Published on: 2026-08-18
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the end of July, the team economic game “Market Expansion” took place at Novosibirsk State University. Over three game days, 83 schoolchildren participated in it. The event was organized Laboratory of Economics and Business with the support of the Youth Policy Department of NSU and the Movement of the First. The main idea of the “Market Expansion” is not to tell schoolchildren about economics, but to give them the opportunity to play it.
Participants formed teams and received a limited supply of resources in the form of construction kit parts. They were presented with a map showing both open and hidden markets. They needed to explore the territory, search for new demand points, make decisions about opening markets, calculate logistics, invest in the brand, set prices, submit bids, and compete with other teams. At the same time, no one knew in advance which strategy would prove to be the best.
You could actively explore the map — and spend too many resources on reconnaissance. You could save — and find out that competitors had already taken the promising market. You could lower the price, develop the brand, negotiate with other teams, change the strategy literally on the go. That is why the economy in the game stopped being just a set of textbook terms. Schoolchildren faced limited resources, competition, incomplete information, risk, cost of error, logistics costs, investments, and the necessity to choose between several possible actions.
For many participants, this became their first real encounter with economics — and it happened not at the desk, but inside a large team game at Novosibirsk State University.
Reconnaissance and the discovery of hidden markets evoked special emotions. Teams literally awaited the emergence of new information on the map, argued about where to move next, and tried to anticipate the actions of competitors. Another emotional moment of each round was the market selection of bids, when it became clear whose strategy worked and who would receive resources for the next step.
The game quickly revealed another important effect: the economy turned out to be an excellent space for practicing teamwork. Naturally, roles emerged within the teams — someone was counting, someone analyzing the map, someone monitoring resources, someone suggesting strategies, and someone negotiating with other participants.
What the participants said
— At first, I didn’t understand what to do at all, but then we started counting, arguing, and planning several moves ahead. At some point, it became very interesting to watch how one decision changes the whole game, — shared Maxim, 9th-grade student.
— What I liked the most was working as a team. We constantly discussed where to go, which market to open, and what price to set. It felt like we truly had our own company., — she said Arina, an 8th-grade student.
— I previously knew almost nothing about economics, but here everything became much clearer. And I really liked NSU — especially the new building. After the game, I wanted to come here again., — noted Egor, a 10th grade student.
Opinion of the organizers
— A good game, there were a lot of schoolchildren who really got involved. No one wanted the game to end, everyone really enjoyed it, — said Artem Sait, junior expert of the Laboratory of Economics and Business (Gymnasium No. 3).
— The guys came to the game active, full of enthusiasm, some came for several days in a row. It’s nice to see interested young faces, — noted Snezhana Kondrasheva, chief expert of the Laboratory of Economics and Business (Faculty of Information Technology, NSU).
— The game was fantastically organized. Everything happened at a fast pace, and no one got bored. The participants got involved from the very first round and began to build very interesting strategies that did not repeat even once over three days. Completely different teams won with unpredictable scenarios, — she said Arina Markova, chief expert of the Laboratory of Economics and Business (Economics Faculty of NSU).
— The game was conducted at a good organizational level. The participants showed lively interest, acted cohesively, and had an understanding of economic mechanisms. It was very pleasant to observe this process., — added Aleksandra Stekacheva, junior expert at the Laboratory of Economics and Business (Secondary School No. 80).
A separate part of the experience for many schoolchildren was the very space of NSU. For some, it was their first visit to a university: a modern building, large lecture halls, screens, teamwork, and the feeling of a real university environment became part of the overall gaming experience.
“Market Expansion” is a completely original development by the Laboratory of Economics and Business. The Laboratory team went through the entire process from the initial concept and design of economic mechanics to the development of rules, game materials, and their own digital application that automates the map, team movements, markets, resources, requests, and results.
According to the head of the Laboratory of Economics and Business Dmitry Markov, the original idea was not to explain economic concepts to schoolchildren, but to create a situation where they would encounter them themselves. He noted that the economy should arise not on a slide, but right before the participants—in the moment when resources are scarce, information is insufficient, competitors are nearby, and a decision needs to be made now. It was also important for the schoolchildren to literally physically feel the resources and the economy as the movement of resources—this idea was realized through elements of a construction set.
The Laboratory Head emphasized that the preparation of the game took a lot of time: the team designed the mechanics, repeatedly rebalanced it, created the map, rules, interface, and a full-fledged software application. What is particularly valuable to him is that the students not only gained knowledge about economics but also spent two hours inside the economic system, changing its state with their decisions. He expressed gratitude to the entire team, the Youth Policy Department of NSU, and the Movement of the First for their support, noting that after three days of gameplay, there was simultaneously a feeling of fatigue and great satisfaction from seeing the concept and theoretical model come alive in the hands and minds of the students.
Dmitry Markov associates a special creative and pedagogical joy with the fact that the author of the game mechanics and rules became Kira Kurmasheva — a graduate of the 11th grade of the NSU Specialized Educational Scientific Center (SUNC), who has been actively involved in the Laboratory’s work since the 8th grade.
— In our Lab, we have been developing and practically testing various interactive educational formats with a constructor for the second year now. We conducted about five different games before creating the mechanics that became the basis of our current game. For me, this was the first experience of developing such a large-scale product, and I am very glad that I was able to participate in this project. During the game, I heard many positive reviews from children, and that is probably the most important thing. I want to thank the Laboratory of Economics and Business team, as well as all our partners, for giving me the opportunity to implement my idea for such a large audience and helping bring it to life., — she said Kira Kurmasheva, Director of Development at the Laboratory of Economics and Business.
Three game days became an important test for the project. The game withstood real stress, the digital system almost completely automated the calculations, and the participants quickly got involved in the mechanics and began to make increasingly complex strategic decisions. Based on the experience of the first two game days, the game mechanics were changed: in the third game, teams were given the opportunity to take out loans to replenish working capital, thereby increasing their chances of closing the gap with the leaders.
The most important result, however, cannot be measured by the number of rounds or applications. For two hours, 83 students had the opportunity not to study economics from the outside, but to be inside it. And for many, this introduction to economics began right here — at NSU.
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