Business Games Part 4: Rockstar
February 7, 2007 | Filed Under Fun, business games | 2 Comments
- No mom!
Do you want to be a rockstar?
Practice, write songs, tour, have your mother and grandma offer you class A drugs. Oh yes, this game really lets you explore the reality of life in the pop business. Rockstar was created by Wizard Games of Scotland and released in 1989. It gives you the opportunity to try to make it in the rock and roll business.
More screenshots from the game
It is not a game you choose for its graphics.
If you use too much hard drugs you risk an overdose. Luckily, you can always go to rehab. But, do you have time for a 5 week rehab when your new record is out and your management require you to go on a tour?
Oops!
A few hints and tips for the game
* The game provides sound through the PC speaker. It can become very distracting after a while. Use F9 to turn sound off.
* As an aspiring artist your main source of income is to do gigs and tours.
* Do not tour at bigger venues than you can fill. You can actually lose money by touring when nobody shows up.
* It is not necessary to accept the first recording contract offer. It can pay off to wait for a better offer.
* Creativity and happiness are vital to produce that hit record. Creativity is correlated with drug use.. just do not overdo it!
The business games series
In this post I continued what I started. Writing about great business games I have played the last 10-15 years.
Download
Download Rockstar demo version
Business games part 3: Wall Street Raider
August 5, 2006 | Filed Under business games | 4 Comments
Greed is good.
Slip into the suit of Gordon Gekko and play this addictive business simulation game. Operating in the US economy you are an investor with $100-1000 millions in starting capital. Capital growth is your goal. The tools used to reach it can range from the honest to the dirty.
Spreadsheet warning
The game is complicated. I first played it several years ago before my business degree and did not understand much to be honest.
The appeal
If you have more than just casual interest for either the stock market or entrepreneurship the game is very addictive and interesting. You can do everything from research and investing in individual stocks, create holding companies to reduce tax and risk, and start-up your own companies in industries you find promising. Let me show you some screenshots from my start-up of a company in the beverage industry.
The name of the company is Get Drunk and Be Somebody, inspired by Toby Keith’s hit song. It aims for a rapid growth. This is very capital intensive so expect to make losses the first years until you grow bigger and can start to reap the rewards of reduced fixed costs.
Research reports are available for all companies.
My thirst for growth made me acquire an underperforming competitor priced at 70% of net assets.
After you have acquired a competitor your options are increased. Merger, LBO, Liquidate?
I merged the two companies, but performace was poor. Be aware, quick fixes comes at a hefty price.
Conclusion
The game is shareware, and the shareware version is very playable. The game is not the easiest to get into, if you find the game promising, the full version includes a strategy guide that links general financial theory with the options available in the game. The wisdom provided by this actually helped me on some of the finance and entrepreneurship courses I completed during my degree.
Download the very playable shareware version of the game (direct link)
More information about the game at Ronin Software’s pages
More business/economy games
Previous entries in this series include
Rise from mailroom clerk to CEO in Executive Suite
Sort out what Bush refers to as ”shit” in the Middle East by being the Israeli Prime Minister
Business Games Part 2 - Conflict: The Middle East Political Simulator
July 14, 2006 | Filed Under business games | 8 Comments
In this political simulator, you are the Israeli Prime minister. It is 1997 and the Middle East tension is high. What do you do? Try to cool things down and win the Nobel Peace Price, or mobilize your troops and risk nuclear catastrophe? Manage weapons, economy, the issue of Palestina and international relations on behalf of the state of Israel.
This may not be your typical business game. But remember, economy is how to manage scarce resources. In war, this becomes even more important. These days I think this game is both extremely entertaining and interesting about the dangers of domino effects in the Middle East.
Business Games part 1: Can you rise to the top of Mighty Microcomputer Corporation?
June 22, 2006 | Filed Under business games | 8 Comments
Start off as a mailroom clerk, be introduced to dilemmas where there are no black and white. Only plenty of grey. Stab your supervisor in the back or help your co-workers prosper? Climb the corporate ladder and become the President of the company.