**6. Concluding remarks**

The research on modern students' education methods and techniques has proven that education based on practical usage of knowledge and training in a target activity environment is the most effective way of learning and educating [41]. Business simulation games are developed to implement different real scenarios and virtual worlds enabling the player motivation to be upgraded and the learning goals achieved. They specially try to make a good attempt in capturing and combining the virtual reality technologies and engaging components of video games for simulation of the real eco-systems. The current study is a contribution to the assessment of the business simulation games to be perceived as an interesting and desired form of gaining experience to be used in later professional practice [42].

However, business simulation games can be allocated to different game types or categories, based on the variety of "learning" content and their technical capabilities. In that context is extracting the in-built learning activities which were proved to be the most important in the game assessment within the educational and training environment. The presented study is a contribution to this area of research. The selected business simulation games from the current stage of "world of business games" and their study are not attempts to cover the whole knowledge area that can be met in business education [39], but complement the current research in this field which is considered to cover some of the most important methods of acquiring technical and problem-related knowledge. When a combination of business simulation games is adequately set up within particular educational process, this becomes a practical teaching-related arrangement that successfully combines the natural predisposition of the players with planned and directed knowledge acquirement. With most of the other teaching methods, this is rarely the case.

This contribution has pointed out to the fact that different games provide different skills and practice and that is one of the reason why the selection of most appropriate game should be based on criteria and property evaluation. By deciding/selecting which "field" of business education needs to be "trained", suitable set of games can be found as the market of business games is sufficiently large and rich. However, the market changes with time to time and business simulation games are offered with variety of expectations, limitations (games can be out of date, they can be commercial, they work just on certain platforms) and (dis)advantages that should be carefully considered.

With all positive effects found in the training with business simulation games, it is necessary to point out that digital learning games, on the other hand, can also have some negative aspects. Games and gaming behaviors can in many ways be fundamentally incompatible with the institutional education environment. As Caillois [43] outlines, this can be formulated by consideration of the six formal qualities of games regarding the incompatibleness with the institutional environment:


**•** Government by rules

**6. Concluding remarks**

254 E-Learning - Instructional Design, Organizational Strategy and Management

teaching methods, this is rarely the case.

that should be carefully considered.

institutional environment:

**•** Uncertainty of outcome **•** Non-productiveness

**•** Freedom

The research on modern students' education methods and techniques has proven that education based on practical usage of knowledge and training in a target activity environment is the most effective way of learning and educating [41]. Business simulation games are developed to implement different real scenarios and virtual worlds enabling the player motivation to be upgraded and the learning goals achieved. They specially try to make a good attempt in capturing and combining the virtual reality technologies and engaging components of video games for simulation of the real eco-systems. The current study is a contribution to the assessment of the business simulation games to be perceived as an interesting and desired

However, business simulation games can be allocated to different game types or categories, based on the variety of "learning" content and their technical capabilities. In that context is extracting the in-built learning activities which were proved to be the most important in the game assessment within the educational and training environment. The presented study is a contribution to this area of research. The selected business simulation games from the current stage of "world of business games" and their study are not attempts to cover the whole knowledge area that can be met in business education [39], but complement the current research in this field which is considered to cover some of the most important methods of acquiring technical and problem-related knowledge. When a combination of business simulation games is adequately set up within particular educational process, this becomes a practical teaching-related arrangement that successfully combines the natural predisposition of the players with planned and directed knowledge acquirement. With most of the other

This contribution has pointed out to the fact that different games provide different skills and practice and that is one of the reason why the selection of most appropriate game should be based on criteria and property evaluation. By deciding/selecting which "field" of business education needs to be "trained", suitable set of games can be found as the market of business games is sufficiently large and rich. However, the market changes with time to time and business simulation games are offered with variety of expectations, limitations (games can be out of date, they can be commercial, they work just on certain platforms) and (dis)advantages

With all positive effects found in the training with business simulation games, it is necessary to point out that digital learning games, on the other hand, can also have some negative aspects. Games and gaming behaviors can in many ways be fundamentally incompatible with the institutional education environment. As Caillois [43] outlines, this can be formulated by consideration of the six formal qualities of games regarding the incompatibleness with the

**•** Separation (from events outside of the game world and the structure of the game)

form of gaining experience to be used in later professional practice [42].

**•** Make-believe (not real)

Freedom of action means that the games are time-consuming and diffuse, tending to frustrate attempts to focus efforts on a single, measurable curricular element. Separation of the gaming world from the outside world may make it difficult to connect gaming outcomes to establish‐ ed learning standards, and the uncertainty of outcome can make it difficult to measure formal learning in any case.

Gamedesigners inthatcaseneedtore-assess thebusinessgames inorderforthebusinessmodels to be re-built for more realistic simulation of the market situations. Moreover, a properly designedgameshouldallowonetogenerateresultsthatwouldshowitsparticipantstheincrease intheknowledgegainedduringthegame inthenormal courseofgameusage (duringthegame).

We may conclude as well as that the business simulation games make great attempts to seize technologies for presenting the virtual reality and the entertaining components from digital games world. By capturing the massive size of resources and technology from the video games industry, business games can bring learners in to new environment where business (manage‐ ment) processes can play a major role in everyday life.

These are the processes that are identified as critical to different type of organizations (energy sector, banking, health care, supply chain, logistic infrastructures, traffic systems, customer service, telecom service, politics, etc.), This chapter does not bring solutions for "how to select" a business simulation game for particular educational case. It does not provide also advices to which level business games should be used in the game-based learning environments, but it provides ideas about the appropriateness of several indicative games and how to assess some aspects of their educational capabilities in achieving learning goals. This chapter contributes also to the widening of the educator's horizons and opens a window towards the "massive world" of continuously rising the world of business simulation games. The chapter has shown as well that the "great teachers-designers" need to step forward together with people with visions in the area of e-learning for better harnessing of the wide range of business simulation game world.

Another concluding remark goes to the request of simulation games to be used as didactic tools within the new learning methods, that is, they must be extremely precise in the simulation of the business market realities. Game developers should monitor continuously everyday business ecosystem, so they can adequately present the predicted market situations that make the virtual world as close as possible to the real world.
