Video games and operations research : two synergic partners?

Despite the effectiveness of Operations Research (OR) in solving complex problems, its use is still somewhat limited due to difficulties experienced by users when describing a real system through a mathematical model. As a result, teaching how to approach and model complex problems is still an open issue. At the same time, it is impossible to deny the strong relation between (video) games and learning. In this paper we are combining the two considerations above and explore to which extent (real time) simulation video games can be used to as an innovative, stimulating, and compelling tool to teach OR techniques.