The development of VAG—a 3D virtual agribusiness environment and strategy game

VAG—a prototype animated, interactive, three-dimensional virtual environment model of a supply chain in the agribusiness sector has been developed as a CD-based game of strategy. Users (players) have to both create their supply chain by choosing the components that make it up, and then play the game in the role of the Manager of one of the components in it: the goal being to maximise the success of that component. Evaluation of the player’s business acumen and the ‘health’ of the particular component in the supply chain are calculated based on the information use and decision making that transpires. Animation and activated 3D graphics of decision making are trialled as a way of providing an immersive learning experience (the “Know How” rather than simply the “Know What”). This paper introduces VAG Version 1—the concept, the issues and the workarounds required to create this first version as a demonstration tool to enhance agribusiness education and research. A small sample qualitative evaluation of the demonstration model is included to provide some feedback to the future design and development of the concept. The future developmental opportunity for extending VAG into a massive multiplayer online game in true virtual reality is also briefly discussed as a way of extending “E” learning scenarios.