Hi Nan.... :)

Thanks for pointing us to the site.... Interesting....

I think games really can be very beneficial.... I didn't really understand this until I purchased and played Cashflow 101 a few times....

What I noticed is that playing a *game* designed for teaching, is quite different from reading a book. In a sense, you are "learning by doing" but in a simplified environment....

For example, "Cashflow 101" is mostly about teaching you how to control your finances, use bank borrowing wisely, and a good method how to invest in real-estate. And it's actually fun too. :)

I found the experience was very different from just reading, since you can't help but start to THINK differently when you play a game like this....

I also recently mentioned "Capitalism Plus," a computer business simulation game.... Some have called it "Cyber Bill Gates".... I'm going to try that game out too and report back....

Why play a game, rather than do it "for real?" The idea is to make all your mistakes in the "virtual" environment, so instead of losing thousands of dollars in real life, you first lose thousands of dollars in a game. Then, once you have mastered the "virtual" environment, if it is a good simulation, you will actually be able to take many of these skills into real life....

It's like the simulations that figher pilots may use, for instance. Instead of flying a real plane, first they fly a simulation. Then, if they crash, they're not dead, and haven't destroyed many millions of dollars worth of equipment. They can hone their skills in the virtual environment....

And a good business simulation could potentially do the same thing. You could learn some vital skills by making mistakes, but without the thousands of dollars it could cost you in real life....

For that reason, I felt Cashflow 101 was actually a good purchase, I did start to think differently after I played it a few times. And Capitalism Plus seems to have some good reviews too (check my other post on this)....

I also believe some more "standard" games like Poker also teach you various skills related to business and deal-making.... Even monopoly teaches you the value of acquiring assets that make you money, like houses and hotels! You can't win in Monopoly without acquiring income-producing assets.... And this is a good lesson for real-life too.

A caveat is that you can't learn *everything* from a simulation. No simulation, I think, could do that, particularly in something as complicated as business. The trick is to work with simulations, but make sure you then make the jump into real life.... (Some get stuck in the "simulation world," and I believe that's a mistake....)

Thanks, Nan,

Cheers,

Dien


Cashflow 101-related stuff can be found here....