First day of Teaching: Completed

[Pterrydactyl]

It's a Game Design class, and it seemed to go well.  It's fucking 4 hours long though, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do in future classes.  Good new though, our "lab" is always playing videogames, so I LITERALLY GET PAID TO PLAY VIDEOGAMES AND WATCH OTHER PEOPLE PLAY THEM.

[Snowbound Milk]

lol, nirvana

[Electric Mango]

Teach them the history of RIA. 

[Arsenal 10]

They'll love you if you let them go early sometimes.

[Brian]

Its cool, you dont need any material for more lessons. you just kinda stop showing up after the first time so no worries there mate!

[Buck Turgidson]

That's one of the things I do for a living. 

Incidentally, I have an alpha version of a very complex web-based simulation ready as of a few days ago, and am currently looking for play testers.

There is no monetary reward in it for you, but I am an outstanding professional sales and business trainer, and I can assure you that you will learn something.  I am very attentive to feedback.

It is a multi-party, competitive, value chain game simulating the XXXX industry.  2 players each play competing manufacturers, 3 play distributors, and the rest are a mix of YYY manufacturers, YYY dealers, and XXXX dealers.

Each party creates supply and sales contracts with each other, and some parties can jump over each other by investing in a salesforce or a e-shop.  The game runs through 24 turns, where you set prices, buy stock, pay each other's bills (or don't)...  You make short term and long term investments...etc  Well, here is the official brief:

Description
The XXXX Industry Simulation will be primarily targeted at the Consumer sales force.  It is designed to simulate the MANU value chain, and demonstrate the pressures on price positioning and forecast accuracy.  It will take the place of many powerpoint presentations, and use experiential learning instead.  Participants will compete and collaborate with each other to win.

Organization
The Simulation consists of the following modules:
-   XXXX Dealership (already exists, but will be modified)
-   YYY Dealership
-   OEM YYY Manufacturer
-   Wholesaler / Distributor / e-retailer
-   XXXX Manufacturer
In each simulation, the participant will manage the relevant unit, attempting to maximize profitability and total company value.  Each unit will have the ability to conduct business transactions with each other, such as buying and selling XXXXs, invoice, make payments, create supply contracts…etc.
Product attributes will include label scores, and branding, which will result from decisions that the manufacturers make.  Parties in the value chain will be able to undercut their own distribution channels, which will trigger learning points.  Only Wholesalers will be able to enter into e-retailing.
The underlying economy can be adjusted to simulate different conditions.  Fluctuating demand from different types of consumers will form the basis of the economy (ie TMS…etc), and a product’s appeal to that segment can be molded by participant decisions.
Participants will each play different roles in several one-day sessions.  In follow on sessions, the participants will play different roles.  The curriculum for a given cluster will be to complete each of the relevant modules.
The simulation will be translated into 12 languages, which participants can switch to seamlessly throughout the session.  This will enable multi-lingual sessions to take place, and increase the possible trainer pool.

Course objectives:
- Experience TMS strategic concepts.
- To enable sales people to identify and quantify value in MANU’s extended value chain.
- To reinforce understanding of financials and business acumen.
- To motivate sales people to create, deliver, and capitalize on value.
- To improve product positioning and forecasting.

Course topics
The following materials will be delivered along with the simulation:
-   Forecasting for Sales (developed)
-   Pricing for Sales (in progress)
-   Supply Chain for Sales (developed)
-   Additional materials will be developed according to business priorities

Measures
- Centrally driven subscriptions
- Simulation completions
- Certification scores (end of year)
- Course Surveys

Apo, if you are interested in having your class play through when it is out of Beta (or at this stage), I will cover the licence costs in exchange for feedback.  This is a tool that will be used globally by a major multi-national that you all know, and you probably use their products.  It is the follow on to the most successful program ever done by this company, which was a far simpler simulation, rolled out globally, and my creation.  Last year I flew every where from Moscow to Bangkok to Johannesburg to Madrid and everywhere in between to deliver these kinds of simulations.  I love my life.

This space is remarkably small, and if you engage in this project, I may be able to give you some exposure with my supplier's partners in the US.

[Snowbound Milk]

Jurassic Park: Trespasser - Part 1/2 - Welcome to Paradise!

[Rey the Great]

so like how many RIA members have teaching licenses because this makes me uneasy!

[Leo]

I teach but I don't have a license.

[Buck Turgidson]

I teach but I don't have a license.

Same here.

[Rey the Great]

that's somehow more comforting

[Brian]

GS, your game looks like a rip off of cookie clicker.

on a side note, obviously the manufacture will sell 1 unit at infinite price due to the end of the supply demand graph having an asymptote at 0 and infinite and simply stop. this will maximize his profits AND his total % money earned compared to that of his competitors. The competition will then fight over fractions of product X so they can perform the useless roll of middleman and taking money for nothing while fucking everyone else as much as possible. Sounds mildly entertaing to watch i guess.

[Buck Turgidson]

GS, your game looks like a rip off of cookie clicker.

on a side note, obviously the manufacture will sell 1 unit at infinite price due to the end of the supply demand graph having an asymptote at 0 and infinite and simply stop. this will maximize his profits AND his total % money earned compared to that of his competitors. The competition will then fight over fractions of product X so they can perform the useless roll of middleman and taking money for nothing while fucking everyone else as much as possible. Sounds mildly entertaing to watch i guess.

Cookie Clicker was indeed the main source of inspiration.  The strategic elements of that game put Civilization to shame.

The supply and demand engine is more realistic than what you describe.  The middleman has to create value to earn their keep, and can jump over their own customers by launching a website and selling directly to consumers.  The manufacturer can invesst in a salesforce, enabling him to jump over the middle man.  You can design and create new products and then brand them, and manage the production lines (switching incurs slowed productions and ramp ups).

It really is an awesome business simulation, used for serious purposes, and if noone wants to do the Alpha, I will have the finished version ready in a few weeks.  I could create an RIA event where you would play 1 turn per day for a month, which is a mode I want to experiment with.  Support would be via Skype.

Let me know if you are interested in playing - it is really fun, and intensely competitive, with a maximum of 22 players.

[Biff Webster]

[Ogaden]

This has inspired me to take up teaching

[Buck Turgidson]

Yeah.  I am basing a simulation on that gif too.  Lots of charts.  Few deliverables.  But it will be inspiring.