Port Constructor

Erasmus UPT offers both students and professionals the opportunity to gain a better insight into the management and development of a port. For this purpose of creating richer learning experience and hence better understanding, the serious management game Port Constructor was created. This tool can be used in education programs and organizations.

Game set-up and your role!

Port Constructor is an online management game consisting of several microgames, or missions. Players take part in the missions diving into the role of a strategic port designer. The missions take between 10 and 15 minutes to play. Each mission starts with a short strategy and several rounds of action.

Game dilemma and strategy

Ports that want to develop encounter problems such as densely populated cities and vulnerable coastal ecosystems. Conflict situations arise because of unclear regulations, but also the lack of cooperation to tackle the problems. This requires a better understanding of the interventions that can be made when developing ports. The task is to strengthen the economy with the development of ports on the one hand and to improve the living environment on the other, while making optimal use of the available space. In addition, companies should strive to make production processes and transport systems more sustainable, especially in coastal areas.

Goal

The main goal is to optimize the balance between three equally important value drivers: people, planet, and profit. Based on basic strategy, the player must consider how neighboring features affect each other, positively or negatively. In addition to the main objective, the missions also have associated sub-goals related to the content of the mission.

Quotes

“Combining all factors, checking how to optimize everything every round was fun. The game also got me thinking on how to actually achieve this transformation in real life, and the problems that come with it that are not represented in the game.”

“I liked the most that the game shows how complex it is for the port to make decisions regarding the energy transition. Besides, discussing in class did make me see more points from other stakeholders and I liked that a lot.”

Target audience and working methods

Port Constructor can be used in various ways and offers a tailor-made working method for target groups. The following blocks provide an explanation per target group and an example of a working method.