A serious game... From scratch!

Each of us has surely had the experience of playing different games in his or her life. But how many times did we still think about a specific game? Why was it created? How was it designed? Who first used it?

In the project SG4Adults, we could assist and actually be the creator of our serious game Biz-e-bee.

How to start? How to sketch from zero? First of all we started analysing the results of a need analysis done during the first phase of the project. Those analysis helped us identifying on which competences and attitudes to concentrate on with the purpose of promoting and encouraging entrepreneurial skills in adults. The need analysis supported us also in the identification of the kind of game that could suit our target group. Thus we came to the decision to design a board game based on quizzes and questions to support the improvement and development of 10 specific competences/attitudes: taking initiative, creativity, communication, problem solving, team building, responsibility, determination, self-confidence, goal orientedness and, least but not last, reliability. From this point on we worked on the dynamic and mechanism of the game, so that to create an amusing experinece (a game has to be entertaining!) and to take advantage of each mechanism to promote the specific competences identified above, not only using the questions and challenges.

Coming to the final version of the game was not an easy task: we had to pass through 3 different game versions, and each time test them with possible players, collecting feedback that allowed us to improve the rules and mechanisms.

The final result is Biz-e-bee - to be pronounced as 'Busy bee', which refers to business ('Biz') and entrepreneurship ('e') - a board game for four groups of three to five students. The board game is designed to support teachers in vocational training in stimulateing entrepreneurial skills and competences in their trainees through a variety and diversity of exercises and activities.