Abstract

Manager games (digital simulation games whose terms of victory are defined as economic goals and whose decision parameters are predominantly economic means) are seen by both parents and educators as useful due to their reportedly educational value. However, there are as yet only a few studies with regard to domain-related transfers such as attitudes. This paper examines the effect of manager games such as Anno 1701, the Fußball Manager-series, SimCity IV and others on economic attitudes in informal settings. The objects of economic attitudes in this context is not economics as a subject, but economically important concepts. In the study a group comparison design is combined with a study of long-term real-life players. Results show that despite manager gamers differs from other gamers in some learning antecedents, only some games have an influence, and only upon the attitudes towards the role of competition and growth. Hopes of informal learning in digital games played for their entertaining value might be overblown.