Venturing always implies a dose of risk. Choosing the wrong segment for a product, having a poor network and losing money are some of the biggest worries every entrepreneur has. So imagine how good would it be if they could learn how to venture with no risk before jumping into the real market! This is possible. Actually, 52 students of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) in Chile did it last May 29th, playing the Venture Creation Game.
“Even when the risk of this game is no real, you can feel it! No doubt it’s great that no matter if you make mistakes or not, you will learn how to venture by playing without losing tons of money!”, said one of the attendants to this especial class.
The simulation planned for 40 students was so full that some of the 52 students that showed up for it decided to play just at the other side of the classroom door. In fact, some of them decided to play stand up.
Venture in an hour
Building a business is a process that could take several classes for a professor to teach. However, UDD’s Professor Carlos Poblete taught in his Entrepreneurship Course the importance of team formation, networking, mentor acquisition, identifying segment needs, and positioning product in just 1 hour with the Venture Creation Game.
A great thing about teaching with simulators is that students pass from a passive to an active role in class. Practicing when learning, all at the same time! This class, for example, lets students take relevant decisions while playing.
“The educational system is tremendously outdated, and this could change with the fastest adoption of EdTechs. Professors all over the world have the same concern: how to keep student’s attention and motivation in class? Playing with this kind of tool could be the answer!”, said Professor Poblete, who is a PhD in Entrepreneurship.
What Players Say
Matias Ruiz was one of the students who didn’t find a seat during the game session due to the full attendance. Instead of leaving, he stayed and played the Venture Creation Game stand on his feet. Even when it wasn’t the most comfortable way to play, the fun was worth it. “Normally we don’t play with simulators in class so I didn’t want to miss this chance. With the Venture Creation Game, I learned that venturing is not an easy task. It has many phases and a lot of things to take into consideration.”
For Matias’s classmate, Carlos Herrera, students can improve their to the real world and market playing simulations like this. According to him it also affects positively their velocity and assertiveness of the taking decision process.
When both were asked if they would like to play with more simulators like the Venture Creation Game in class, they immediately popped out an emphatic “yes! In every course we have”.
If you are ready to give game-based learning a try, we will be glad to rescue the motivation and engagement in your class. Write us to contact@gamelabeducation.com.