Abstract:

With the digital transformation being one of the most discussed topics in the business world today, many decision makers – especially of small and medium sized enterprises – find themselves struggling with the understanding of new digital technologies and thus the potential benefits and risks for their companies. New technologies like the Internet of Things, Blockchain or Artificial Intelligence have great potential for businesses. However, carefully evaluating and selecting purposeful technologies – aligned to the digital strategy – is a major key to success. Technologies appear, change and also vanish so rapidly in the digital age, that a proper understanding is crucial for a sustainable technological foundation. Due to a lack of expertise and functions being less segregated in small and medium sized enterprises, in most cases the company owners are forced to gain a certain level of technology knowledge in order to be able to make well-founded decisions with respect to their digital roadmaps and thus the technological base of their companies.

Focusing on a digital way of knowledge transfer, the presented study examines the impact of serious games in the business context. Based on a state-of-the-art literature research, the application of serious games in diverse fields as well as the success factors are evaluated. The conducted study allows for a proper statement on how decision makers of small and medium sized enterprises can profit from serious games to gain a better technological understanding in a playful manner - fostering insight and allaying fears of falling victim to digitalisation.

Keywords:

Serious Games, SME, education, decision maker.