Four categories of design challenges to building game-based businesses

Building a business on the basis of designing and selling learning games is seldom a straightforward task. Often, such a project involves a diversity of competencies for handling a wide variety of challenges. On the basis of a longitudinal study of the game ChangeSetter, this chapter proposes a four-category approach to understanding such challenges. The four categories include 1) the learning game design, 2) didactic design on how the game is to be used, 3) organisational design for establishing both supply and demand, and finally 4) business design, which concerns the establishment of a business model that ensures continual rather than incidental income. While the four categories can be used for understanding the various challenges and what competencies they prompt for, the key argument of the chapter is to start with the business design as it is likely to cause extensive iterations to the other categories of challenges.