Designing Educational Games for Project Management using the MyPMgame Canvas

Abstract

The development and application of educational games has firmly established itself in the fields of business economics and political science, both for the purpose of vocational and further training as well as the research of complex systems and the partly dynamic structures included therein. Hitherto, this does not entirely apply to technically-oriented fields like for instance the engineering, natural or computer sciences, in which plans or endeavors are frequently realized with project orientation.
In accordance with the German Standard DIN 69901, a project is a complex, previously unknown, unique, target-oriented and temporally limited plan or initiative, collaboratively implemented either by an individual or a specific group of contributors to realize a defined quality for a specific purpose.
Interestingly enough, this definition demonstrates a notable analogy to common definitions of educational games, allowing the deduction that especially the method of educational simulation & gaming can deliver a valuable contribution to vocational and further training in project-oriented industries, potentially even serve as a forecasting or optimization tool. Currently it appears impossible to determine the specific reasons for the limited application of educational games in the technically-oriented disciplines. Nevertheless, these reasons can be expected to have historical origin or depend on subject-related issues within the culture of the profession.
In contrast to that, experience shows whilst a general interest in educational simulations and their methodology frequently exists, the necessary methodological and subject-related didactic know-how is yet unavailable.
To overcome the barriers existing to date for the application of educational simulations in the above-mentioned domains, this contribution presents a 12 stages development framework for the straightforward conceptualization and modular refinement of educational simulations with special orientation towards the project-oriented industries.
After introducing the theoretical background of the framework the game development process is presented as an example by using a wind energy project (converter platform).