Do Videogames Simulate? Virtuality and Imitation in the Philosophy of Simulation

Abstract

Simulation. The concept of simulation has been contested in academia since its proliferation in the 1960s. This is hardly the case in videogame research, the subject of which is commonly discussed as a simulation or something that simulates with little analytical consideration of the term’s other scientific roles. Comparison. The article compares the simulation of videogame research to the ways in which other scientific sectors utilize the term. Problematic science communication. It turns out that videogame research has found an eccentric use for simulation with none or little relation to the term’s scientific (knowledge-driven) and etymological (imitational) predecessors. This becomes a problem in cross-scientific communication. Intentional philosophy. In order to overcome the problem, the article encourages scholars to adopt an intentional philosophy of simulation according to which videogames and their components may be structured as computerized simulators or simulations if functional evidence for a reference system exists. For those cases that lack functional evidence, the article (re)proposes the conceptual framework of virtuality.

Multiverse ethnography: A qualitative method for gaming and technology use research

“…Overall, we interpret these differences in the aesthetic codes as a reflection of the players' experiences; although both Cyberpunk 2077 and Among Us arguably 'simulate' multiple realworld entities (Giddings 2014;Karhulahti 2015;Möring 2013), only in the former do such simulations surface meaningfully to players. Moreover, this lack of meaningful simulation in the latter appears to be compensated by differently aesthetic design elements, such as character customization and frequent content changes (see Sihvonen 2011;Wirman 2011).…”

Multiverse Ethnography: A Qualitative Method for Gaming and Technology Use Research

“…Overall, we interpret these differences in the aesthetic codes as a reflection of the players' experiences: although both Cyberpunk and Among Us arguably "simulate'' multiple real-world entities (Giddings 2014;Karhulahti 2015;Möring 2013), only in the former such simulations surface meaningfully to players. Moreover, this lack of meaningful simulation in the latter appears to be compensated by differently aesthetic design elements, such as character customization and frequent content changes (see Sihvonen 2011;Wirman 2011).…”

Intermedial Studies

“…Unlike other media, games can both represent and simulate (see Juul (2005, pp. 170-7) and Karhulahti (2015)). Representations of the material objects of thought, like a particular artwork, such as a sculpture, novel or film, exist as one, shared thing, with a form and content that will be the same for everyone even if we experience them differently.…”