Simulation Computer Games in Education

Learning by trial and error has been the standard practice throughout time when one wants to achieve perfection in a particular subject. Through the advent of computer games and virtual laboratories, we are now allowed the luxury of testing a principal or theory without the risk of damaging or destroying anything in the real world. With this technology, we save a great deal of cost, aggravation and set-up time.

Not only do these computer programs allow for test and research simulation, you will quickly and easily be able to discover where you have went wrong with your theory and try again without the anxiety of failure.

If the testing and research you are doing involves science and mathematics then LOGO, Star Logo and Boxer are the simulators you want to look at. Students of economics, urban planning and civics will find Stella and SimCity a great help in testing their theories. The fundamental principal that makes these types of simulators so valuable is that it allows the user to think and communicate in a way that has important real world applications.

Caution must be exercised when using these types of simulators and it is best to proceed with some form of guidance since wandering around clumsily in a computer environment may develop bad habits. False conclusions and random generalizations from the research conducted can also be a factor without proper guidance at hand. Expert knowledge is what is really important in any field and this can be used to move the novice towards real problem solving solutions.

All games at their core are a type of simulator and they can be considered to be a type of alternate universe where a certain set of rules are in play, moreover, Various tasks in the game can be fun and interesting while still others may feel more like work.

Many things are brought to a simulator to make it an actual game, namely; that persons own personal experiences, interest and desires, as well as their friends, whom often share similar traits and interests. The interaction among friends who play computer games together, makes the games often time more interesting and more fun to play.

When goals are set by way of a simulator, they must be achieved in order to reach the next level of play, the participants in the game must decide the way in which they want to go about dealing with these unique challenges. The game is always much more than just the simulation itself.

Games of educational value are created around simulations of important and interesting problems and the outline of understanding the outcome is drawn from the group of people who do the actual work in the real world.

In order to develop game simulators that will to be effective in training students of a particular subject, they must first be written in an innovative and creative way that allows players of these games to think, react and problem solve in much the same was as the professional in the same field of study.

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