Using Educational Games to Explore Supply Chain Infrastructure Development Options in India

Abstract

India is currently experiencing a brisk rate of economic development, with sustained GDP growth rates and a corresponding increase in freight volume forecasts for the foreseeable future. For these growth rates to be realised, an extensive and efficient infrastructure network is a pre-requisite. Hence, building a world class logistics infrastructure is a key requirement to global competitiveness. Despite the compelling evidence, a number of challenges and obstacles remain before significant improvements can be achieved. The use of serious games is a way to raise the awareness and understanding of a scenario such as this at both a business school and executive training level. For example, through simulations in a gaming environment, one can investigate how specific technologies can be used as support and/or how different infrastructure development strategies impact on its environment. Through gaming, participants can experience the boundaries and challenges facing supply chain stakeholders in India, as well as seek to tackle and overcome some of these issues. Hence, this paper discusses the design and development of a serious game based on supply chain infrastructure development in India.