In the News

Dr Andreou puts forward the ideas that although the use of gaming for learning is of great use due to the metaphors, the state of mind of participants and the nature of competition, it is much more effective to use simulations based on real problems and issues adding to relevance and applicability. It provides also a list of the ten things that are needed to design a great simulation for learning purposes.

BTS Featured in a Story about Manufacturers using Business Simulations to Accelerate Growth "Not surprisingly, perhaps, the competition among simulation participants can get intense. The action can be fast-paced, sometimes with "unexpected events" that can intervene, such as a market upturn, an unhappy customer or an explosion at a plant. "Our board simulations are kind of like Monopoly on steroids," quips Joel Reed, senior consultant in the San Francisco office of BTS USA Inc., part of the Stockholm, Sweden-based BTS Group AB, a major provider of both computer- and board-based business simulations."

The Case Study Cingular: Getting Together (October 2007) in Training Magazine tells the story of the BTS' Cingular simulation ideation and launch for approximately 6,000 senior managers during the Cingular AT&T Wireless merger and quotes Dave Ackley. The goal was to go from being the biggest to being the best and leading in every metric that mattered, said Ackley.

Training Magazine’s October story Solid (October 2007) quotes BTS USA's Dave Ackley and Jonas Akerman about the impact of the gaming culture on the future of training. Ackley expects more requests for online simulations, not just facilitator-led ones. "However, there has to be a realistic interactive approach. Going forward, we'll begin to see more targeted use for specific job roles that drill down to help managers do their jobs better with very specific skills." Akerman adds, "You can easily get lost in the technology."

In Simulations Build on Adult Learning to Accelerate Skill Building and Application (October 4, 2006), CLO Magazine interviews Rommin Adl about the resurgence in popularity of simulations. Adults want to be challenged, Adl said. Adults generally have very established views of the world and opinions, and when it comes to working with simulations, especially in the scenario simulations, a lot of times the answers aren't black or white, especially when it comes to something like leadership simulations.