Animation is used to provide a game leader, or players an overview of the whole or parts of the supply chain. Depending on the case, the content showed on an animation panel can be adjusted.
In general, an animation panel is controlled by a game leader, this means that a game leader is the one who determines what part of the supply chain is shown. When using a beamer this animation panel can be showed to all the players. Another option is to provide players with their own, customized, animation panels.

In case of the Distributor Game, the panel will be shown to all the players using a beamer. On this panel they will be able to see the actors, and the communication processes which are taking place. Even key performance indicators may be shown to the players.

The illustration below shows an overview of the whole supply chain. In the upper-left corner a legend is present, explaining the meaning of the different colored dots on the panel. In this case, a blue dot stands for a manufacturer, a green dot stands for a distributor, and a red dot stands for a market. In the lower-left corner three buttons are available which may be used to zoom in on a predefined part of the supply chain. In this case it is possible to zoom in on the USA, Europe or Asia.

In the figure below we illustrate the USA region. We are now able to see the several actors more in detail. Depending on the zoom level of the animation panel, more or less information is made visible.
At this zoom level we are able to view the names of the actors, and to see the game flow of messages between the actors.