Reviewed by Lisa Eldred Developer: PIXELearning Publisher: Skillsmart Retail

PIXELearning were commissioned to create an engaging and fun online game specifically to help Skillsmart Retail to address the skills shortage in the UK retail sector and to help to overcome the perception amongst British teenagers that retail offers poor career opportunities. The game allows users to undertake a mini interview before working through four levels in different retail environments - each of which was set in a different retail environment - with an increasing degree of responsibility. Users (teenagers) make choices around products, marketing, inventory and pricing in order to try to achieve as high a profit as possible. We also added a public high score table - on which several players even beat our in-house simulation designer - and the ability to set up mini-leagues between friends. http://www.pixelearning.com/about_us-client_case_studies.htm

PIXELearning were commissioned to create an engaging and fun online game specifically to help Skillsmart Retail to address the skills shortage in the UK retail sector and to help to overcome the perception amongst British teenagers that retail offers poor career opportunities.

The game allows users to undertake a mini interview before working through four levels in different retail environments - each of which was set in a different retail environment - with an increasing degree of responsibility. Users (teenagers) make choices around products, marketing, inventory and pricing in order to try to achieve as high a profit as possible.

We also added a public high score table - on which several players even beat our in-house simulation designer - and the ability to set up mini-leagues between friends.

http://www.pixelearning.com/about_us-client_case_studies.htm

More thorough understanding of different aspects of retail Overall better opinion of retail positions

More thorough understanding of different aspects of retail

Overall better opinion of retail positions

Responsibilities of retail workers Gameplay Stories Demographics of retail workers Between-round quizzes Stories

Responsibilities of retail workers

Gameplay

Stories

Demographics of retail workers

Between-round quizzes

Stories

Prospective employee of a retail company Auto-hired as a manager Increasing responsibilities

Prospective employee of a retail company

Auto-hired as a manager

Increasing responsibilities

Even flow through quarters Scenarios add sense of realism “ Customer” videos convey passage of time/environment Flow broken by quizzes/stories Very little feedback Designed for competition

Even flow through quarters

Scenarios add sense of realism

“ Customer” videos convey passage of time/environment

Flow broken by quizzes/stories

Very little feedback

Designed for competition

Poorly designed user interface Limited options Requires at least two playthroughs to understand strategy Year-end clearance

Poorly designed user interface

Limited options

Requires at least two playthroughs to understand strategy

Year-end clearance

Online only Flash-based Mouse-based Occasionally buggy

Online only

Flash-based

Mouse-based

Occasionally buggy

Effective at teaching complexities of retail industry Ineffective (?) at attracting teens to retail No substantial data 2845 registered users in the public league

Effective at teaching complexities of retail industry

Ineffective (?) at attracting teens to retail

No substantial data

2845 registered users in the public league

Flavor videos, when done well, can be beneficial to flow Quizzes interrupt flow Poor usability disrupts flow Minimally, in the process of playtesting, also talk about interface issues

Flavor videos, when done well, can be beneficial to flow

Quizzes interrupt flow

Poor usability disrupts flow

Minimally, in the process of playtesting, also talk about interface issues

PIXELearning. Available: http://www.pixelearning.com/index.htm skillsmart retail. Available: http://ssr.haime-butler.com/skillsmart/index.php skillsmart retail game. Available: http://www.pixelearning.net/(S(uk3lqnjx3eu4m455uzut1g45))/skillsmartgame/home.aspx

PIXELearning. Available: http://www.pixelearning.com/index.htm

skillsmart retail. Available: http://ssr.haime-butler.com/skillsmart/index.php

skillsmart retail game. Available: http://www.pixelearning.net/(S(uk3lqnjx3eu4m455uzut1g45))/skillsmartgame/home.aspx