Business Training Simulations: Various Types

Hello SimDev Community-

When people contact us that are new to simulations, they are often uncertain about the various types of training simulations. There really are many, but for ease of classifications, we'll highlight the top 3. These are:
1. Virtual
2. Game Based
3. Branching Stories

Let's take a quick review of these types of business simulations:
1. Virtual Business Simulation ($$$): These tend to be sensory in nature. Most people would argue that a virtual business simulation is visual, but we disagree. What happens if the participant is visually impaired? Does this mean they can't participate? To get back to the point, a virtual business simulation enables participants to interact at a sensory level. Some easy examples of a virtual business simulation is a flight simulator. Here, participants feel and see their environment and must learn to keep the plane in flight or safely landed (for example). When it comes to a business scenario, some companies have played with Second Life. We think this is expensive and a bit "far out" for now. Maybe some day this will be useful. That being said, there are definitely edge cases where this is useful for a business simulation.

2. Game Based Business Simulation ($$): This covers A LOT of territory. This spans from actual games that include a goal of learning through online interactive simulations. Some common tools for building a game based simulation are Flex, Flash, Java, C/C++ (various tools), and many many others. This is the bulk of what is used within a business simulation or business training simulation.

3. Branching Stories Business Simulation ($): These are often the least expensive and very easy to implement. They can be a little unnatural, but they are more effective than a lecture. In a Branching Stories Business Simulation, participants are given a scenario and a few choices to decide from. After each decision, the participant will be given additional information and more choices. In the end, they will realize if the outcome of the business simulation was successful or not. Branching story business simulations are often used for scenario or reaction training. This is especially the case within HR.

Please keep in mind, this is a very very brief overview and not designed to be inclusive. This give you a general idea of some of the more popular types of business simulations that are used for training and development.

We hope this helps and have a nice weekend.