Simulation

Frame · Genre genre

Reproduction of real systems – understanding by operating, learning by playing with reality.

Design question – Your game reproduces a real system. What degree of realism is needed – and where does simplification make the game better?

Reference example – Farming Simulator: sowing, harvesting, maintaining machines – everyday farm life as a system. Euro Truck Simulator 2: freight across Europe, with driving hours, fuel stops and traffic rules. Football Manager: running a club, with hundreds of variables.

Associations

• Typical Activities – Managing, Operating, Optimizing, Observing

Coherence

Core expectations: system modelling, realism (or deliberate abstraction), learning effect, emergent behaviour, long-term engagement. Mechanisms: Resource Management, Market, Production Chain, Relationship Track, Simulation Model. Activities: Managing, Operating, Optimizing, Observing. Ludic Temporal Structure: sandbox (no clear goals) or scenario-based; long sessions. Ludic Social Structure: mostly solo (running one’s own world); multiplayer in shared-world simulations.