How it works — Business Battle

Game story & Rules

The introduction consists of several activities: game story, game rules, forming teams, finding a business idea, creating a strategy and entering the game platform.

Game Story

Tell the players the story of the game.

“You are starting entrepreneurs, who enter the market with some crazy ideas. In the market there are other entrepreneurs, who also have innovative and potential ideas, for example some of them might sell DNA converters and some of them might sell mirrors that show the future. Your goal is to outperform other entrepreneurs in the market, where every player has 200 units of the money, but companies have only 0 units. Winner is the company that has earned the most by the end of the game.”

Game Rules

The rules of Business Battle are:

• The staring capital of all companies is 0!
• Buying your team's product is not allowed!
• The individual and team money must be kept separately!
• Product-for-product exchanges do not count!

Forming Teams

Form at least 4 teams, which each have 3–6 members. Name the teams by the names of the companies in the game platform, such as Team 1, Team 2 and so on.

Finding a business idea

Deal one idea card for each team. And let the team choose one idea from the card. That idea becomes their business idea.

Optional: If you have more time, you can let players generate business ideas themselves. For example, you can use a brainstorming method for this. Do not give them too much time for this, 5-7 minutes is enough.

Forming Teams

Form at least 4 teams, which each have 3–6 members. Name the teams by the names of the companies in the game platform, such as Team 1, Team 2 and so on.

Strategy

The next task is to come up with a strategy, how to sell a product or service.

• How much does the product or service cost?
• How do we sell our product or service?
• What are our sales arguments?
• Who do we sell to?

The players should keep in mind that besides selling their own product/service, they are in the customer role too. So the market is made up of the players and they start selling products/services to each other.

Opening the game platform

Share players access to the Bizplay gaming platform.

• Open game.bizplay.ee
• Enter the game code
• Pick a team (alpha, beta, etc)
• Add players

First attempt at sales

Now the real sales work begins. The players start moving around the room, interacting, and making deals. Facilitator role is to observe. If it seems that players are passive in the first place, the facilitator role is to supportively activate players and to help players get the experience of coming out of their comfort zone.

Analysis of first sales

The analysis consists of several activities: analysis, market changes, and new strategy.

Analysis

Next players finish all the pending transactions and track that has all the money received. Facilitator makes a summary of the first sale stage. Helping questions:

• How much did the company earn?
• What, how much and at what price were sold?

Optional: If you have a projector then show the players the report from the game platform. Or use white board to visualise the results of the sales stages.

Market Changes

Tell the players that all individuals will get more money and the market will change. You can add more money to players on the gaming platform.

Strategy

Now, the players have to change their strategy based on previous experience. The teams can change everything about their idea – both the price and the product or service itself.

Improved product & pricing

Now the real sales work begins. The players start moving around the room, interacting, and making deals. Facilitator role is to observe. If it seems that players are passive in the first place, the facilitator role is to supportively activate players and to help players get the experience of coming out of their comfort zone.

Final analysis of sales

Next players finish all the pending transactions and track that has all the money received. Facilitator makes a summary of the second sale stage and the whole game. Helping questions:

• How much did the company earn?
• What, how much and at what price were sold?

Optional: If you have a projector then show the players the report from the game platform. Or use white board to visualise the results of the sales stages.