www.goventureworld.com

GoVentureWorld is a massively multiplayer online role-laying game (MMORPG) in which players run a business in competition and collaboration with other players. Players establish a business as a manufacturer or retailer and run all facets of the business through the game including startup, marketing, legal issues, finances, interactions, personnel, or anything a business leader would experience in an authentic situation. The game is accessible on most devices so players can check on their businesses and monitor progress anytime. The ability to monitor progress and receive feedback are critical to the motivation to continue in the game (Willis, 2014) In fact, the game continues (i.e. the business keeps running) even when the player is logged out. A leaderboard tallies the successes of the players providing encouragement to continue. According to Tom Chatfield (TED, 2010), gamers will persist in play when they encounter reward at the right point of uncertainty. GoVentureWorld seems to hit the right spot of uncertainty in players as millions continue to enjoy the game for learning and entertainment. The designers of GoVentureWorld believe the game is so beneficial to players that they should include it in their resumes when job seeking as a testament to their business acumen.

GoVentureWorld would be a dynamic addition to any business curriculum. Students could start a business in the game and continue to improve their business skills as they progress through coursework in the class. The business could even be created and ultimately used as a portfolio item at the end of a business program to demonstrate how well the student understood  and applied the concepts taught during the program.

References

TED (Producer). (2010). Tom Chatfield: 7 ways games reward the brain [Video file].  Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain

Willis, J. (2011, April 14) A neurologist makes a case for the video game model as a learning tool [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/neurologist-makes-case-video-game-model-learning-tool

https://www.ageofempires.com/

Age of Empires is a reality-based game of strategy set in historical periods. Games are organized by historical periods and regions such as the Stone Age, or Ancient Empires, or Colonization of North America. The game scenarios provide historical data about the relevant geography, economy, politics, culture, and military so players can make informed decisions during play. The site also offers videos and fact sheets describing additional information about the civilization or the scenario in the game. The objective of the game is to lead a civilization through various stages. As the leader, the player must make critical decisions that will advance progress for the people by keeping them safe, feeding them, and providing shelter. Poor decisions result in the decline of the civilization. A stats board tracks the success of players. Finally, Age of Empires provides community forums for players to interact about game play. Steinkuehler and Duncan (2008) found that game forums provide useful avenues for social knowledge construction in which players use evidence to support arguments, persistence to prove a point, and create relationships around shared goals. All of these skills are advantageous to learning!

Age of Empires could be a fun learning opportunity for students in a history class. If the students are studying the military campaigns of the Romans, they could engage in play on Age of Empires to experience the complex factors that contribute to military efforts in times of war.

Reference

Steinkuehler, C. & Duncan, S. (2008) Scientific habits of mind in virtual worlds. Journal of Science Education & Technology, 17(6), 530-543.