Bocconi University, Milan: Selling ice-cream in the fashion district
European youngsters can create an economic empire starting from an icecream stand in the very centre of Milan. Acquire entrepreneurial skills thanks to an educational game for mobile phones
Selling ice-cream at the corner of the street was the path to
entrepreneurship for thousands of Italians, whose siblings
now manage high-end ice-cream outlets all over the world.
It's a simple way to understanding demand and supply,
stockpiling, promotion and accountancy.
Bocconi University, Milan, challenges European youngsters to
test their own entrepreneurial spirits selling ice-cream in
the fashion district of Milan, via a mobile phone game, Ice
Cream Empire (ICE).
ICE is a strategic simulation game for Java phones. It mimics
the management of an ice-cream stand and aims at stimulating
the young to interpret the competitive environment, read a
balance sheet and understand accountancy reports. Its English
version is targeted to European teenagers, a group with an
interest for Bocconi University's educational offer in
economics, considering that 10% of rookies are now from
outside Italy.
The game was developed with the Italian mobile operator Tim
and the developer Impressionware.
In order to play you just have to register at the web address
http://www.unibocconi.it/engice and wait
for the download SMS. The game is free, except for the cost
charged by the mobile operator for the time of
downloading.
An amusing graphic design reproduces the fashion district and
the piazzas of Milan, in which the player can choose to place
his stand: Bocconi University, of course; the central Piazza
Duomo, front yard of the Gothic cathedral; the XIX century
commercial arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele; the bohemian
Brera district; Via Montenapoleone, heart of Italian fashion
retailing; the Navigli area, bustling with nightlife; the
Renaissance castle Castello Sforzesco.
The day of the ice cream entrepreneur takes off with a glance
to the news (weather forecast and events influencing the flow
of people to the six potential locations) and continues with
important strategic decisions.
In stage 1 the player chooses the location of the stand, the
tools to buy, the employees to hire (you could need a cashier
to quicken the queue or a juggler to entertain the clients),
whether to spend money in promotion, the recipe of the ice
cream (watery and cheap or rich and expensive?), how much
input, often perishable, to buy.
In stage 2 the player strives to control his heartbeat while
looking at the people walking around his stand, buying or not
buying his ice cream as a function of the strategic decisions
he took in stage 1.
In stage 3 the game presents economic and financial reports
showing the results of the day. The day after, the player can
change his strategies according to the accumulated
experience.
"With ICE we want to have a first, informal and amusing
contact with young European people feeling a call to economic
and entrepreneurial activity", Angelo Provasoli, Bocconi
University rector, said, "and we want to spread economic
culture. If they are willing to deepen their relationship
with Bocconi University, attending our programs, we'll be
happy; otherwise, it will be a valuable contribution to the
understanding of corporate mechanisms on behalf of a wide,
young, international public".
The players may compete, sending their results to an Ice
Cream Stock Exchange, which compares them, making the
youngsters understand how good they are in selling ice cream
in the fashion district of Milan.
About Università Bocconi:
Università Bocconi, Milan (www.unibocconi.it/eng), is the leading Italian
business, economics and business law university. Its programs
are rated and appreciated for their quality and
value-for-money by the major international rankings:
Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes. It offers
programs taught in English at undergraduate, graduate and
postgraduate levels. Its city campus in the very centre of
Milan, truly international and culturally exciting, is the
best environment to empower young talents.
Contact: Fabio Todesco
Phone +39.2.5836.2331
Mobile. 335.6429.254
E-mail fabio.todesco@unibocconi.it
About Impressionware:
Founded by game industry veterans in 2003, Impressionware has
become one of the leading mobile game developers in Europe.
Impressionware has developed a number of titles targeting a
wide variety of devices and carriers. In partnership with
many of the major mobile games publishers Impressionware is
currently creating a wide range of new games, based on well
known brands and licences as well as original intellectual
property. The ever growing Impressionware team is
headquartered in Torino, Italy.
Contact: Luigi Fumero
lfumero@impressionware.com
www.impressionware.com