Bloxxgame - A Simulation Game for Teaching Blockchain

摘要

Bloxxgame is a software tool evolving from a whiteboard-based blockchain game to a web-based simulation game with a variety of teaching scenarios. It is a simulation of a public blockchain, mostly similar to Bitcoin. Each player acts as a node with all possibilities of creating coin-transactions and blocks as well as the capability to experience the consensus algorithm by checking transactions and blocks. Bloxxgame supports experience-based instruction of blockchain concepts and can be used in class or for online teaching. Moreover, the simulation offers students the opportunity to experiment with all relevant operations of a blockchain such as signing, creating transactions, block building, etc. In this paper, we aim to share our practical experiences from teaching the emerging technology of blockchain to business or business information technology students on Bachelor and Master level applying a newly developed gamified teaching approach. The research was guided by the methodology of design-based research. We elaborate the process starting from problem identification, to designing the bloxxgame tool and demonstrating its applicability in the 2020 Corona lockdown.