© 2011, EU Lifelong Learning Programme
Emerald Forest:About
From Emerald Forest
NHTV
This site is part of a much bigger project: the total of the Management game Emerald Forest. This game has been developed at the NHTV in Breda and is part of the internationalisation project of this institute. NHTV International Higher Education Breda aims to build a distinct profile for itself as an independent higher education institution and seeks to foster academic productivity in research and teaching as well as professional development in the following interrelated disciplines:
- Digital Entertainment
- Hotel & Facility
- Leisure
- Tourism
- Urban Development, Logistics & Mobility
- Gaming
NHTV offers eleven applied Bachelor programmes. Furthermore, NHTV has a Master programme in the field of Imagineering and two Master programmes in the field of Tourism.
NHTV has a strong international character and develops its curriculum based on two strategic themes:
- imagineering and
- cross-cultural understanding.
NHTV has four locations in Breda, more than 6,500 national and international students, and over 600 employees.
NHTV Academic studies have started August 2010
NHTV is the first independent institute for higher education offering a study at an academic level: the bachelor Leisure science. This fills in very well the total of the studies offered at NHTV which now cover the total of vocational studies, studies of higher education (bachelor and master) and academic studies (bachelor and - within shortly - master). All of this related to the international working field.
This site and the game
All of the game has been build in house. This game is the second simulation of its kind build by a development team led by Corné Dijkmans and Jeroen Vinkesteijn. The first game build, named Boschlust, has been played by more the 10.000 students in the last ten years. The new game you are visiting right now, Emerald Forest is played by several other institutes around the world (if interested to join in check Category:First impression, participating countries are listed [[Category:Overview|on this page]).
This site is part of the total of this management game. Because of its form (a wiki on the internet) it might suggest that all of its content is free to be uses: this is not true. All intellectual property rights, including but not limited to, copyrights, trademark rights and database rights related to the information, text, images, logos, photographs and illustrations on this website and regarding the lay-out and design thereof are the property of NHTV Breda and can only be used by it's project-partners. The information on this website is only meant for use in the management game Emerald Forest. The reproduction and publishing (of parts of) the content for any use, in whatever form, or in whatever way, is prohibited without the prior written consent of the building team at
NHTV Breda.
All of the game
This new Management game is internet-based and Web 2.0 linked and build for students of any university or institute of higher education. The game has an international character. We offer a collaboration with university's/institutes all over the world. One of the main objectives, apart from the game and it's contents, is to learn from the solutions found in other countries, learn from their evaluation and look beyond the borders of your own country, institute and your own way of thinking. The game has proven to make teams enthusiastic and creative, as it is an motivating way to study.
Joining this game?
If you are interested in joining the game or have any suggestions for that matter, don’t hesitate to contact NHTV Breda the Netherlands at any time. There is a promotional DVD available (PAL and NTSC) which will give you more information on the whole of the game. More on the game and its content is to be found by a short tour here.
Costs and grants
The NHTV is not a commercial organisation, so this game is offered not on a commercial base. We seek to develop new insights in studybehavior and motivating study methods and we want to stimulate internationalisation and cooperation: therefore we offer this as a platform. Their are some restrictions and some costs, of course, but we will discus them. Exchange-programs are a possibility as well. For innovative, international and digital projects like this, there is also a number of grants available like Erasmus and Leonardo -partly in Dutch. This might be a possibility as well. Our international office might help you on this one.
Building team
The game is being built by
- Corné Dijkmans: senior Lecturer Marketing and Economics, involved in games since 1995, has build two games himself. Also leading the project Electronic Learning Environments inside the NHTV. Running a company of his own, apart from the NHTV job.
- Jeroen Vinkesteijn: senior Lecturer Marketing and Economics, involved in games since 1995, has build two (other) games himself as well. He has working experience in Tourism and Leisure for 10 years. Also running his own company.
- Jelte Ronner: assisting in building. PHP specialist in the game, constructor in the Flight-simulations-software of Airport Schiphol Amsterdam, worked with Skyteam in Lyon now working in Antwerp (Belgium) for an aviation company.
Latvia experience
In Valmiera, Latvia we played the beta version of the new game with 100 students: we are very much obliged to them for this. You can find a report on the beta-version of the game we played over there here. We are ever building in this site, but the final version has now been played by more then 1.300 students. We are proud to announce that from September 2010 onwards, the Management game Emerald Forest and it's supporting wiki have become part of an international EU-program around Emerald Forest.
Photo's on the first Latvia version of the game you can find in this spot.
European development
We are proud to announce that from Oktober 2010 onwards, the Management game Emerald Forest and it's supporting wiki have become part of an international Life Long Leraning EU-program around Emerald Forest.
The partners in this program are:
Content of the game
Of course there is much to tell about the game and it will develop all of the time by the way it is used and by suggestions and wishes brought to us by the participants and by technical improvements. The simulation is build based on marketing/economics ratio's in the leisure market. There is a bungalow park called Emerald Forrest which needs new management. There are all kind of historical financial en commercial figures (backlog) available. In this game decisions have to be made and backed by arguments: not just pushing buttons or guessing numbers. It is, by its techniques not a fancy (3-dimensional) game: we have build something to learn from and to learn with. The software is purely supporting the game, content and involvement are the most important factors in this game. Fun elements, competition and reflections as well as discussions and feedback by the teaching staff make this game interesting and a motivating way to study.
The students work in teams and take over an existing bungalow park (so there is a backlog: financially and general) and as they are the new management they will try to run the park in the best possible way. They will do so by standards set in the game, set by the board of directors and by themselves in a number of years (playing rounds). The park also offers possibilities for day recreation (leisure activities) and some free space which they can use in a creative way. The basic problems of the management is the occupancy rate (due to fierce competition) and the market situation, which is rather tight. Creativity is needed and well appreciated in the ganme.
Most of the communication will be done through and this site. We have embedden lot of Web 2.0 features. The planning, for now, is a 3 to 5 ECTS study load for the students (1 ECTS brings a study load of 28 hours). The ideal situations is a group of students with some commercial (communication/pr) and economical background: some knowledge of the leisure market might come handy. The game could be used for 1st to 4th students or any combination depending on the tasks given, related to the game.
Parts of the game
The game consist of five major parts:
1. Preparations
The preparation to make the game as required by the institute. This means technically but also on content in the site and in the sociale media. There will also be a (printed) manual available which contains instructions and dates related to the actual game. If there are (more) coaches needed, there is a manual for them as well. The task, study load and assignments depend on the wishes of the institute playing the game. There are some adjustments necessary to have each game living up to the wishes of the institute participating. This also means specific tasks, assignments, instructions and dates. The Game can be a hang-up for many other competences or subject which might be connected with it. But it can be played as only the game itself as well. Fun, competition, experience and learning form each other are very important to us. We have the experience that students really get enthusiastic and really involved in the game once they have started it. It is totally different form a traditional course or lectures.
Task would be defined as: developing a new name and new image to the park. Building a press map and a house style. Making strategic decisions as the prices, staff and promotion. Describing the situation on the leisure in your country and reflecting on the decision made in other countries: reflecting on their names and strategies as you would apply them to your own country.
The building team will monitor this from a distance (Holland). The teams get instructions to do make their basic preparation and start working in the wiki. Half of the game (study load)can be played before any of the Dutch staff arriving by means of this Wiki.
2. Working in the game
This site is the central place for all information on the game, for all decisions and all results. The work in here can has started well before the third part: the management game week. In the planning all of this will be ready and started approximately two weeks before the actual 'rounds' are played in the game. The ideal situation will be that Dutch staff arrives just before playing the final week of the game.
3. Management game playing the rounds
In this management game week two members of the staff of the Game will come over tot your institute. In this period the teams will make the actual decisions on price, we will play a number of round (reflecting year). Each round will bring lots of results (a management report ranking in the competition, feedback etc.). Basic idea is to transfer this knowledge and having local staff run this part 3 after soem expereince by themselves.
We would need a number of days to play the game live with the students. The ideal situation would be 4/5 consecutive days (ideal situation will be a week dedicated to the game, other solutions are possible). Supporting their decisions and the competition there is an introduction movie, there are supporting wiki movies, the is a market fair, activities like a three minutes of fame, special features like disasters and positive events, there is a number of presentations, there are classes and there will be a prize ceremony. There is loads of extra information on the site: photo’s as well as video footage. All of this can be done by the building team, though we would appreciate very much support by local staff. We will evaluate the game and can also decide on marks given to the students, if you whish you.
4. Presentations and movies
As just explained: to support the game there is an introduction movie and to close the game there is a movie as well. There is a number of (Powerpoint) presentation to support each round, a big prize-ceremony amongst other activities. We can personalize these items as well.
5. Linked assignments
There is a number of so called linked assignments: some directly available some will be build on your request. These linked assignments will use the game as a platform or a giant case to work on a very specific assignments which can be related to anything suitable in the studies:
- languages
- technical things
- financial calculations
- staff-related things
as examples. These assignments can be posted in on this platform, could be presentations or other activities done 'live' in the study-environment.
International
All of the decisions, photo's and reports written by teams will be saved in here. Teams of any country will have to react on the decisions made by fellow students in other countries, and comments on the situation there. This is, by the way, not real time. Have a look at Category:Emerald forest international
Flexibility
There is a lot of flexibility in the game: if the Game might suit somewhere in your planning, we can discus on all of the details. Of course bungalow sites are obviously not very common in all of the countries: but we can discuss as to see the possibilities the game does offer to your situation.
Interested?
Send a mail to vinkesteijn.j -atkinson- nhtv.nl or have a look at the NHTV site and contact the international office or anyone referring to this project.
If you have any questions related to playing the game as a student, have a look at the FAQ and at Help first. If you do not find your answers there, please contact your coaches (or the Game council) so not the addresses mentioned above!
No inlog rights?
If you do not have any rights in this wiki you can only jump from here to
- Info on the privacy policy
- The main page where you entered this wiki
- More on the project
- General disclaimer
Other links (blue texts) inside this wiki will not work, links out of this wiki will work.
