The New Space Race: A Classroom Game about the Maturation Process of New Markets


Page 261 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 42, 2015 

 

ABSTRACT 

 
This classroom game teaches students about the dynamics of 

new markets. Its attempts to simulate an incipient market that 

matures during the game by evolving from its beginning with a 

large number of small competitors benefiting from small entry 

barriers and gradually moving to a mature state with a few 

dominant companies and high entry barriers. 

It uses an incipient private space sector as its background and 

incorporates the concepts of market saturation, complementary 

markets, externalities and entrance barriers. Players compete 

to secure their share in the ascending market. As the market 

growths, their size and their failures bring more governmental 

attention and regulation. In addition, the companies acting at 

this stage develop economies of scale. Its game dynamics pro-

mote close interaction between players as their plans outcomes 

are heavily affected by the successes and the failures of other 

players’ plans.  

The game was designed to be a fluid experience that does not 

require special infrastructure and was designed to have one 

hour of core game experience. 

THE NEW SPACE RACE: 

A CLASSROOM GAME ABOUT  

THE MATURATION PROCESS OF NEW MARKETS 

 
Marcelo Granja Nunes 

PESC/COPPE – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 

mgranja@cos.ufrj.br 

 

Geraldo Xexéo 

PESC/COPPE & IM/DCC – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 

xexeo@cos.ufrj.br