Houthoff Buruma The Game

Houthoff Buruma The Game
Houthoff Buruma The Game is a serious computer game, developed in 2010 by Houthoff Buruma - one of the largest Dutch law firms - and Ranj Serious Games. In this interactive multimedia game, Houthoff Buruma challenges the skills of the most talented law graduates for recruitment purposes. Ranj Serious Games is a global player in computer games and the maker of the award winning project management game Sharkworld.

Houthoff Buruma The Game will be introduced on the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, as a best practice case of serious games in the Netherlands. The growing importance of serious games for business purposes is also stressed by the investment of the Netherlands' Government in 'the GATE Project' (Game Research for Training and Entertainment). Ranj Serious Games is one of the advisory board members of this project.

Gameplay
The player of the game represents China Mining & Marine, a demanding and unforgiving client. To meet the unprecedented energy goals of The People's Republic of China, this state-owned giant has to construct the Panlong Renewable Energy Park within the most ambitious time frame. To succeed in completing the task in such a short time, China Mining & Marine needs six specific vessels equipped with a unique installation technology. However, these six vessels are all in the hands of one company: 't Hoen Marine & Offshore, a century-old Dutch family business that also posesses the latest technology and the essential know-how. The Panlong Renewable Energy Park has become a matter of prestige for China, so failure is not an option. China Mining & Marine needs those six vessels as soon as possible and is determined to acquire 't Hoen. What will it take to motivate the members of the 't Hoen family to sell their shares? Nothing is what it seems and everyone has its own interest to protect. And this is a family company with skeletons in the closet.

The students will play in up to five teams, with up to five people in each team, and the teams will be competing against each other in each session. The Game runs internally at Houthoff Buruma on single-purpose touch screen computers. The players have 90 minutes to convince enough shareholders to sell their shares and to draft a 'Letter of Intent'. In this time they will be confronted with information of all kinds: video chats, text chats, conference calls, e-mails, websites, Facebook pages and Youtube movies.

Characters

 * Ding Hong: Senior Member of Communist Party of China / President China Mining & Marine
 * Arie 't Hoen jr.: Pater Familias / no longer shareholder 't Hoen Marine & Offshore
 * Johan 't Hoen: Chief Executive Officer 't Hoen Marine & Offshore
 * Klaas 't Hoen: Chief Technology Officer 't Hoen Marine & Offshore
 * Margreet 't Hoen: Shareholder 't Hoen Marine & Offshore / not active in operations of 't Hoen Marine & Offshore
 * Yulia Galkinova: Fiancee of Klaas 't Hoen
 * Sandra Vrooman: Partner Corporate Transactions at Houthoff Buruma
 * Rebecca Grey: Personal Assistant to Sandra Vrooman