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The objective of this study is to elucidate new information on the possibility of leadership training through business computer‐simulation gaming in a virtual working context. In the study, a business‐simulation gaming session was organised for graduate students (n = 26). The participants played the simulation game in virtual teams that were geographically dispersed and that were brought together by the use of technology. Before the gaming session, the team leaders were preselected and trained in how to operate the simulation game. Data consist of pre‐ and posttest questionnaires (the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire measuring transformational, transactional and passive/avoidance leadership styles) and answers to open‐ended questions. The results showed the difference in participants' opinions on leadership styles before and after the training. After the gaming sessions, team members scored lower in transformational and transactional scales than team leaders. Only team leaders' leadership styles correlated with game performance. However, shared leadership among team members was typical for most successful teams. Implications for leadership training are discussed.

This article addresses the question of how games function as learning tools, from the perspective of player-stated problems. It is based on interviews and essays, collected from university students who reported problems dealing with unrealistic levels of trust and competitive play leading to searching for the logic in the game as an artifact instead of considering decision alternatives which would work in real-world situations. According to the respondents, the main cause of problems appears to be that for many participants, games are framed as an activity that is to be done competitively. Along with reporting the impediments, the article discusses potential solutions.

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This chapter introduces two views of learning relevant for game-based learning: experiential learning theory and the constructivist view on learning. The authors will first discuss, how these views explain learning from a perspective that is relevant for game-based learning. They will also evaluate, how these views on learning relate to assessment of learning through gaming. Last, they will concretize the diversity of the potential learning outcomes of gaming: how, for example, the learner’s previous knowledge, personality, the team members affect the learning experience and outcome. According to constructivism, learning is a constructive process in which the learner is building an internal representation of knowledge. This is something to which game-based education clearly adds value to.