New Virtual U - Press and News

Virtual U Game Version Released;
Specially Configured and Priced Version of University Management Simulator Debuts for Casual Players
"University Management Simulator Exemplifies New Applications of Game Technology"

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ben Sawyer
Phone: +1 207 773 3700

NEW YORK, NY (November 2, 2000) -- The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group, and Enlight Software are proud to announce the release of Virtual U: Game Version, a stripped down version of Virtual U, the software that simulates a university system, and provides a compelling new way to understand and work with the challenges of higher education in America.

"Virtual U: Administrator is priced at $130 and is aimed at professional managers, graduate students, and faculty who deal with higher education management issues everyday,” said Jesse Ausubel, program director for the Sloan Foundation. “This new version priced at $60 provides a lighter version of the software that provides a great introduction to a broader array of students, faculty, and non-faculty university personnel."

Virtual U: Game Version is expected to further highlight this unique collaboration of high-end game development skills and real-world public policy. Users attempt to manage their way through 10 scenarios facing today's institutions of higher learning including improving minority enrollment, producing a winning football team, and improving the salaries and performance of faculty.

"What makes Virtual U such a rewarding, and important product is that it shows how game development skills and technology can do more than provide us the next racing game or first-person shooter, but instead give us new ways to present training and public policy issues to an audience." said Chan of Enlight Software, the developer of Virtual U and many other mainstream strategy titles.

"One thing we are constantly asked about as we demo this software to professors, administrators, and other university officials is how do they build models that are this sophisticated and engrossing for other issues and practices? It's simple, we say -- start with a game developer and game design theory," said Ausubel, the co-author of a book that inspired some of the development of one of the worlds' most well-known simulation games -- SimCity®.

Designed to foster better understanding of management practices in American colleges and universities, Virtual U provides students, teachers, and parents the interesting opportunity to step into the decision-making shoes of a university president. "Players" are responsible for establishing and monitoring all the major components of an institution, including everything from faculty salaries to campus parking. Players can make decisions such as decreasing faculty-teaching time or increasing athletic scholarships.

However, as in a real college or university, the complexity and potential effects of each decision must be carefully considered. And the Virtual U Board of Trustees is monitoring every move.

Virtual U was conceived and designed by William F. Massy, a professor, writer, and university administrator for more than 30 years and the president of the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group. "Much of my experience in how universities are managed and how they work is represented in Virtual U," Dr. Massy said. "I'm excited to have helped create a tool that should help anyone who is involved in the management of our nation's higher-education system."

Virtual U's sophisticated design is driven by a state-of-the-art simulation engine built by renowned game developer Trevor Chan of Enlight Software, creator of the award-winning Capitalism, a simulation of corporate America. "With the game version released, we think more people will experience the product. Our demo has been downloaded thousands of times from the Internet and we're amazed that even some hard-core game fans have shown some interest in this product - which is now available at a price for more casual fans." Chan said. "Virtual U is one of the most complex pieces of programming we've ever undertaken at Enlight and I'm proud to see how well it has turned out."

Virtual U models the attitudes and behaviors of the academic community in five major areas of higher education management:

Spending and income decisions such as operating budget, new hires, incoming donations and management of the endowment;
Faculty, course, and student scheduling issues;
Admissions standards, university prestige, and student enrollment;
Student housing, classrooms, and all other facilities; and
Performance indicators.

The Creation of Virtual U
The development of Virtual U was made possible through a partnership that includes the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group, the Forum for the Future of Higher Education, Institute for Research on Higher Education, and Enlight Software. The program's creation was motivated by Massy's and Ausubel's desire to help a range of college and university stakeholders better understand their institutions as dynamic systems.

Virtual U: Game Version is available from Anker Publishing (www.Ankerpub.com) or call 978-799-6190 and retails for $60. A Strategy and Technical Guide (which is included in the Administrator version of the software) is sold separately for $32.95.

For more information or to download a demo of Virtual U, visit www.virtual-u.org.