Value of Simulations

From "Simulation insubordination: How simulation games are revolutionising elearning" by Siobhan Thomas

"If you were given the task of hiring someone to monitor the reactor at your nuclear power station (we’re speaking hypothetically, of course) you’d probably ensure that they’d had hands on training in a simulator (among a whole host of other things) before they assumed their post. A nuclear disaster is, after all, something we’d all like to avoid. The irony is that while we can readily see the benefit of using simulations to train people who deal in matters of life and death—doctors, pilots, bomb disposal experts—we are less able to see the benefit of using simulations to teach content that has traditionally been classroom fare." [92]

"[D]esign gems include such concepts as sim- ulations shouldn’t feature a single system, but a series of subsystems. Simula- tions should leverage the power of modularity. Simulations shouldn’t be slaves to reality, but, instead, be realistic interpretations of the world we live in." [97]

"Worlds are simulated by allowing different systems to interact. As Warren Spector, producer of the massively successful Deus Ex, pointed out in a con- versation with Aldrich: “What you want to do is create a game that’s built on a set of consistently applied rules that players can exploit however they want.... In other words, rather than crafting single-solution puzzles, create rules that describe how objects interact with one another (for example, water puts out fire...) and turn players loose—you want to simulate a world rather than emu- late specific experiences.” (97).

"In order to create these types of situations, you have to make systems that can talk to each other."  [97]

"The perpetual question asked of simulations is “How accurate do they have to be able to teach effectively?” This is referred to as the “issue of fidelity.” The overriding assumption is the more realistic simulations are the better the learn- ing experience will be. In other words, we assume that a high level of fidelity is needed to allow learning transfer to occur. Game designers are incorporating increasingly complex levels of realism into their art forms, continually experi- menting with graphical techniques that ensure, for instance, virtual grass looks like real, live grass. The difficulty with realism though is that the closer you get to “actuality,” the easier it is for players to see the flaws. Players are more than familiar with the nuances of the world around them. Immersion—the holy grail educational designers and commercial game designers alike strive for—is easily disrupted by lighting or shadows that don’t look quite right or discor- dant frame rates.

"Simulations work better when they interpret reality. This requires designers to analyse the base learning required in any given learning situation, rather than blindly modelling real-life. In other words, simulations need to be about the learning rather than about the simulation." [99-100]