Serious Games

The ‘business game à la carte’. T-Challenge has been developed specificly for application in higher vocational education. The game stimulaties the entrepreneurship and management awareness of students and is suitable for use in competency driven education.

T-Challenge is not just one single game, but is to be seen as a library of game modules. Through this library of modules and related content a teacher is able by using a ‘menu’ to compose a business game online that matches the desired competencies of a certain group of students. The teacher is in the role of an architect and not the contractor needing to build the game to his wishes. Compare it with the author of an article and the composer of a reader. The teacher has the latter role.

Case

In T-Challenge students form the management team of a soft drink factory with some disappointing sales results. The plant produces and sells ice tea and soft drinks. It is the student’s task to build a successful company that outperforms the competing companies, which are the other teams in the business game. Within the management team each student performs his own role and has his own responsibilities in all of the different departments of the company. Herein we distinguish:

• Marketing
• Finance
• HRM
• Legal
• Supply Chain Management (production and purchase & logistics)

Aside from that one can choose an international component. The students will need to make decisions in the areas of (cost)price, salary, introduction of new products, promotion budget, personnel policy and so on, that will make the final customer (divided into 8 different segments) and the direct customer (i.e. supermarkets) to choose their product over those of their competitors. During the game the students will have to constantly monitor their performance: can they obtain and maintain new customers? Are they able to purchase raw materials at a better price? What did the competitors made up in the battle for clients and employees? And how do they react to that themselves? And are they still working at a profitable margin?

Execution

The group size of the management team that the students will work in differs from 2 to 8 people. T-Challenge is being played in a predefined number of of playing rounds. It goes without saying that there is a fierce and exiting competition between the different companies. In the end the team with the highest total score is declared winner.

As a result of the online setup of the game it is very easy for the teacher to host T-Challenge as facilitator.

Learning goals

The design of T-Challenge with its applications ensures an extended list of learning goals. Please find a non-complete summary stated below:

• Scope broadening, being able to put things in context
• Awareness of different aspects of daily practice
• Integration of lessons learned
• Leading role in a learning program
• Defining strategy
• Customer focus
• Financial management
• Focus on quality and results
• Entrepreneurship
• Management of crisis
• Teamwork and cooperation
• Communication
• Decision making

Languages and adjustments

T-Challenge is an online game that is played in multiple rounds. The modular setup of the game enables you to fine tune it tailor-made to the desired learning goals of the students. T-Challenge is available both in the English as the Dutch language.