General management simulations: an approach for the seventies

Abstract

The great surge of enthusiasm and research in gaming during the sixties provided us with some of the most sophisticated general-management simulations ever. In the seventies we will undoubtedly witness even more interest in these games. However, the value of many of them is questionable because: (a) the time needed to memorize mechanistic rules is excessive and (b) the difficulty in interpreting feedback leads to an inability to draw cause-effect relationships. If these games are to be of real value we need more emphasis in game design upon giving the participants data that can be analyzed, cause-and-effect relationships that can be determined, and situations in which intelligent strategy can be devel oped. In short, less doing and more thinking. The concept of Key Equations as used in TOP MAN AGEMENT SIMULATION, a general management game developed at the University of Nebraska, may serve as a model for these games during the seventies.