Miniconomy

www.miniconomy.nl

Miniconomy is designed by the brothers Wouter and Mark Leenards. Set up as a trade game with a few dozen competitors Miniconomy has grown into an online community with thousands of members. The game came under the attention of schools and an educational publisher. Various institutions of education have acknowledged the educative value of an online trade game, but dropped out for financial or organizational reasons. With the help of Digitale Pioniers Miniconomy has been made suitable as an educative application, directed towards the subjects of economy, management and organization, and possibly even social science and Dutch. Miniconomy had to be employable as an educative application that benefits teachers as well as students.

Final Products

The final result of the project is an interactive online simulation, very accessible to secondary education students who can be monitored by their teacher through the management module. The key between teacher and students is a group code, with which students can apply and by which the teacher can easily activate his students. Students and teachers have a special status in the game, so that they are ‘protected’ against some (violent) game elements. They can also unlimitedly trade with each other. For this to be possible some adjustments had to be made to the old system and its security.

Impact

Miniconomy exists since January 2002. Starting as a trade game with a few dozen competitors Miniconomy has now grown into an internet community with more than 40,000 members. It even attracted the interest of schools. It’s unique that a web game is being used as an educative tool. The principle of learning by doing motivates the student. The module was immediately put into use by ten secondary schools. In the future the game will also be offered to other educational institutions. In March 2004 Miniconomy won a web award.

Contactgegevens

Stichting Miniconomy Almere
Mark en Wouter Leenards
www.miniconomy.nl