Simulation & Gaming RSS feed -- OnlineFirst Articles

A Web-Based Lean Simulation Game for Office Operations: Training the Other Side of a Lean Enterprise

Kuriger, G. W., Wan, H.-d., Mirehei, S. M., Tamma, S., Chen, F. F. — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:08:16 PDT

This research proposes a Web-based version of a lean office simulation game (WeBLOG). The game is designed to be used to train lean concepts to office and administrative personnel. This group belongs to the frequently forgotten side of a lean enterprise. Over four phases, the game presents the following seven lean tools: one-piece flow, errorproofing, elimination of overprocessing, balanced workload, multifunctional workforce, pull, and total quality. The concept of continuous improvement is also covered. Participants can play the game from remote and separate locations by logging into a specified Internet site. Additionally, the game can be played with a combination of real and virtual (simulated) players. Several performance metrics are automatically calculated and displayed at the conclusion of each phase. The results of the current phase can then be compared to the results from all previous phases to better illustrate the impact of newly introduced lean tools.

Evolving Beyond Self-Interest? Some Experimental Findings From Simulated International Negotiations

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:45:20 PDT

Negotiation is a process of exchange intellectually, socially, and in terms of the items (tangible or not) that provide the focal point for negotiations. In recent years, the English School has discussed international institutions from a normative point of view that emphasizes the development of shared norms and values. Actors are affected by their institutional surroundings and hence learn by doing and come to identify with the norms of the system.Primary institutions have developed over time and the international system is still evolving toward being more intertwined and toward the convergence realm on the spectrum,which ranges from power politics to coexistence to cooperation and then convergence. Thus far, most work in the English School tradition has tended to be normative and historical in approach.This article examines positive empirical evidence to support the theory of institutional development and social interaction. Using data from the GlobalEd project (www.globaled.uconn.edu), this article will examine how shared norms and practices become embedded in the operation of actors participating in international,simulated negotiations.Analysis of messages from these negotiations will show that participants adapt to the rules and the norms of the interaction environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the norms of the community become part of actors’ behavior and influence, positively, future interactions. Our conclusions indicate that increased interaction leads to positive spillover effects in terms of cooperation and international agreements.

Balancing Play, Meaning and Reality: The Design Philosophy of LEVEE PATROLLER

Harteveld, C., Guimaraes, R., Mayer, I. S., Bidarra, R. — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:33:37 PDT

Most serious games have been developed without a proper and comprehensive design theory. To contribute to the development of such a theory, this article presents the underlying design philosophy of LEVEE PATROLLER, a game to train levee patrollers in the Netherlands. This philosophy stipulates that the design of a digital serious game is a multiobjective problem in which trade-offs need to be made. Making these tradeoffs takes place in a design space defined by three equally important components: (a) Play, (b) Meaning, and (c) Reality. The various tensions between these three components result in design dilemmas and trilemmas that make it difficult to balance a serious game. Each type of tension is illustrated with one or more examples from the design of LEVEE PATROLLER.

Estimating Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Simulation

Lahneman, W., Keesing, H. — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:59:39 PDT

The simulation offers a way to improve student understanding of the analytic process used by intelligence analysts as well as analysts in other fields such as business and public policy. The simulation places participants in the role of intelligence analysts in the months leading up to the Iraq War. Participants prepare an outline of a national intelligence estimate (NIE) that assesses the status of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs. The simulation has several stages that mimic the actual process that the U.S. intelligence community (IC) uses to produce NIEs. The simulation gives participants a better understanding of the ambiguity that IC analysts face in their jobs, the difficult assessments they must make based on limited information, the complexities of collaboration between different agencies in the IC to produce unified judgments, and the different perspectives of analysts and policy makers. The simulation takes about 21/2 hours to conduct and requires very little preparation by instructors and participants. It is a valuable addition to courses in intelligence, national security, foreign policy, and international relations.

Incorporating Customer Lifetime Value into Marketing Simulation Games

Cannon, H. M., Cannon, J. N., Schwaiger, M. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:26:30 PDT

Notwithstanding the emerging prominence of customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer equity (CE) in the marketing literature during the past decade, virtually nothing has been done to address these concepts in the literature on simulation and gaming.This article addresses the failing, discussing the nature of CLV and CE and demonstrating how they might be incorporated into marketing simulations.

Analyzing Conflict Dynamics With the Aid of an Interactive Microworld Simulator of a Fishing Dispute

Kuperman, R. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:26:30 PDT

This article presents findings from a research project that uses an interactive simulator of an imaginary fishing dispute.Subjects operating the simulator play the role of a state leader, while the computer program controls the behavior of a contending state as well as provides all the environmental data associated with the conflict.The simulator is designed to operate in real time according to a predefined set of rules and feedbacks. Therefore, it is not a game, where each party takes turns, but a microworld, where both the operator and the computer opponent can initiate actions independently of one another. Because the subjects are able to learn from experience and improve their policies,it might be expected that they should eventually discover an appropriate policy that maximizes their payoffs. However, experiments with university students reveal that the majority of the subjects fail to reach optimal strategies. It appears that there is a preferred bias toward choosing particular types of strategies that satisfy normative standards, even though these strategies produce lower payoffs.

Operations Strategy with Paper Boats

Sumukadas, N. — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:12:58 PDT

When participants in introductory business courses encounter the term "operations strategy," it is not easy for them to appreciate what operations strategy is about, or how it fits with overall business strategy. This game breaks down highfalutin jargon into experiences that participants can readily relate to. While working in teams to make paper boats, and competing with other teams, participants realize that they have intuitively engaged in the formulation and implementation of their team’s operations strategy. They begin to appreciate the interplay between the customer’s requirements, their own team’s strengths, the "competitive priorities" that their team must emphasize, and the tradeoffs inherent in making these decisions.

Enhancing Lean Manufacturing Learning Experience through Hands-on Simulation

Elbadawi, I., McWilliams, D., Tetteh, E. — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:22:25 PDT

Finding appropriate interactive exercises to increase students’ learning in technical topic courses is always challenging to educators. In this study, several paper plane hands-on simulation exercises were developed, used, and tested in a lean manufacturing course for beginning college students. a pretest and posttest was used to assess the effectiveness of students learning of lean manufacturing concepts by means of participating in the hands-on simulation exercises. Furthermore, the procedures used for an efficient integration of the hands-on simulation exercises into a teaching environment were evaluated. The results showed that students’ knowledge of lean manufacturing concepts increased significantly compared with lecture-based learning only.

Video Game-Based Methodology for Business Research

Lawson, L., Lawson, C. — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:22:25 PDT

Experimental research in business and economics has exploded in recent years in both laboratory and field settings. The generality of findings from field experiments is limited by the specificity of the experimental environment. Laboratory studies, on the other hand, are criticized for being devoid of the contextual cues that may indicate to decision makers the nature of the problem and, thus, the appropriate approaches to problem solving. Virtual experiments provide a hybrid of strengths from each of these two experimental protocols that may overcome some of the limitations of each. Using a modified, commercial, adventure game with an appended Sequel database, this research reprises a well-known study of risk aversion within a virtual context. The results indicate that very similar overall measures of risk aversion can be obtained within an adventure game context. Furthermore, it shows that experimentation within this virtual environment permits outcomes to be recorded and analyzed regarding decision consistency, decision revisions, and psychological/behavioral variables that have not been available using either traditional lab or field research methods. As such, this study contributes both to the literature on behavioral business research methodology in general and to the literature on risk aversion in particular.

How We Think and Talk About Facilitation

Kato, F. — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:24:40 PDT

Over the past few years, the notion of ‘facilitation’ has been increasingly gaining attention and acceptance in Japan, especially in the context of education and training. Today, Japanese educators think and talk about facilitation, even if it is not yet clear what facilitation is. Interestingly enough, the term facilitation does not exist in the Japanese language. even so, the term fa-shi-ri-tei-shon somehow seems important to use, and by ‘importing’ and using it, we feel more comfortable talking about certain aspects of our communication processes. Without it we may not feel able to say anything about these aspects of communication processes. Conceiving of the act of facilitation as utilizing a set of tools enables research and writing on facilitation to examine its outcomes or effectiveness rather than being limited to considerations of it as a process. This article introduces and applies the idea of social construction of technology in order to examine the notion of facilitation.

Identity Crisis: Simulations and Models

Simpson, J. — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:24:39 PDT

This is an investigation of the relationship between simulations and models, concluding that the model intended to underlie a simulation and the model that actually underlies the simulation can be quite different. It is also argued that simulations and models are complexes of representational relations, making it the case that determining what is a model or what is a simulation is an inherently observer relative task that can never be fully overcome. The end result is that simulations can still be profitably used as scientific tools, but that caution must be used in interpreting their results; and we must be reluctant to make hard and fast judgments regarding what counts as a simulation or model and how any results obtained should be used.

The Long History of Gaming in Military Training

Smith, R. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:27:39 PDT

The dual-use of games in both military and entertainment applications has a long history. This has taken the form of sand tables, miniatures, board games, and computer games. The current tension between entertainment and military applications over games is just the return of similar concerns that have surrounded gaming tools and technologies in previous generations. Dynamic representations of the physical world are interesting and useful tools in a number of fields, to include the military, city planning, architecture, education, and entertainment. Modern computer games contain technologies and tools that allow many different communities to accomplish similar goals.

Teaching Lean Manufacturing With Simulations and Games: A Survey and Future Directions

Badurdeen, F., Marksberry, P., Hall, A., Gregory, B. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:27:39 PDT

Problem-based learning focuses on small groups using authentic problems as a means to help participants obtain knowledge and problem-solving skills. This approach makes problem-based learning ideal for teaching lean manufacturing, which is driven by a culture of problem solving that values learning as one key output of manufacturing production. Thus, simulations that organize participants in teams for realistic manufacturing production problem solving are widespread as a way to use problem-based learning to teach lean manufacturing. But a critical assessment of existing simulations for lean manufacturing instruction has been lacking. accordingly, a literature survey is conducted and existing simulations are classified according to their emphasis on lean tools or the overall lean system; the degree of their focus on soft skills, if any; and their area of application, whether academic or industry. Four gaps are found in existing simulation designs: lack of stress on soft skills, a mistaken focus on "linear lean," misunderstanding of the key role of the facilitator, and lack of realism. Future directions for study and improvement in lean simulation design are suggested.

Simulation Design for Off-Line Training of Practical Lean Manufacturing Concepts for Visual Inspection

Tetteh, E. G., McWilliams, D. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:27:39 PDT

Customer needs for high-quality goods and the risk of product-liability litigation against businesses have made companies look for a way to sustain quality assurance in their products and services. Lean manufacturing is the latest and most successful system being used by companies to turn their business around. Visual inspection plays an important role to ensure quality product in manufacturing and service industries. Simulation accompanied by training has been proven to be effective in implementing lean concepts in visual inspection systems by enhancing operator accuracy and reducing search time. This article describes the development and application of a training system in a simulated visual inspection environment using a computer-based program to mimic the actual industrial setting. The system is designed and used to simulate and evaluate lean metrics such as time, accuracy, pacing, and data collection needed to train visual inspectors off-line.

A simulation of lean manufacturing: The Lean Lemonade Tycoon 2

Ncube, L. B. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:27:38 PDT

This article discusses the functions and effectiveness of games and simulations in the learning processes, in particular as an experiential learning methodology. The application of the game Lemonade Tycoon in the development of lean manufacturing concepts is described. This article addresses the use of the game to teach the principles of lean enterprise, including zero waiting time, zero inventory, scheduling, internal customer pull instead of push system, batch to flow, cut batch sizes, line balancing, and cut actual process times. Other outcomes of learning such as promoting communication and interaction, facilitating cooperative learning, encouraging peer learning and fostering teamwork are also discussed. games and simulations are relevant in all of the four learning phases of experiential learning and have a very positive impact on the learning and future application of lean manufacturing principles. games are especially relevant in the generalization and application phases by helping shift learner’s personal paradigms.

DATABASE MANAGER

Martin, A. — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:27:39 PDT

It is normal practice today for organizations to store large quantities of records of related information as computer-based files or databases. Purposeful information is retrieved by performing queries on the data sets. The purpose of DATABASE MANAGER is to communicate to students the method by which the computer performs these queries. This simulation brings the topic to life by representing the records physically and visibly in adjacent locations in the classroom, by anthropomorphizing the key roles and operations that are required, and through explicit attention to the data access methods.

Debriefing a Health-Related Educational Game: A Case Study

Lennon, J. — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:25:15 PDT

This study sought to evaluate the utility of a Web-based game on the topic of immunity, based upon the work of Nobel Prize winner Ileya Mechnikov. This was accomplished through postgame written debriefing with an oral debriefing follow-up. A qualitative case study was conducted in a nonformal home setting. The participant learned new information, such as the capability of cells to alert the body to foreign pathogenic attack. Game dissatisfaction was described by the participant as well as suggestions for game improvement. The written debriefing response was generally briefer than the oral debriefing responses. While the participant gleaned information about immunity from the game without facilitator assistance, postgame debriefings aided the participant in reflection about the game. This was the first study to utilize a combination of postgame written and oral debriefing in the Nobel Prize Web-based game genre. It illustrates the value of postgame debriefing as an enhancement of the learning experience related to the health-related educational game.

A Blend of Planning and Learning: Simplifying a Simulation Model of National Development

Kopainsky, B., Pedercini, M., Davidsen, P., Alessi, S. M. — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:25:15 PDT

Simulation models provide decision support to long-term planning processes. The Bergen Learning Environment for National Development (BLEND) is a game based on a simplified version of Millennium Institute's Threshold 21 model (T21) that sensitizes policy makers in sub-Saharan African nations to the need for simulation-based decision support. The simplification eliminates or aggregates details about individual policy sectors and maintains cross-sector relationships. Validation indicates that the full and the simplified T21 model generate very similar behavior patterns for a wide range of policy scenarios. Pilot tests demonstrate that the simplified T21 model contributes to the learning goals of BLEND. The debriefing employs causal loop diagrams and simulation for structural explanations of the behavior observed during the game. BLEND workshops with repeated runs of the game, full debriefing sessions and different formats of instructional support will contribute further to research on dynamic decision making and learning about tasks with great complexity.

Debriefing in Moodle: Written feedback on trust and knowledge sharing in a social dilemma game

Oertig-Davidson, M. — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:27:27 PDT

This article describes a new approach to debriefing that uses the discussion forum feature of the Moodle open source course management system to debrief a simulation game with undergraduate business students. The simulation game allowed the students to experience the fragility of trust when sharing knowledge in a global virtual project team. I found using the Moodle forum for gathering written feedback on the task to be an improvement over verbal feedback sessions used with previous classes. The Moodle forum provides spontaneous and simultaneous rich feedback from a larger number of students and increases their awareness of the complexity of the task. It became clear to the students that there was no blueprint for success in the game but that participants each had to make sense of the experience in their own way.

Literary and Historical 3D Digital Game-Based Learning: Design Guidelines

Neville, D., Shelton, B. — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:25:57 PDT

As 3D digital game–based learning (3D-DGBL) for the teaching of literature and history gradually gains acceptance, important questions will need to be asked regarding its method of design, development, and deployment. This article offers a synthesis of contemporary pedagogical, instructional design, new media, and literary-historical theories to articulate design guidelines for these types of game environments. From the synthesis emerges a discussion of critical components for the design of space, the virtual objects within it, and the needs of player-as-learner in synthetic worlds. Guidelines include preserving the otherness of the game world, supporting knowledge and social networks of learners in virtual spaces, and the importance of point of view with respect to situated contexts. This effort seeks to open a broader, multidisciplinary discussion on the design and use of 3D-DGBL in humanities curricula.

Serious Video Games for Health: How Behavioral Science Guided the Design of a Game on Diabetes and Obesity

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:01:35 PST

Serious video games for health are designed to entertain players while attempting to modify some aspect of their health behavior. Behavior is a complex process influenced by multiple factors, often making it difficult to change. Behavioral science provides insight into factors that influence specific actions that can be used to guide key game design decisions. This article reports how behavioral science guided the design of a serious video game to prevent Type 2 diabetes and obesity among youth, two health problems increasing in prevalence. It demonstrates how video game designers and behavioral scientists can combine their unique talents to create a highly focused serious video game that entertains while promoting behavior change.

Computerized History Games: Options for Narratives

Kee, K. — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:01:36 PST

How may historians best express history through computer games? This article suggests that the answer lies in correctly correlating historians’ goals for teaching with the capabilities of different kinds of computer games. During the development of a game prototype for high school students, the author followed best practices as expressed in the literature on games for learning. The analysis that followed led the author to question the applicability of these best practices, and this literature, to history games for learning. He began the second iteration by asking, "What is it that we as historians want to teach?" After deciding on goals for history education, the author asked a second question, "How can these goals be best expressed in a game environment?" Different game genres afford different possibilities, and the author connects three epistemologies for history to three computer game genres, resulting in three options for history games for learning.

NGOs--Cooperation and Competition: An Experimental Gaming Approach

Koch, D.-J. — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:17:16 PST

The number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Tanzania is rapidly increasing, partly due to considerable support from external donors. The implications of the agglomeration of NGOs for local relationships are little understood: Does agglomeration simulate cooperation or enhance competition among them? To address this question, the author used an innovative approach involving game simulation. The specific game developed for this purpose was repeated eight times with a selection of Tanzanian NGOs. Outcomes indicate that willingness to cooperate among NGOs decreases when more of them work in the same area. To check the validity of the game simulation results, the author compared them to those of a survey held among the same NGOs. Even though the two sets of results were roughly similar, some important deviations were also analyzed. The outcomes are used to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both research methods.

Simulating History to Understand International Politics

Weir, K., Baranowski, M. — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:51:49 PDT

To understand world politics, one must appreciate the context in which international systems develop and operate. Pedagogy studies demonstrate that the more active students are in their learning, the more they learn. As such, using computer simulations can complement and enhance classroom instruction. CIVILIZATION is a computer simulation game that allows players to build a civilization, competing against other civilizations. As players manage resources to develop their civilizations, establish diplomatic relations with other civilizations, strengthen trade relations, and engage in military and peace alliances, they become immersed in a simulated international system. This article explores the value of using CIVILIZATION as an active learning approach to teach international relations, focusing on the many ways in which students can better understand and appreciate the defining concepts, as well as the complexities, of international politics through playing a computer game.

Validity of a Simulation Game as a Method for History Teaching

Corbeil, P., Laveault, D. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:37:21 PDT

The aim of this research is, first, to determine the validity of a simulation game as a method of teaching and an instrument for the development of reasoning and, second, to study the relationship between learning and students’ behavior toward games. The participants were college students in a History of International Relations course, with two groups participating in a simulation game and one serving as a control group. The results show that the experimental groups had higher scores on a test of comprehension and that participants within these two groups who were identified as operating at a level of formal reasoning (as evaluated by an arrangement test) obtained the highest knowledge scores. Learning style was found to be an important variable in explaining motivation toward the game.

COMMAND DECISION GAMES [Simulation/Game Review]

Corbeil, P. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:37:21 PDT

Introducing History Into STARPOWER

Corbeil, P. — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:01:57 PDT

STARPOWER is a powerful simulation that shocks participants into a realization of the effects of power on both ruler and ruled. Its effect depends partly on the absence of a time horizon to guide the relationship between the groups and to give perspective to the decision making of the ruling class. A time variable reduces the tensions and reestablishes a link with real historical processes. This article describes and discusses such a modification.

Urban Sprawl: Using a Game to Sensitize Stakeholders to the Interdependencies Between Actors' Preferences

Reckien, D., Eisenack, K. — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:07:42 PDT

This article introduces QuAG, a role-playing game, to enhance understanding of urban development through a social simulation. The participants represent actors of city development, divided into moving (e.g., residents, industry, retail) and nonmoving actors (e.g., planners, politicians). Development is performed by the relocation of actors between urban and suburban areas depending on the regions’ attractiveness and the actors’ preferences. An area’s attractiveness varies with the location changes of actors and the manipulation by planners. The game is based on a qualitative computer model with similar rules and elements. The role-play was effective in two ways: it sensitized participants to the interdependencies among actors and their contribution to a region’s attractiveness and made the computer model more tangible to them. If a similar impact of the planning measures in the game can be expected in the real world, the effects of investments can provide strong incentives for the movers.

Simulation in Sport Finance

Drayer, J., Rascher, D. — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:07:04 PDT

Simulations have long been used in business schools to give students experience making real-world decisions in a relatively low risk environment. The OAKLAND A’S BASEBALL BUSINESS SIMULATOR takes a traditional business simulation and applies it to the sport industry, in which sales of tangible products are replaced by sales of experiences provided to fans. The simulator asks students to make decisions about prices for concessions, parking, and merchandise; player payroll expenses; funding for a new stadium; and more. On the basis of these inputs, the program provides detailed information about the state of the franchise after each simulated year, including attendance, winning percentage, revenues versus expenses, revenue sharing, and stadium financing. The use of simulations such as this one enhances students’ organizational skills and students’ ability to think critically and imaginatively about the data while applying relevant knowledge and an appropriate strategy to achieve the best possible results. This is particularly important in the field of sport management, in which few, if any, other simulators exist that are specific to the field.

Orientations to Video Games Among Gender and Age Groups

Greenberg, B. S., Sherry, J., Lachlan, K., Lucas, K., Holmstrom, A. — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:07:04 PDT

Questionnaires were completed by 5th-, 8th-, and 11th-grade public schools students in rural and suburban school districts and by undergraduates at two universities in the United States (n = 1,242). They were asked about their orientation to video games—the amount of time they played, their motives for doing so, and the game types they preferred—to better understand the context in which effects research might be organized. The conceptual schema for this research was the uses-and-gratifications perspective. The males in the sample played video games at twice the weekly average of the females, were consistently stronger in all measured motives than the females, and preferred physically oriented video games over the females’ preference for more traditional, thoughtful games. Younger players opted for the fantasy motive in their playing and older players more so for competition. Preference for physical games declined among the older males, and generally motives were stronger in the middle years of playing for both males and females than in the youngest and oldest age groups. Regression analyses explained considerably more variance in game playing for males than for females.

A constructivist approach to designing business simulations for strategic management

Thavikulwat, P., Pillutla, S. — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:57:51 PDT

The authors considered two principles of simulation design (simple rules and smart algorithms) and three essential attributes (choice of industries, employer-employee relationships, and real markets for products and participant services) for strategic management business simulations. They applied these considerations and a constructivist approach to develop a computer-assisted simulation, using it to investigate the concurrent and predictive relationships of market share and production experience on profitability. The authors found that the relationships are (a) as expected and stronger than those reported in an earlier study using a simulation of a more conventional design and (b) more consistent with a well-known series of field studies. They suggest that computer-assisted simulations developed through a constructivist approach may be used to advance the discipline of strategic management.

One for All and All for One: Using Multiple Identification Theory Simulations to Build Cooperative Attitudes and Behaviors in a Middle Eastern Conflict Scenario

Williams, R. H., Williams, A. J. — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:27:19 PDT

The authors previously developed multiple identification theory (MIT) as a system of simulation game design intended to promote attitude change. The present study further tests MIT’s effectiveness. The authors created a game (CULTURE & CREED) via MIT as a complex simulation of Middle Eastern conflict resolution, designed to change attitudes and behaviors from competition to cooperation. Participants completed pretest questionnaires measuring "cooperation versus competition," "truthfulness versus deception," and "viewing a situation from a social versus an individual perspective." Participants played the simulation twice and then completed posttest questionnaires. The authors recorded behavioral measures of players’ cooperative or aggressive actions during the simulation. Statistical analysis found significant change in a cooperative direction for both attitudinal and behavioral measures. Robust effect sizes were observed. More than 60% of participants reported transferring the cooperative attitudes they learned in the game to life situations. Simulations designed with MIT could be applied to other conflict scenarios and used to modify attitudes.

A Systemic-Constructivist Approach to the Facilitation and Debriefing of Simulations and Games

Kriz, W. C. — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:45:28 PDT

This article introduces some basic concepts of a systemic-constructivist perspective. These show that gaming simulation corresponds closely to a systemic-constructivist approach to learning and instruction. Some quality aspects of facilitating and debriefing simulation games are described from a systemic-constructivist point of view. Finally, a structure for debriefing, and some concrete examples of systemic-constructivist debriefing-methods are presented.

Limits to Modeling: Balancing Ambition and Outcome in Astrophysics and Cosmology

Ruphy, S. — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:45:28 PDT

Computer simulations of complex physical objects and processes for which data are very sparse or inexistent have become a major tool of scientific investigation in astrophysics and cosmology. However, one must ask how these simulations acquire their epistemic credentials and whether their realistic ambition is legitimate. A close look at two model-building processes—one in galactic astrophysics, the other in cosmology—reveals heretofore underappreciated features of simulations, such as path dependency. This article argues that such features undermine our confidence in the outcomes of the simulation. Case studies presented here reveal a general tension in computer simulation between realistic ambitions and the possibility of empirical confirmation. The analysis will thus lead to a reassessment of the epistemic goals actually achieved by composite models of complex astrophysical and cosmological phenomena.

Theorizing on the Treatment of Time in Simulation Gaming

Lainema, T. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:34:09 PDT

A key element in organizational decision making is the progress of time and the ability to live with it. This article discusses the factor of time in decision making and how time can be taken into account in computerized simulation gaming. The discussion is based on recent definitions and classifications of time. The author reflects on these classifications and argues that embedding a richer time conception could increase the application domain of simulation gaming in the organizational context. Finally, the author theorizes on the implications of continuous processing in simulation gaming. The results indicate that continuous gaming provides an intense and meaningful learning environment.

The Explanatory Power of Models and Simulations: A Philosophical Exploration

Weirich, P. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:34:07 PDT

Some computer simulations have explanatory goals. In a typical case, the computer simulation exemplifies a model generating a phenomenon under investigation. For the simulation to be explanatory, the model has to be explanatory. Models that fully explain phenomena are rare, but a model may offer a partial explanation of a phenomenon. It does this if an isomorphism holds between certain features of the model and certain features of a natural system realizing the phenomenon. The first two sections elaborate this account of a simulation’s explanatory power. The third section illustrates the account by applying it to Brian Skyrms’s (2004) simulations of the evolution of cooperation. The final section uses the account to suggest ways of increasing those simulations’ explanatory power.

Games for traffic education: An experimental study of a game-based driving simulator

Backlund, P., Engstrom, H., Johannesson, M., Lebram, M. — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:44:28 PDT

In this article, the authors report on the construction and evaluation of a game-based driving simulator using a real car as a joystick. The simulator is constructed from off-the-shelf hardware and the simulation runs on open-source software. The feasibility of the simulator as a learning tool has been experimentally evaluated. Results are reported from an experimental study of games and traffic safety performed in an advanced gaming environment. During car simulator sessions, the authors collected data about different traffic safety variables, such as speed, headway distance, and lane change behavior, from 70 participants. The data were analyzed to investigate possible individual learning effects and differences between groupings of participants. The experiment shows clear, positive, individual learning effects for all traffic safety variables analyzed. The authors also made a qualitative analysis of the participants’perception of the simulator as a learning tool. From the results, it is concluded that a game-based simulation can be used to enhance learning in driving education.