Business Model Board Games as Experiential Tools for Entrepreneurial Learning: Global Bibliometric Evidence and Future Directions

Abstract

The present study explores the pedagogical contribution of Business Model Board Games to entrepreneurship education as an experiential tool. The BMBGs immerse learners in a safe, simulated decision-making environment to practice recognising opportunities, allocating resources, and planning strategically across various domains. Specifically, the study seeks to 1. Map the intellectual and thematic structure of academic research on BMBG from 1991 to 2024 and 2. Synthesise empirical insights on their utility for promoting cognitive, behavioural, and attitudinal learning outcomes. The bibliometric analysis employed the academic search hub AnswerThis.io, which provides indexed content from academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, SpringerLink, and Emerald Insight. A total of 246 publications were processed through VOSviewer and Biblioshiny to ascertain publication trends, citation dynamics, and keyword clusters. The descriptive and thematic indicators, including the total publications, citation frequency, h-index, and keyword co-occurrence, mapped the field’s intellectual structure. The findings indicate a near-explosive rise in publication outputs from 2015 to 2018, with two major citation peaks in 2007 and 2017 corresponding to two seminal works on experiential learning and serious game design. The thematic mapping advised a structural faculty consisting of four overlapping clusters: 1. Experiential learning and simulation design, 2. Motivation and flow engagement, 3. Community-based and collaborative learning, and 4. Digital inclusion and hybrid learning. These publication trends signify a paradigm shift from conventional, lecture-style education to technology-infused, interactive learning environments. The empirical synthesis argues that BMBG consistently favors cognitive development, behavioral aids, and attitudinal results, notwithstanding the gender-sensitive outlook, responsive design, and longitudinal studies to confirm the knowledge retention capacity. Finally, this study contributes to the adventitious literature on experiential entrepreneurship education by setting BMBGs as a cost-effective, context-driven competence-promotion tool for reflective play and social learning, fostering the learning-application chasm for entrepreneurial competency.