Concept

• Create a fun networked multiplayer business simulation game that can be educational both inside and outside the classroom.

• Create a fun networked multiplayer business simulation game that can be educational both inside and outside the classroom.

Fun and Education• Game structure

1. Present situation that involves an economic concept

2. Challenge the guest• Make the guest a little frustrated• Make them want a solution badly

3. Place the knowledge where they can find it

4. Reward!• A moment of empowerment

Reward Structure

• FUN = Frequent Rewards• Minor rewards

– Earning money– Buying new equipment

• Major rewards– Realizing trends– Finding a new concept– Increasing skill and knowledge

Intended Audience

• Students in a classroom & casual players

Metrics for Success

• Helps students grasp some of the most difficult concepts in introductory economics– Give them a quiz afterwards

• People want to play it– Would you rather learn from our

game, or from lectures and textbooks?

Just What Have We Been Doing?

Research

– Rails West!– Settlers of Catan– Puerto Rico– Acquire– Gazillionaire– Mule/Subtrade

– Pit– Imperialism– Civilization– EVE Online– Star Wars

Galaxies– World of Warcraft

Business & Economic games

What we learned…

• Things to include– It needs to be clear that your actions affect

others– Goal is simple, but way to get there is not– Have something interesting to do every turn– Allow players many different strategies

• Things to avoid– Conflict between story and mechanics– Players feeling disenfranchised too early– Too much randomness

Foundation – It’s Alive!!!

Foundation – It’s Alive!!!

What is the Supply Chain?

RawMaterials SteelRubber

GiantRobots

Oil

FlyingCars

Copper

PlasticsTires

Silicon

Microprocessors

Smart BombsOtherInputs

OR Legs

IntermediateProducts

ConsumerProducts

Theme

• Why is theme important?• Things we want in a theme

– Supply chain must make sense– End products don’t just disappear– Resources come from somewhere– Classroom friendly– Promote both cooperation and

competition– Allow for more than one winner

Theme Research

• Themes we have considered– Arms dealing– Colonization of Mars– Capitalism– Burger King vs. McDonalds– Space Race

7 Milestones• Milestone 1

– Research•DONE!

• Milestone 2– Make a foundation without

networking•DONE!

• Milestone 3– Discuss potential scenarios– Decide which ones to do– Choose the first scenario to develop

7 Milestones

• Milestone 4– Complete the first scenario using our

foundation•Make an emergent phenomenon•Guest discovers it•Guest finds “solution”

• Milestone 5– Create a new codebase:

•network code•nice interface•game art

7 Milestones

• Milestone 6– Re-implement Milestone 4 in the

new codebase

• Milestone 7– Add several scenarios with game art

Guest Testing

• David Lamont’s Executive Education

• ETC Students & Faculty• Friends and Family• CMU Economic & Business

Students

Schedule

Budget

Archiving

• Perforce– Code

• Randon– Documentation

• Touchscreen– Themed description of project

• Website– www.gamenomics.com

Biggest Risks

• Classroom vs. Casual• Reward structure doesn’t work• Instead of a game, we end up

with a framework or demo that could be used to make a completed game

• But the biggest risk of all is…

Game Design!

Things we could use help with

• Theme• Technical Suggestions:

– GUI packages

• Guest Testing• Dinner

Thank You.