What do managers learn at the gaming table?
Economic mechanisms are ever-present in board games. Players produce goods, trade in raw materials and pay for their actions with money. Klaus Teuber, author of “Die Siedler von Catan”, explains what entrepreneurs can learn at the gaming table. And Ulrich Blum, spokesperson for the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft (SAZ), reveals why capitalism in many games works just like in the textbook.
Note: This interview complements an article that was published in Wirtschaftswoche 5/2013 and first appeared in 2013 on zuspieler.de
On the online platform Xing, 228 people state that they like “Die Siedler von Catan”. Among them are managing directors, business consultants and project managers. Monopoly only has 72 fans. Why is Catan more popular with managers than Monopoly, which is after all considered the quintessential capitalist game?
Teuber: Monopoly is a true-to-life and consistent game. If you don’t pay attention or have bad luck, you’re out. That happens to managers in real life too. If they make mistakes or have bad luck, they tumble down the career ladder. Maybe that’s why entrepreneurs don’t like Monopoly. Also, in that game – just like in reality – they constantly have to manage financial bottlenecks. In “Die Siedler von Catan”, players don’t handle money; instead, primitive trading in raw materials dominates. These are used to build a small empire with roads, settlements and cities. Your existence on the board is never at risk. You might lose, but you can still look back proudly at what you’ve created.
What does it take for managers to learn something at the gaming table?
Teuber: Managers go through a tough school. A board game can barely teach them anything new in terms of economic theory. But certainly, one game or another can provide insight into human psychology. Bluffing, persuading, complaining or deceiving – all of these occur in games and in real life. In games, you learn a lot about the behaviour of your fellow players.
Why isn’t that on the box? For children’s games, publishers do actively advertise learning effects.
Teuber: Parents or grandparents buy children’s games. They often go for educational games because these promise to teach their children knowledge and help them progress. The fun factor is often secondary in the purchasing decision. Adults expect a game to provide good entertainment, a break from everyday life and sociable hours. They’ve been learning all their lives. Learning is part of everyday life, which they’d like to forget about for a few hours while playing. Games for older children and adults that advertise learning effects therefore have little chance on the market.
In almost all economic games, capitalism still works just like in the textbook. Profit and victory points are everything. Financial crises, trade unions or consumer boycotts are foreign words. Why?
Blum: As Mr Teuber already said. Most people don’t want to be reminded of work when they’re playing. That’s why publishers often dress up economic games in historical settings. Northern Italy during the Renaissance or the Netherlands during the Reformation are popular backdrops. Many of today’s economic mechanisms first appeared during these times. Also, it’s a nicer feeling to act within a system that’s developing positively rather than dealing with crises. Although there are indeed games about the Dutch tulip mania or stock market crashes.
Does an author need to understand business administration to design a good strategy game?
Blum: It depends on which mechanisms they use. There are many games that deal with supply and demand situations. Here, basic economic knowledge is certainly helpful. At the latest, if I want to depict real-world economic events, it’s essential to engage with economic topics.
Why?
Blum: Real market mechanisms are very complex. When depicting them in a game, the author has to select a few factors that seem important to them. Turning these factors into a functioning game is a lot of work. In particular, balancing prices and mechanisms takes time. A game system sometimes reacts surprisingly strongly to small rule changes. Finding the right balance requires many tests.
Back to Catan: Mr Teuber, what tactics give not just managers a chance of winning?
Teuber: In “Die Siedler von Catan”, not only strategic foresight and tactical skill are required, but also social competence. It can be helpful to complain a little at the right moment so that you’re not visited by the robber. Another major beginner’s mistake is investing in the “Longest Road” victory point card right at the start of the game and neglecting settlement construction. That’s like a company making investments that boost its reputation in the short term but don’t generate sustainable returns.