SimPort
Encyclopedia
SimPort-MV2 is a computer-supported construction and management simulation game that mimics the processes involved in planning, equipping and exploiting the Second Maasvlakte (MV2) in the Port of Rotterdam
. The Second Maasvlakte is a port
expansion project to be situated on newly reclaimed land adjacent to the existing port
area.
The simulation/serious game
is primarily for staff of the Port of Rotterdam
, but with its emphasis on strategy, project management
and teamwork, it is appropriate for others as well, such as students and (young) professionals as part of their education or training courses. The game requires no specific prior knowledge of sea ports or of the Maasvlakte.
possesses virtually all of the responsibilities and competencies to plan, coordinate and implement the decisions necessary to build, equip and exploit the MV2 in the coming years.
The management team works under the supervision of the General Director and is also made up of one or more directors from the Commercial Department and the Infrastructure and Management Department. Each of the three roles has the use of a laptop.
Players use the laptops to input their decisions into the game. Thus, two (or more) persons can play one role together, though this means they will use the same laptop. To make it easier to look up information during the game, each team is also given a reference document containing all of the customer and strategy information.
All decisions that are physically possible (in the simulation) and within legal and ethical boundaries are implemented immediately. Players wanting to confer with parties not actively represented in the game — for example, a minister — can direct their questions to the gameleader who, if possible, will take on the role for a short time.
. All parameters are stored in XML
files. The 3D environment is rendered using OpenGL
, bound to Java using JMonkeyEngine.
SimPort currently only features the module "Maasvlakte 2", but due to the modular design it will also be possible to create new modules for new ports.
Port of Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004 it was the world's busiest port, now overtaken by first Shanghai and then Singapore...
. The Second Maasvlakte is a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
expansion project to be situated on newly reclaimed land adjacent to the existing port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
area.
The simulation/serious game
Serious game
A serious game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion,...
is primarily for staff of the Port of Rotterdam
Port of Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004 it was the world's busiest port, now overtaken by first Shanghai and then Singapore...
, but with its emphasis on strategy, project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
and teamwork, it is appropriate for others as well, such as students and (young) professionals as part of their education or training courses. The game requires no specific prior knowledge of sea ports or of the Maasvlakte.
A serious challenge
The object of the simulation is to build the Second Maasvlakte. Specifically, they must individually and collectively make the appropriate planning and implementation decisions to lead to a workable design and exploitation of the Second Maasvlakte over a 30-year period.Gameplay
The game is played in teams. Collectively, the game's management team (3-6 people) from the Port of RotterdamPort of Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004 it was the world's busiest port, now overtaken by first Shanghai and then Singapore...
possesses virtually all of the responsibilities and competencies to plan, coordinate and implement the decisions necessary to build, equip and exploit the MV2 in the coming years.
The management team works under the supervision of the General Director and is also made up of one or more directors from the Commercial Department and the Infrastructure and Management Department. Each of the three roles has the use of a laptop.
Players use the laptops to input their decisions into the game. Thus, two (or more) persons can play one role together, though this means they will use the same laptop. To make it easier to look up information during the game, each team is also given a reference document containing all of the customer and strategy information.
All decisions that are physically possible (in the simulation) and within legal and ethical boundaries are implemented immediately. Players wanting to confer with parties not actively represented in the game — for example, a minister — can direct their questions to the gameleader who, if possible, will take on the role for a short time.
Technical details
SimPort was developed from scratch in JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
. All parameters are stored in XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
files. The 3D environment is rendered using OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
, bound to Java using JMonkeyEngine.
SimPort currently only features the module "Maasvlakte 2", but due to the modular design it will also be possible to create new modules for new ports.
Articles
- "The serious game SimPort: overcoming technical hurdles in educational gaming" by Warmerdam J, Knepflé M, Bekebrede G, Mayer I and Bidarra R (2007)
- "SimPort: a multiplayer management game framework" by Warmerdam J, Knepflé M, Bidarra R, Bekebrede G and Mayer I (2006)
- "How serious are serious games? Some lessons from Infra-games." by Bekebrede, G , Mayer, IS, Houten, SPA van, Chin, RTH & Verbraeck, A (2005)