I would like to share a free, open source strategy simulation: The Slingshot: An AI Startup Simulation. The simulation places students in the role of an AI startup founder making strategic decisions under uncertainty. Over 16 quarters, players must complete three progressively challenging milestones before running out of cash. It is designed to provide an experience that is akin to the richer, deeper commercial simulations, like Football Manager, than more narrowly focused educational ones. It offers players the opportunity to develop a wide range of entrepreneurial strategies. The game engine includes some luck but rewards approaches that balance different tensions and that aligns resources with their context.
Key features: 560+ events covering various topics in innovation and technology management and the commercialization of technology, funding rounds, pivoting, team morale, grant funding, hiring (and layoff) of staff, market and customer knowledge, three mini-games for variety and fun, guided-play mode, short/long tutorials, help buttons embedded. The simulation is set in the UK AI innovation eco-system.
You can use as is and start students playing instantly (works best on a computer). There is no registration, approvals, or payment required. There are also teaching guides, 16 potential class exercises and various support materials in the GitHub repository. Alternatively, you can modify, adapt or fork it. It is licensed for open development. The goal is to create a collective resource to break away from the closed and costly model of education management simulations. You can download the HTML file from the GitHub repo and start 'vibe coding' yourself to create different versions and features. Please give back any new versions to the community, so that we can learn and build something together.
You can play here.
GitHub repository is here with the game file, teaching materials and other resources:
All the best
Ammon Salter (Warwick Business School)