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50 Great Games to Sharpen Your Business Skills

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When your study guides and textbooks fail to motivate you, have you ever though about playing computer games or entering into a virtual reality game space to practice your business skills? From the silly to the cutthroat, these 50 games can help you apply the skills you learn in class to realistic situations and challenges. Keep reading for fun opportunities to become a better manager, small business owner, corporate player, real estate developer, and more.
Virtual Reality
Get lost in these virtual reality games, from Second Life to the Sims.
  1. Second Life: Head to this addictive virtual platform to set up your own work space, buy land and open your own business in a safe space.
  2. Sim City: Even if you’re not part of the construction or urban planning sectors, you’ll learn a lot about management, strategy, finance, organization and pleasing people in this popular game.
  3. Active Worlds: In the Active Worlds sphere, you can visit the mall and pick shop owner’s brains about sales, customer service and more.
  4. Hollywood Mogul 3: This intense virtual reality game lets you manage a movie studio for as many years as you want.
  5. Sim Theme Park: This game challenges players to run a chain of profitable theme parks.
  6. Railroad Pioneer: Build your own railroad in the 19th century when you play this game.
  7. The Guild 2: You’re challenged to build an entire dynasty in the Guild 2, which takes place in Europe after the last Crusade.
Economic Simulation Games
These games challenge you to run entire economies, cities and trading companies as you juggle bankruptcy and more.
  1. Capitalism II: Trevor Chan’s business simulation game puts players in the role of CEO as they try to avoid going bankrupt or being bought out by another company. Players can either start their own business or take over an existing business.
  2. Tropico 2: The premise for this game centers on pirates hanging out on a Caribbean island, but you have to manage the island’s economy, from providing docks, restaurants and lodging, to making sure "highly skilled" wenches are readily available.
  3. Patrician III: You’re at the head of a medieval trading company that sells beer, cloth and spices as you port at cities on the Baltic Sea when you play this game.
  4. Tamogotchi Connection: Corner Shop: You and a Tamogotchi character partner must manage a successful clothing store while supporting yourselves.
  5. Outpost Kaloki X: Here you’ll try to manage an intergalactic shopping mall as you maximize cash flow from lemonade stands, video arcades and more.
Tycoon Games
The famous "tycoon" games use different business genres and startup ideas to train you to become a real strategist and effective business manager in all types of business niches.
  1. Coffee Tycoon: Here you’ll start by running one coffee shop and then add new stores until you have an entire franchise.
  2. Prison Tycoon 4: Manage security, staff, layout, construction, and more in a privately-run prison.
  3. Oil Tycoon: Become an oil tycoon as you map out and drill in 18 different locations, from the North Sea to Texas.
  4. Luxury Liner Tycoon: Spoil your guests with casinos, pools, entertainers, top of the line rooms, and more as you run a luxury cruise ship.
  5. Ice Cream Tycoon: Your goal as a wannabe ice cream tycoon is to develop a multi-million pound ice cream factory.
  6. Skateboard Park Tycoon: You’ll have to manage and develop exciting and successful skateboard parks in Seattle, Chicago, Dallas and other cities in this game.
  7. Mall of America Tycoon: In this game, you’ll have to design a 4.2 million square foot mall and manage food courts, chain stores, boutiques and everything in between.
  8. Tabloid Tycoon: This near-impossible challenge requires you to turn your tabloid rag into the most respected paper in the industry.
Finance, Wealth Management and Corporate Success
Take over corporations, develop your own empire and learn how to become filthy rich with the help of these games.
  1. Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition: 3 or more players can play Monopoly Here and Now online, which challenges you to trade and auction properties on 6 continents.
  2. Playboy: The Mansion: This strategy game has a decadent premise, but its challenge is totally serious: you’ve got to build your own dynasty and come up with an effective PR strategy to keep yourself legit.
  3. The Apprentice: The Apprentice is actually a collection of mini games in which you’re paired up with former show candidates for different challenges.
  4. Sim Lemonade Millionaire: This Apprentice-like game counts on you to combine innovation and strategy to sell as much lemonade as you can.
  5. Donald Trump’s Real Estate Tycoon: Donald Trump teaches you how to follow in his real estate mogul footsteps in this game.
  6. Wages of War: Make money off of wartime when you play this game. You have to complete missions for different sponsors while hiring mercenaries, leasing weapons and more.
  7. Industry Giant: Play Industry Giant II to take over a massive corporation and manage everything from mass production to customer service to picking out vendors as you become disgustingly rich.
  8. Hydrophobia: This fascinating game is set in "the near future" after a string of terrorist attacks results in a community of uber-rich people and their shady businesses.
  9. Mansion Impossible: Become a real estate magnate when you play this game.
  10. Oligarchy: The music is kind of annoying, but you’ll have a lot of fun bribing politicians and digging for oil as you run a massive oil company.
  11. Villa Village: Another real estate game, Villa Village challenges you to turn a piece of land into a thriving village of villas.
  12. Hot Dog King: A Fast Food Empire: Your goal in this game is to "dominate the fast food industry city by city." You’ll have to please employees and customers while battling traitors and the competition.
Management and Leadership
Practice your management and leadership skills as you take over movie studios, run your own farm, assemble a team of gangsters or sit in the air traffic control tower.
  1. The Movies: In this game, you’re put in charge of an entire movie studio and have to manage movie stars, film production, post-production, and more.
  2. John Deere American Farmer: Manage your own farm, from taking care of cattle to doing the plowing to making deals and trades.
  3. Gangsters 2: Vendetta: Assemble and lead a team to avenge your father’s death in this strategy game.
  4. Air Traffic Chaos: Test your communication and leadership skills when it most counts when you play Air Traffic Chaos.
  5. Democracy: Even if you aren’t in public service, you can play Democracy to improve your management, communication and leadership skills.
  6. Trevor Chan’s Restaurant Empire Review: This restaurant management game features 18 different scenarios in Paris, Rome and Los Angeles that Armand LeBoeuf must master.
  7. Rock Manager: In this game, you’ll have to manage different rock groups, from assembling the bands, to negotiating contracts and licensing, to going on a world tour.
  8. Ape Escape Academy: This game has a silly premise: managing unruly, disobedient monkeys, but it’s a good exercise for HR managers and small business owners.
  9. Jane’s Hotel: Play Jane, a hotel manager who is trying to turn a rundown lodge into a 5-star hotel.
  10. Super Manager: See if you have what it takes to become a super manager as you try to earn $1 million for your store.
Entrepreneurship
These games will help you develop valuable entrepreneurial skills, including supply management, finding investors, taking over a family business and more.
  1. Air Bucks: Start your own airline with this game, which lets you buy rights to pilots, arrange seats, plan for in-flight food and entertainment, make budget cuts and more.
  2. The Sims 2: Open for Business: The Sims get a chance to open up their own business in this game, and manage everything from HR to sales.
  3. Build in Time: This game takes you through time as you build homes for customers in the 1950s while helping a young kid build his own business.
  4. Imagine Fashion Designer: In this game, you get to set up your own fashion design business in Manhattan and direct photo shoots, create a clothing line, and more.
  5. Wallace & Gromit: Beloved animated characters Wallace and Gromit try their hand at several business ventures in this game.
  6. Cake Mania 2: You’ve got to take over the family cake business in this game, which feature 10 customer characters and various cake styles and designs.
  7. Vega$: Make it Big: You’ll have to compete with all the other places on the strip as you develop your own resort in Vegas.
  8. Choclatier: It’s you and your secret recipes against the competition in this entrepreneur training game.
Image...
When your study guides and textbooks fail to motivate you, have you ever though about playing computer games or entering into a virtual reality game space to practice your business skills? From the silly to the cutthroat, these 50 games can help you apply the skills you learn in class to realistic situations and challenges. Keep reading for fun opportunities to become a better manager, small business owner, corporate player, real estate developer, and more.
Virtual Reality
Get lost in these virtual reality games, from Second Life to the Sims.
  1. Second Life: Head to this addictive virtual platform to set up your own work space, buy land and open your own business in a safe space.
  2. Sim City: Even if you’re not part of the construction or urban planning sectors, you’ll learn a lot about management, strategy, finance, organization and pleasing people in this popular game.
  3. Active Worlds: In the Active Worlds sphere, you can visit the mall and pick shop owner’s brains about sales, customer service and more.
  4. Hollywood Mogul 3: This intense virtual reality game lets you manage a movie studio for as many years as you want.
  5. Sim Theme Park: This game challenges players to run a chain of profitable theme parks.
  6. Railroad Pioneer: Build your own railroad in the 19th century when you play this game.
  7. The Guild 2: You’re challenged to build an entire dynasty in the Guild 2, which takes place in Europe after the last Crusade.
Economic Simulation Games
These games challenge you to run entire economies, cities and trading companies as you juggle bankruptcy and more.
  1. Capitalism II: Trevor Chan’s business simulation game puts players in the role of CEO as they try to avoid going bankrupt or being bought out by another company. Players can either start their own business or take over an existing business.
  2. Tropico 2: The premise for this game centers on pirates hanging out on a Caribbean island, but you have to manage the island’s economy, from providing docks, restaurants and lodging, to making sure "highly skilled" wenches are readily available.
  3. Patrician III: You’re at the head of a medieval trading company that sells beer, cloth and spices as you port at cities on the Baltic Sea when you play this game.
  4. Tamogotchi Connection: Corner Shop: You and a Tamogotchi character partner must manage a successful clothing store while supporting yourselves.
  5. Outpost Kaloki X: Here you’ll try to manage an intergalactic shopping mall as you maximize cash flow from lemonade stands, video arcades and more.
Tycoon Games
The famous "tycoon" games use different business genres and startup ideas to train you to become a real strategist and effective business manager in all types of business niches.
  1. Coffee Tycoon: Here you’ll start by running one coffee shop and then add new stores until you have an entire franchise.
  2. Prison Tycoon 4: Manage security, staff, layout, construction, and more in a privately-run prison.
  3. Oil Tycoon: Become an oil tycoon as you map out and drill in 18 different locations, from the North Sea to Texas.
  4. Luxury Liner Tycoon: Spoil your guests with casinos, pools, entertainers, top of the line rooms, and more as you run a luxury cruise ship.
  5. Ice Cream Tycoon: Your goal as a wannabe ice cream tycoon is to develop a multi-million pound ice cream factory.
  6. Skateboard Park Tycoon: You’ll have to manage and develop exciting and successful skateboard parks in Seattle, Chicago, Dallas and other cities in this game.
  7. Mall of America Tycoon: In this game, you’ll have to design a 4.2 million square foot mall and manage food courts, chain stores, boutiques and everything in between.
  8. Tabloid Tycoon: This near-impossible challenge requires you to turn your tabloid rag into the most respected paper in the industry.
Finance, Wealth Management and Corporate Success
Take over corporations, develop your own empire and learn how to become filthy rich with the help of these games.
  1. Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition: 3 or more players can play Monopoly Here and Now online, which challenges you to trade and auction properties on 6 continents.
  2. Playboy: The Mansion: This strategy game has a decadent premise, but its challenge is totally serious: you’ve got to build your own dynasty and come up with an effective PR strategy to keep yourself legit.
  3. The Apprentice: The Apprentice is actually a collection of mini games in which you’re paired up with former show candidates for different challenges.
  4. Sim Lemonade Millionaire: This Apprentice-like game counts on you to combine innovation and strategy to sell as much lemonade as you can.
  5. Donald Trump’s Real Estate Tycoon: Donald Trump teaches you how to follow in his real estate mogul footsteps in this game.
  6. Wages of War: Make money off of wartime when you play this game. You have to complete missions for different sponsors while hiring mercenaries, leasing weapons and more.
  7. Industry Giant: Play Industry Giant II to take over a massive corporation and manage everything from mass production to customer service to picking out vendors as you become disgustingly rich.
  8. Hydrophobia: This fascinating game is set in "the near future" after a string of terrorist attacks results in a community of uber-rich people and their shady businesses.
  9. Mansion Impossible: Become a real estate magnate when you play this game.
  10. Oligarchy: The music is kind of annoying, but you’ll have a lot of fun bribing politicians and digging for oil as you run a massive oil company.
  11. Villa Village: Another real estate game, Villa Village challenges you to turn a piece of land into a thriving village of villas.
  12. Hot Dog King: A Fast Food Empire: Your goal in this game is to "dominate the fast food industry city by city." You’ll have to please employees and customers while battling traitors and the competition.
Management and Leadership
Practice your management and leadership skills as you take over movie studios, run your own farm, assemble a team of gangsters or sit in the air traffic control tower.
  1. The Movies: In this game, you’re put in charge of an entire movie studio and have to manage movie stars, film production, post-production, and more.
  2. John Deere American Farmer: Manage your own farm, from taking care of cattle to doing the plowing to making deals and trades.
  3. Gangsters 2: Vendetta: Assemble and lead a team to avenge your father’s death in this strategy game.
  4. Air Traffic Chaos: Test your communication and leadership skills when it most counts when you play Air Traffic Chaos.
  5. Democracy: Even if you aren’t in public service, you can play Democracy to improve your management, communication and leadership skills.
  6. Trevor Chan’s Restaurant Empire Review: This restaurant management game features 18 different scenarios in Paris, Rome and Los Angeles that Armand LeBoeuf must master.
  7. Rock Manager: In this game, you’ll have to manage different rock groups, from assembling the bands, to negotiating contracts and licensing, to going on a world tour.
  8. Ape Escape Academy: This game has a silly premise: managing unruly, disobedient monkeys, but it’s a good exercise for HR managers and small business owners.
  9. Jane’s Hotel: Play Jane, a hotel manager who is trying to turn a rundown lodge into a 5-star hotel.
  10. Super Manager: See if you have what it takes to become a super manager as you try to earn $1 million for your store.
Entrepreneurship
These games will help you develop valuable entrepreneurial skills, including supply management, finding investors, taking over a family business and more.
  1. Air Bucks: Start your own airline with this game, which lets you buy rights to pilots, arrange seats, plan for in-flight food and entertainment, make budget cuts and more.
  2. The Sims 2: Open for Business: The Sims get a chance to open up their own business in this game, and manage everything from HR to sales.
  3. Build in Time: This game takes you through time as you build homes for customers in the 1950s while helping a young kid build his own business.
  4. Imagine Fashion Designer: In this game, you get to set up your own fashion design business in Manhattan and direct photo shoots, create a clothing line, and more.
  5. Wallace & Gromit: Beloved animated characters Wallace and Gromit try their hand at several business ventures in this game.
  6. Cake Mania 2: You’ve got to take over the family cake business in this game, which feature 10 customer characters and various cake styles and designs.
  7. Vega$: Make it Big: You’ll have to compete with all the other places on the strip as you develop your own resort in Vegas.
  8. Choclatier: It’s you and your secret recipes against the competition in this entrepreneur training game.