A History of Business Teaching Games in English-Speaking and Post-Socialist Countries: The Origination and Diffusion of a Management Education and Development Technology

Abstract

The modem business gaming movement came about through the fusion of developments in war games, operations research, computer technology, and education theory. Beginning with first applications in the late 1950s, the use of business games in the United States has now reached a mature stage. Within other English-speaking countries, many additional adoptions and applications are possible. Europe's post-Socialist nations possess a rich history of industrial gaming dating back to the early 1930s. The movement of these countries to market-based economies presents new opportunities for applying simulations and games for management education and development.