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Game—The Game of Thrones Quest for Optimality: A Role Playing Game for Teaching the Art of Linear Programming

Author

Listed:
  • Jeroen Beliën

    (Department of Decision Sciences and Information Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, 1000 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Liesje De Boeck

    (Department of Decision Sciences and Information Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, 1000 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Dries Goossens

    (Department of Business Informatics and Operations Management, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; and Core lab CVAMO, FlandersMake@UGent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Nils-Hassan Quttineh

    (Department of Mathematics, Linköping University, SE 581 83 Linköping, Sweden)

  • Jens Vermeir

    (DHL Express, 1000 Brussels, Belgium)

Abstract

To stimulate practicing modeling skills, we develop an attractive educational team game embedded in an Excel spreadsheet. The game covers aspects of blending problems, production process problems, transportation problems, work scheduling problems, multiperiod production planning problems, and sensitivity analyses, all within a context that relates to a popular fictional theme, that is, Game of Thrones. The game can be used in an introductory linear programming (LP) course as an additional practice or repetition exercise. It can also be used to refresh students’ knowledge of LP modeling at the start of a subsequent integer programming or operations research course. Since 2016, the game has been used successfully in a first course on LP for undergraduate students following the Bachelor of Business Engineering program at KU Leuven (Belgium). Besides our positive experience, two formal student surveys revealed that most students (strongly) agreed that the game increased their interest in operations research. Furthermore, although only a few students watched Game of Thrones, most students liked the fictional theme.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeroen Beliën & Liesje De Boeck & Dries Goossens & Nils-Hassan Quttineh & Jens Vermeir, 2025. "Game—The Game of Thrones Quest for Optimality: A Role Playing Game for Teaching the Art of Linear Programming," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 250-256, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orited:v:25:y:2025:i:3:p:250-256
    DOI: 10.1287/ited.2024.0080
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