The art of the deal isn’t something students usually study in elementary school, and neither are the principles of real estate, the rough and tumble rules of the stock market or best practices for starting a business, writes WalletPop.
However, there are games for kids that do exactly that. The best part? The learning is completely stealth. Kids just think it’s fun.
Gazillionaire has won accolades for painlessly teaching business strategy. Tycoon City: New York is rated “T” for “teen”, but it looks like fun for aspiring civil engineers and Donald Trump wannabes. For more pleasurable pursuits check out: Cruise Ship Tycoon, Mall Tycoon 3, Lemonade Tycoon, and Golf Resort Tycoon to name a few.
My 9-year-old is currently obsessed with Ski Resort Tycoon, and is constantly looking to improve the design of his ski runs, add warming huts and offer more amenities to increase business. He may not be aware that he is thinking in terms of profit and loss, concepts of business valuation, marketing and customer satisfaction, but by racking up virtual dollars on his resort du’jour that is exactly what he is practicing.
Similar software rated “E” for “everyone” includes Real Estate Empire, which introduces the concepts of estimated market value, market conditions as well as balancing manageable debt and foreclosure. Maybe our leaders in corporate banking should have spent more time playing this game.
Photo by Activision.