Global companies are deploying a new tool to reinforce their brands with students, build links with universities and management schools, find talent and deliver management education.
Corporate games, costing up to €1m ($1.3m, £900,000) each to run, are increasingly seen by faculty as an "experiential learning" device that can improve educational quality and even count towards course credits.
Recently, the aircraft manufacturer Airbus and bank BNP Paribas have joined existing players such as cosmetics group L'Oréal and technology consultants IBM in launching global games for undergraduates, attracting in the process thousands of players.