Although it may appear easy to define, the concept of marketing simulation games is actually pretty tricky to explain. The problem comes from the fact that we have to go several layers deep, in order to capture the meaning of the term as a whole. First of all, we have to understand serious games, we need to grasp the business simulation genre, after which we are left with our actual concept of business simulation games.
Let’s tackle serious games first. According to WiseGeek, “serious games refer to those games or equipment that may accompany gaming systems or computers that are used to play <<games>> where the principal intent isn’t amusement or pleasure. Instead, these games can have multiple objectives and be constructed for many different audiences.”
In other words, this are a host of games that aren’t developed for pure entertainment purposes. The most common use for serious games is teaching. Which brings us to the second part of our definition, the business simulation games. Let’s see what the experts say…
According to Wikipedia, “Business simulation is simulation used for business training or analysis. It can be scenario‑based or numeric‑based. Most business simulations are used for business acumen training and development.”
Chris Elgood, author of “Using Management Games”, identifies four characteristics of a game, which are also prominent in serious games: opposing participants whose actions affect each other and their environment, a sense of competition, enjoyment, and a repetition of a decision‑outcome cycle, aimed at continuous personal improvement.
In short, a business simulation is a representation of a real world business scenario, in which players interact and test out their ideas, seeking to improve their knowledge of the field.
Now that both the serious game concept and the business simulation term are out of the way, we still have to learn about marketing serious games.
A marketing simulatio game is a business simulation software aimed at sharpening the skills necessary to perform in the marketing landscape. In short, it is an educational software that replicates the challenges faced by marketers in the real world, allowing learners to test their marketing strategies and to gain knowledge for future real life situations.
Simbound is an online marketing game that simulates real life digital marketing environments, allowing students to manage advertising budgets, develop and assess marketing campaigns and gain practical knowledge in solving the most difficult tasks they would be faced with in the real online marketing industry.
Understanding Marketing Simulation Games 