106224 - BUSINESS MODELS

Subject type: Basic

Coordinator: Juan José Pons López

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

Academic year: 2025

Teaching course: 2

• Spanish

The language of the course is Spanish, as is most of the teaching material used. We will also work with teaching material in English.

Students can express themselves freely in Spanish, Catalan or English.

Assignments, exercises and exams can also be done in Spanish, Catalan or English.

BUSINESS MODELS (106414) is a compulsory subject of the second year of the Degree in Design and Production of Videogames that belongs to the area of ​​Production and Business.

The main objective of the subject is for students to know and understand the different ways that companies in the video game sector operate, do business and generate profits. Through this subject, students will gain a better understanding of how video game companies create, deliver, capture and retain customer value.

As a complementary objective of the subject, students will learn to develop an effective business model for a video game development company.

BUSINESS MODELS is particularly focused on the video game sector with examples and real cases taken directly from the industry. It is important that students participating in this course have knowledge of the different actors that make up the value chain of the video game industry. Since real and current cases from the industry will be analyzed, it is also recommended that the participants of this course have first-hand knowledge of the main video games on the market.

The teaching methodology is based on two types of sessions: (i) theoretical sessions where the concepts related to the business models of video game companies are explained and (ii) practical sessions where the concepts explained are put to use for the solving of exercises and problems, case studies and for the development of the business model of the students' business projects.

SUBJECT 1: Introduction

1. Economic activities
2. Organizational structures
3. Value chain

SUBJECT 2: Business model

1. The approach to the business model of companies
2. Business models in the video game industry
3. The CANVES business model

SUBJECT 3: Target market and value proposition

1. The concept of value
2. The creation of value in companies
3. Developing an effective value proposition
   • Target market definition, measurement and segmentation
   • The profile of the priority customer
   • The company's value map
   • The strategic fit: CANVES value proposition

SUBJECT 4: Monetization systems

1. The logic of income: GAAP vs GAAS
2. The revenue model: P2P, F2P and hybrid models
3. The sources of income
4. Development of an effective monetization system
   • What to monetize?
   • Who to monetize?
   • How to monetize?
   • How to measure monetized?

SUBJECT 5: Business strategies

1. Product strategies and intellectual property (IP) management
2. Pricing and distribution strategies
3. Communication and advertising strategies
4. Competitive and corporate strategies

Each student's grade will be calculated according to the following percentages:

• A1. Exercises, problems and practical group activities: 30%
• A2. Final group work: 15%
• A3. Partial exam: 15%
• A4. Final exam: 40%

Final grade = A1 x 0,3 + A2 x 0,15 + A3 x 0,15 + A4 x 0,4

Considerations:

The exams (partial and final) must be passed with a minimum grade of four (4) to be averaged with the rest of the grades of the continuous assessment.
An activity not delivered or delivered late and without justification (court summons or medical matter) counts as a zero (0).
It is the student's responsibility to avoid plagiarism in all forms. If plagiarism is detected in any activity, regardless of its scope, it corresponds to having a grade of 0. In addition, the professor will communicate the situation to the Department Management so that applicable measures can be taken in terms of disciplinary regime.

Recovery:

Students with a rating lower than four (4) in the final grade of the first call, may recover the subject by taking a single exam that will cover all of its content.
The maximum grade that can be achieved in the second call is a five (5).

Nichols, Randy. (2014) The Video Game Business (International Screen Industries). British Film Institute

Osterwalder, Alexander, et al. (2015): "Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want." Wiley, 2015.

Osterwalder, Alexander, and Pigneur, Yves. (2013): "Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers." Wiley, 2013.

Davidovici-Nora, Myriam. (2014). Paid and free digital business models innovations in the video game industry. Digiworld Economic Journal, (94), 83.

Lovell, Nicholas. (2017). The Pyramid of Game Design. CRC Press: Taylor & Francis Group.