The New Space Race: A Classroom Game about the Maturation Process of New Markets

Abstract

This classroom game teaches students about the dynamics of new markets. Its attempts to simulate an incipient market that matures during the game by evolving from its beginning with a large number of small competitors benefiting from small entry barriers and gradually moving to a mature state with a few dominant companies and high entry barriers.

It uses an incipient private space sector as its background and incorporates the concepts of market saturation, complementary markets, externalities and entrance barriers. Players compete to secure their share in the ascending market. As the market growths, their size and their failures bring more governmental attention and regulation. In addition, the companies acting at this stage develop economies of scale. Its game dynamics promote close interaction between players as their plans outcomes are heavily affected by the successes and the failures of other players