 90% of AACSB business school members have used business simulation games (Faria & Nulsen, 1996).
This book chapter covers four main sections:
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History of business simulation games
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Types of business simulation games
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The Use of business simulation games in teaching and learning
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Visualising bibliometric networks analysis
We have reviewed conference papers, journal articles, books, and online articles to complete this book chapter. Also, to get a clearer picture, visualising bibliometric networks analysis has been conducted. The study undertaken includes areas of discipline, and the purpose of business simulation games are used.
TopHistory Of Business Simulation Games
The early history of business games, such as board games and war games has started since 3000 BC in China (Faria, 1996; Wolfe, 1993). Board games have been widely used since the 17th century for entertainment and educational purposes. This includes Round the town (1900), Grand jeu de la tour Eiffel (1889), Il giro del Mondo (1890), L'orient or the Indian travellers (1845), A trip to marks (1920), Walli's new game of universal history and chronology (1840), The new game of human life (1790), Jeu de la revolution francaise (1790), For living a virtuous life – Le jeu des bons infans (1780), to teach how to make a good career – Game of the telegraph boy or merit reward (1888). For the war games, this can be traced back to GO (from China about 400 BC), Chaturanga and Chess (from India about 500 AB) and chess-like tabletop games - Christoph Weickmann's newly incented great king's game (1644). Another example is Brunswick war game (1780) (Kriz, 2017).
In 1903, Monopoly, originally from The Landlord's Game, was created by Lizzie Magie. The game's basic idea demonstrates an economy that rewards wealth creation is better than one where monopolists work under few constraints and promote Henry George's economic theories, particularly taxation (Pilon, 2015).