THE RIGHT VENUE FOR YOUR SIMULATION Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Learning, Volume 27, 2000 THE RIGHT VENUE FOR YOUR SIMULATION David J. Fritzsche, Penn State Great Valley ABSTRACT There are three venues that support simulations, stand alone PCs, local area networks (LAN) and the Internet. We discuss the pros and cons of each. INTRODUCTION We will use five criteria to evaluate the venues: ease of installation, ease of use, control, time required to administer and security. PC BASED GAMES Installation requires a setup routine in which the administrator specifies the location of files re- quired to run the game. This is normally quite easy and can be accomplished by anyone hav- ing minimal computer skills. Games are run by pulling down menus and clicking upon the desired operation. Nested menus are used where several selections must be made. One simply clicks on the desired choices. The game administrator has complete control over game operations including decision input, game processing and game output. He/she also controls game file locations. If a disk failure occurs and files were backed up properly, op- erations can be resumed quickly by simply moving the game to another PC. Players often utilize separate programs to enter team decisions. These programs may also be used to examine and/or print game output. If separate programs are not available, the game administrator must enter decisions centrally, an option also available with most games which provide separate programs. The user interface has become quite friendly with context sensitive help widely available. Decision support software has enhanced the gaming experience (Fritzsche, et. al., 1987) via spreadsheet type tools and graphing routines The growing use of laptops allows PCs to be taken directly into the classroom. The PC can be used to demonstrate the use of players= soft- ware and decision support software. It can also be used to process the game in the classroom. Output from a game can be shared using pro- jection equipment. PC NETWORK Many games that run on PCs also run on PC networks in one of three modes. 1. All pro- grams and files are on the network and access is limited to PCs that are or can connect to the network. 2. The network is used as a common storage medium for game decisions and output with PC access provided via direct connection, modem or the Internet. 3. Some combination of the above two alternatives may be utilized. Network administrators must be consulted to obtain file permission and file location informa- tion when games are installed on a network. When using a network as a storage location there are additional complications involving provisions for uploading and downloading files without corruption while providing security for individual team data. In both cases some con- trol is ceded to the network administrator rela- tive to using stand-along PCs. There may also be sticky issues of time and hardware access to the network. 254 Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Learning, Volume 27, 2000 A game running totally on a network should be easier to run than one running on a PC. There are no floppy disks involved. No game history backups are required as network personnel han- dle that. When a network is used only as a storage medium, running the game will likely be more complicated. Decision files will have to be downloaded prior to running the game and output will have to be uploaded following the game run. Running a game on a network is likely to be faster than running on a PC as there is no floppy disk shuffle. However if the network is used as a storage medium, the time required to run the game may be longer due to the neces- sary downloading of decisions and uploading of game output. If the network and the game are correctly in- stalled, security should be quite good. However networks are exposed to hackers while stand- alone PCs are not. WEB BASED GAMES The Web provides a platform independent venue. The administrator’s program and/or the player=s program may reside on the Web. In- stalling a game is similar to installing a game on a network, as a Web location is part of a network. Thus cooperation of a network administrator is needed and time will be required to install and test the game. The game administrator is dependent upon an operating network. Access to the Web may be difficult during busy times of the day. With the growing use of the World Wide Web, some sites are becoming saturated during hours of heavy traffic. Administrators and teams that use the Web to run a game and/or to enter decisions should find the programs easy to use. Both PCs and Macintosh computers may be used. When only one of the programs is Web based, the issues associated with networks used as storage loca- tions come into play. The time required to run a game will depend upon the configuration. A completely web- based game should be competitive with a com- pletely networked-based game. A hybrid con- figuration where one of the programs is sited on a network and one on a PC will degrade the time required to run the game. Security of a web-based game may be some- what more of a question than for a networked game. Webs appear to be more vulnerable to hackers than standard network operations. This may be due to security problems associated with Java and/or web browsers. Hopefully time will resolve these issues. SUMMARY Each of the game venues offers advantages and disadvantages to designers and administrators. Comparing stand-alone PCs to purely LAN and Web-based games, our judgement can be sum- marized below. (The question mark in the time to run--Web cell refers to network overloads.) Hybrid combinations of local area networks and web based games become less clear regarding issues of control, ease of use and run time. Criteria: Standalone Local Area World Wide PCs Networks Web Ease of setup Easy Difficult Difficult Control Complete Limited Limited Ease of use Easy Very easy Very easy Time to run Quick Very quick Very quick (?) Security Excellent Good Good 255 Table of Contents Volume 27, 2000 Internet International: A Simulation Exercise for Understanding Technological Innovation and customer Service In a Rapidly Growing Internet Server Company Simulations and Learning: Dialog and Directions Endnote Activity: A Tool for Integration of Course Content and Communication Skill Practice Incorporating Video as a Teaching Strategy in Interpersonal Communication Vision Quest: An Alternative Approach to Industry Analysis for MBA Courses in Strategic Strategic Management: An Evaluation of the Use of Three Learning Methods Trainer, Mentor, Educator: What Role for the College Business Instructor in the Next Century? Using the Internet and Shareware to Facilitate Computer Simulation in Distance Learning Classes Visual Modeling of Business Simulations Teaching about Information with Management Games A Self-Evaluation Based on the Discussion and Decision in Experts' Business Gaming The Restaurant Game Using Journals to Enhance Computer Simulation Based Learning Exercises to Facilitate Better Student Writing in the Undergraduate Strategy Class Identifying, Resolving, and Managing Common Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace: An Experiential Approach Integrating the Digital Revolution into the Classroom The Wheel of Learning: An Integrative Business Curriculum Experiment The Changing Nature of Simulation Research: A Brief ABSEL History Perspectives on Simulation & Gaming's Review Process Experiential Learning Across Disciplines: Mixing International Business and Accounting Simulating Governmental Effects on Economic Development Internationalizing the Introduction to Business Course Using an International Text and Domestic Simulation with a Twist Using Stock Value as the Performance Measure in a Business Simulation Game Introducing Cross-Elasticities in Demand Algorithms Validating a Model of Currency Valuation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Politics Exercise: Preparing Financial Reports Using the Group Categorizing Technique Effect of Trust and Cultural Beliefs on Negotiation Processes: Data from an Experiential Role Play Experiential Learning Gets Stamp of Approval From the Boyer Commission Talent Search 2000 - An Experiential Activity to Help Strengthen Skills in Employee Recruitment and Selection Clemson University's Collaborative Learning Environment Initial Data on a Test Bank Assessing Total Enterprise Simulation Learning Changing the Assessment Paradigm: Using Student Portfolios To Assess Learning from Simulations How We Learn and Why We Don't: The Cognitive Profile Model: A Workshop in Teaching to Reach Your Students Knowing Thyself: A Portfolio Approach to Student Self-Assessment Collaborative Learning and Web-Based Instruction in a Cognitive Apprenticeship Model Teamwork Attributes in a Classroom Simulation Virtual Teams: Meeting the Next Challenge for Experiential Education New Age Learning: Nuance or Nonsense Developing Charisma: An Experiential Exercise in Leadership Problems and Solutions in Going Web-based with an Agribusiness Simulation Creating a Comprehensive Web-Enhanced Classroom Your Class is in Session, Now What? The Challenges of Teaching On-line An Application of Process Control Charts for Attributes as a Form of Classroom Assessment for Experiential Learning Work Goals and Life Aspirations: Do You Have What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur An Exercise to Develop Initiative: Possible Dream? The Ball Point Pen Assembly Company Management Game Review System Development Total Enterprise Simulations and Optimizing the Decision Set: Assessing Student Learning Across Decision Periods Facilitating Learning in the New Millennium with the Complete Online Decision Entry, System (CODES) The Marketing Management Experience The Right Venue for Your Simulation One More Time: Overall Dominance in Total Enterprise Simulation Performance A Profile of ABSEL Conference Attendees Learning Readiness: An Underappreciated Yet Vital Dimension in Experiential Learning Active Learning in a Professional Undergraduate Curriculum The Problem Is - They Think Differently! Cultures Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions: Putting Managers Together in a Business Simulation The Global Business Game: A Strategic Management and International Business Simulation