Edinburgh based Start-up, Games Without Frontiers has unveiled a virtual business simulation game called ROCKET which leads its players through a series of phases that mirror the real-life challenges of managing a high growth business.
Games Without Frontiers (GWOF) are the only people first, business gaming and technology providers in the world, creating team experiences for business individuals to better accelerate a deeper understanding of how a business succeeds.
The simulation starts as a below average, although profitable company, with the player’s mission being to make it the most successful in its field.
ROCKET is a management training simulation, which presents real life business challenges (for example, the Managing Director’s house is secured against the company overdraft). In this new world, every minute is a week. Each round is 26 weeks trade. With an introduction and assessments between rounds. 2 sessions take 3 hours, or a full day for a complete game play.
Origin story
The two that started the business are Tim Dew, a ‘Business Doctor and deal maker’, and Stuart Laing, who has been games simulation facilitator for 10 years. When Tim Dew was approached to make a business ready for sale or transition for merger, acquisition or transfer of ownership the same issues would keep coming up.
When he met Stuart Laing four years later, they came up with the idea of creating a business simulation. Holed up in a Spanish hotel for 10 days, they came away with all the working parts for ROCKET.
When Mike Perrin (an I.T. Architect from Skyscanner) was brought on board the technical delivery and software that controls the game was created.
“Taking teams from good to great”
Tim Dew said: “The strap line for ROCKET is taking teams from good to great. The tech and software that’s been developed for this game has a large quantity of data sets within it. This is to create real simulations of particular human decision making.
“Every individual that plays this game will make decisions based on their own knowledge and experience. We had to create a totally immersive experience that immediately shows the knock-on effect of the individual players’ actions. After-all, the only way to get someone to believe in an idea is to get them to believe it was theirs all along. “
“It also provides bystanders an opportunity to see their team act and react, resolve and communicate with their immediate colleagues. This game will do what is says on the tin.”
To experience ROCKET in play for yourself, please contact GWOF on the “Experience” page: https://rocket.gwof.uk/experience/
