Exploring the Use of a Business Simulation Game in Professional

Certification

Nesrine Rahmouni

, Filipe Borges Albernaz

and Azzeddine Benabbou

Sciado Partenaires, Villeurbanne, France

IRIT, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, UT3, Toulouse, France

Keywords: Business Game, Serious Game, Certification, Simulation, Skills.

Abstract: This paper explores the use of the Startero business simulation game in the context of professional

certification. Startero immerses learners in the role of managing a personal sports coaching business, allowing

them to develop entrepreneurial and decision-making skills in a risk-free environment. Through analysing

participant's feedback in a certification session, this study highlights both the strengths and improvement

areas. Learners appreciated the game's immersive and interactive aspects. However, they also pointed out

organizational and content challenges. These insights provide valuable directions for optimizing Startero, as

well as business simulation games in general, for more effective use in certification programs.

1 INTRODUCTION

Business simulation games (BSGs) have emerged as

a transformative tool in experiential learning,

enabling learners to manage simulated firms and

make strategic decisions in a risk-free, interactive,

and realistic environment (Pando-Garcia et al., 2016).

This hands-on approach not only enhances

student engagement but also fosters the development

of critical skills such as collaboration, decision-

making, problem-solving, and critical thinking (Faria

et al., 2009; Hernández-Lara et al., 2018; Tao et al.,

2015; Vos & Brennan, 2010). Since their inception in

the late 1950s, BSGs have evolved significantly,

driven by advancements in operations research, war

games, computer technology, and educational theory

(Keys & Wolfe, 1990). Today, they are widely

recognized as a powerful pedagogical tool in business

education, providing a dynamic platform that bridges

the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical

application (Pitic & Irimiaș, 2023). However, while

they are effective, some studies suggest that learners’

perceptions of how they help develop specific skills

are influenced by cultural aspects (Hernández-Lara et

al., 2018).

In the context of management training, BSGs

have proven to be highly effective in engaging and

motivating learners (Pitic & Irimiaș, 2023). Their

immersive nature allows participants to take an active

role in decision-making, experiment with strategies,

and analyze outcomes in a controlled yet dynamic

setting(Ben-Zvi, 2010; Sitzmann, 2011). Research

has also consistently demonstrated the positive

impact of BSGs on learning outcomes, including

improved knowledge retention, enhanced problem-

solving abilities, and increased motivation (Beranič &

Heričko, 2022; Faisal et al., 2022; Sitzmann, 2011;

Vogel et al., 2006).

Technological advancements have played an

important role in the evolution of BSGs, with

innovations such as interactive features, advanced

graphics processing, artificial intelligence, and cloud

computing significantly enhancing their realism and

accessibility. These advancements have enabled

BSGs to become a staple in business courses,

particularly at the undergraduate level, where they

provide students with active learning experiences that

are both engaging and educational (Faria et al., 2009).

Beyond fostering engagement, BSGs are instrumental

in developing a wide range of soft skills, including

teamwork, leadership, and communication, as well as

technical skills in areas such as strategic

management, marketing, finance, and project

management (Lean et al., 2006; Pasin & Giroux,

2011).

Unlike traditional teaching methods, which often

rely on passive learning through lectures and

tutorials, BSGs offer a dynamic and experiential

learning environment that closely mirrors real-world

Rahmouni, N., Albernaz, F. B. and Benabbou, A.

Exploring the Use of a Business Simulation Game in Professional Certiﬁcation.

DOI: 10.5220/0013495600003932

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2025) - Volume 1, pages 849-855

ISBN: 978-989-758-746-7; ISSN: 2184-5026

849

business challenges (Williams, 2015). By running a

simulated company, students can integrate and apply

theoretical knowledge, tackle complex problems,

engage in active decision-making, and observe the

consequences of their actions in real time (Faria &

Wellington, 2004). This iterative process of

experimentation and reflection allows students to

learn from their mistakes and develop managerial and

generic skills that are highly valued in the industry

(Gosen & Washbush, 2004). As a result, BSGs have

become an indispensable pedagogical tool in business

education, equipping students with the competencies

needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving global business

landscape.

In this paper, we explore the use of a BSG for

professional certification, a topic that is less

represented in literature. In Section 2, we begin by

presenting the BG Startero, detailing its pedagogical

objectives, and core mechanics. Then, in Section 3,

we describe the certification sessions conducted using

Startero and discuss the participants' feedback.

2 THE BUSINESS SIMULATION

GAME: STARTERO

2.1 Technical Description and Goals

Startero is a business simulation game developed with

PHP programming language. This simulation aims to

cultivate learners' business management skills by

immersing them in the role of managing a personal

sports coaching business. Through realistic scenarios

and strategic decision-making tasks. Startero

enhances skills in business management, financial

management, marketing, and operational efficiency.

The simulation revolves around Tess, a

passionate fitness enthusiast who decides to

transform her passion for sports into a career as a

private sports coach. With the support of her

childhood friend Antoine, who offers both advice and

an initial investment, Tess establishes a Limited

Liability Company.

The players assume the role of Antoine, tasked

with advising Tess and guiding the growth of the

business. Users collaborate in groups to make

strategic decisions and individually develop their

skills. The players mission in the game involves four

key points: firstly, they need to establish a robust

marketing position by comprehensively

understanding and meeting the expectations of target

customers to maximize satisfaction. Secondly, they

must ensure operational efficiency by effectively

organizing resources to support business activities.

Thirdly, they should strive for economic profitability

by aiming to achieve a positive annual financial

outcome. Lastly, they need to adhere to management

constraints, particularly ensuring that their cash flow

remains within the limits set by the bank.

The design of this game is based on two key

components: a learning management system (LMS)

and a simulation platform. The LMS, specifically

Moodle in this case, serves as the entry point of the

BSG. It contains educational resources, pedagogical

activities (primarily quizzes), and relevant

information about the simulation session. The

simulation constitutes the core interactive element of

the game, immersing learners in the business scenario

and prompts them to input their decisions.

2.2 Business Scenario

Startero consists in a 12-month simulation scenario

designed to provide a comprehensive learning of

business skills. Concretely, each month corresponds

to a section in the LMS (See Figure 1). It contains a

concise introduction to fundamental concepts and the

objectives for that month. It also provides educational

resources (pdf documents, videos and exercises)

related to the month’s objectives, along with a quiz

activity to assess learners' understanding. Upon

completing the quiz, learners are directed to the

simulation platform, where they collaborate in teams

to make informed decisions aimed at managing the

company effectively

and achieving the month’s

objectives.

Figure 1: Presentation of the first month in the LMS.

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In the following month, learners delve deeper into

the previously introduced concepts, tackle more quiz

questions, and face more challenging decisions on the

simulation platform. This cycle repeats, with each

month building on the prior month's knowledge,

introducing intermediate and advanced concepts, and

featuring increasingly complex quizzes and decision-

making exercises on the simulator. Table 1 gives a

detailed description of each month’s objectives and

concrete tasks. Figure 2 presents the simulator

interface for the first month, where the learner teams

are invited to choose the sport session's duration and

price, as well as the type of drink offered: mineral

water or energy drink. Learners discuss in teams and

compare their points of view before making a final

decision in the simulator.

Figure 2: Simulator interface for the first month.

2.3 Score Calculation and Ranking

Each month, group performance is evaluated based

on four axes: financial, commercial, responsible, and

efficient. Each axis comprises several indicators (see

Table 2). For example, customer satisfaction is an

indicator of commercial performance. Each month,

customers evaluate the services according to their

expectations. Their satisfaction is summarized in an

indicator that reflects their review, focusing on

elements such as the ratio of session duration to price

and the type of drinks offered. Another example of an

indicator is the carbon footprint. Some decisions

impact the environment, and their results are an

indicator of Responsible performance. The global

performance score is calculated using a weighted sum

of the performance of each axe. Learner teams can

achieve the maximum points each month only by

finding the best balance among all these indicators. A

score below 100 points indicates that the team is

below the expected performance, a score of 100

points means that the expected value is met, and a

score above 100 points indicates that the team has

surpassed the expected performance.

Table 1: Overview of each month’s objective and the tasks required from the learners’ teams.

Month Month’s objectives Concrete tasks

1 Company Creation, activity launch,

and customer acquisition

Make initial decisions regarding sports session scheduling, including

proposing the session duration, the sale price, the drinks offered, and

selecting transportation options for traveling to clients' homes.

2 Keep clients’ satisfaction and

attract new

ros

ects.

Develop the company’s reputation using various communication

channels, and

urchase of a com

uter.

3 Business development Recruit a new employee for business development and integrate social

media into the com

's communication strate

4 Expanding the business activity Invest in new services and seek financial resources, such as a bank loan.

5 Development of the new services Purchase the necessary equipment for the new services

6 Review of adopted Business

strate

ies

Adapting communication strategies and reviewing supplier proposals.

7 Analysis of Economic performance Propose a new fitness product and analyse its economic contribution to

the compan

8 Analysis of human resources Recruit a new sports coach and select a supplier for the proposed product

9 Functional Analysis of the

Com

Analyse financing options and oversee the management of the new

10 Budget management of the

Compan

Renew equipment

11 Management accounting Cost of production and margin

12 Year-end Financial Summary of

the Com

Conduct a retrospective analysis and explore outlook

Exploring the Use of a Business Simulation Game in Professional Certiﬁcation

851

2.4 Score Calculation and Ranking

Each month, group performance is evaluated based

on four axes: financial, commercial, responsible, and

efficient. Each axis comprises several indicators (see

Table 2). For example, customer satisfaction is an

indicator of commercial performance. Each month,

customers evaluate the services according to their

expectations. Their satisfaction is summarized in an

indicator that reflects their review, focusing on

elements such as the ratio of session duration to price

and the type of drinks offered. Another example of an

indicator is the carbon footprint. Some decisions

impact the environment, and their results are an

indicator of Responsible performance. The global

performance score is calculated using a weighted sum

of the performance of each axe. Learner teams can

achieve the maximum points each month only by

finding the best balance among all these indicators. A

score below 100 points indicates that the team is

below the expected performance, a score of 100

points means that the expected value is met, and a

score above 100 points indicates that the team has

surpassed the expected performance.

Table 2: Indicators for performance evaluation.

Axes Indicator

Financial

Monthly result

Monthly revenue

Profitability rate

Commercial

Customers satisfaction

Number of clients

Average basket

Responsible

Corporate Social Responsibility

index

Employees engagement

Carbon footprint

Efficient

Service rate

Occupancy rate

ee’s

roductivit

3 EVALUATION

Startero is generally used in two ways: first, in

learning sessions to help learners acquire business

management skills, and second, in certification

sessions to assess those skills. The certification

sessions enable students to earn a certification from

the National Register of Professional Certifications.

In this paper, we present and discuss the data

collected during a certification session that utilized

Startero to obtain the "Commercial Development

Manager" certification.

3.1 Conduct of the Session

The last Startero certification session was organized

to certify the title of "Commercial Development

Manager" of The National Register of Professional

Certifications, bringing together 1,862 candidates

from 16 institutions. Over five days, the candidates

worked both in teams and individually across 12

simulation cycles of Startero. Before the session,

students were organized into teams by instructors

(typically groups of 4 or 5), and each student received

two codes: an individual code for authentication

during individual activities, and a group code used to

authenticate in the simulator for group decision-

making activities.

On the first day, session animators introduced the

session and presented the simulator and the

expectations for the session. Technical checks were

then conducted to ensure all groups were ready to

begin. Once prepared, all groups commenced the

Business Game Simulation. Each simulation cycle

corresponds to a month in Startero. Initially, only the

Moodle section for the first month was accessible.

There was a designated time limit to complete the

tasks required for that month. Once all groups

completed their tasks or the time limit expired,

session’s animators initiated score calculation, and a

leaderboard was displayed to participants. Following

this, the animators revealed the previously hidden

Moodle section for the second month, and

participants commenced the following cycle (month),

continuing in this manner for subsequent months. At

the end of the session, the final ranking was

displayed, and a comprehensive final debriefing was

conducted. Simultaneously, the learners completed

individual case studies throughout the certification

week. Domain experts evaluated the conclusions of

these case studies to determine the individual

performance of each learner.

Finally, participants were invited to respond to a

questionnaire to provide their opinions on several

aspects of the simulation. They were asked to

evaluate their overall experience, the playful and

immersive aspect, and the rhythm of the simulation.

There were also open-ended questions asking

participants to describe which aspects of the

simulation they appreciated the most, which aspects

they appreciated the least, and to provide a general

comment about the certification session. Table 3 lists

some of the questionnaire items and the expected

answers.

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Table 3: Main items of the questionnaire.

Questionnaire items Expected answers

Did you enjoy this

evaluation experience?

- I did not like it at all

- This isn't exactly

what I like.

- I really liked it

- It was nice.

Globally, you're finishing

this certification week ...

A number from 1 (very

dissatisfied) to 10 (very

satisfied

)

What did you think of the

playful aspect?

- Too elaborate

- Suitable

- Not developed

enou

To what extent did you

find the simulator context

motivating (immersion into

Antoine and Tess's roles)?

- Not motivating at all

- Slightly motivating

- Motivating

- Ver

motivatin

4 RESULTS AND FEEDBACK

At the end of the session, we analysed the learners'

answers and comments from the post-session

questionnaire. Overall, 59% of the participants liked

this evaluation experience, which differed from what

they are used to, while 41% did not like it for various

reasons discussed later. Responses about the

immersive aspect of the BG showed the following

distribution: 79% found this aspect particularly

motivating, while 21% did not share this view (Figure

3) Regarding the playful aspect of the simulation,

69% felt it was well integrated, a small minority 5%

thought it was overly developed, and 26% said this

aspect was not developed enough. Regarding overall

satisfaction after these five days of certification,

opinions were more divided. 35% were dissatisfied,

34% were satisfied, and 31% of the participants were

neutral (Figure 4).

Figure 3: Answers to the question “To what extent did you

find the simulator context motivating (immersion into

Antoine and Tess's roles)?”

Figure 4: Answers to the question "Globally, you're

finishing this certification week ..."

To understand these results, we have analysed the

learner’s comments to identify clearly what they liked

or not about this experience. The results revealed that

the overall experience was satisfactory and

interesting. Participants particularly appreciated the

collective decision-making moments, even those who

stated that their overall experience was not good.

They found it stimulating and interesting to discuss

their ideas with others before making collective

decisions. Additionally, they valued the competitive

aspect and the role-playing elements of the

simulation.

On the other hand, participants noted excessive

downtime between decision-making phases and a

lack of clarity in some questions, instructions, and

grading criteria. Many participants felt that the

amount of information and data they needed to

process within the allocated time was excessive,

particularly during the individual case studies.

Additionally, technical issues and bugs occasionally

disrupted the overall experience, which led to

frustration among participants during their activities.

Participants also stated that tasks related to

communication and financial aspects were

overemphasized, while other aspects were

underrepresented in this certification. Finally, some

learners felt that success required thinking like the

algorithm rather than applying their own judgment.

We also analysed the learners' comments about

the instructors during the session. Overall, the

learners were satisfied and felt well-supported, even

though the instructors were managing many teams.

However, the learners identified gaps in their

financial knowledge that the instructors were unable

to address. Additionally, some learners reported

receiving contradictory information from different

instructors.

Finally, we analysed the learners' suggestions for

improving the business simulation game. They

expressed a desire to have a team member with a

Exploring the Use of a Business Simulation Game in Professional Certiﬁcation

853

finance background or to reduce the emphasis on

financial aspects. Additionally, learners felt the need

for more time and highlighted the imbalance and

heterogeneity of the groups in terms of the

represented disciplines. Fields such as supply chain,

logistics, wealth management, and HR were either

underrepresented or not represented at all, according

to the learners. There was also a notable demand for

more freedom in decision-making. Learners found the

choices to be overly guided and not necessarily

realistic (e.g., an energy bar priced at €8), which

should encourage deeper reflection. Regarding the

display of the month's results, learners preferred that

they be accessible to all group members individually

rather than just one person in the team.

5 CONCLUSIONS

In this paper, we explored the use of the Business

Simulation Game, Startero, in a certification context

for the "Commercial Development Manager"

certification. Feedback from 1862 participants was

encouraging, with many appreciating the team-based,

playful, and immersive nature of the simulation.

Some negative feedback highlighted areas for

improvement, particularly regarding organizational

and technical issues. These issues, while not directly

related to the design or educational value of the

business game itself, impacted the overall user

experience and satisfaction. Addressing these

logistical and technical challenges will be crucial for

maximizing the effectiveness of Startero in future

implementations.

One major limitation of this study is the use of an

ad hoc questionnaire instead of a standardized

instrument for evaluating the business game. While

the ad hoc questionnaire provided valuable insights,

the lack of standardization may limit the

generalizability and comparability of the results.

Despite this limitation, the large sample size

strengthens the reliability of the findings and provides

a robust foundation for further research.

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