Do Videogames Simulate? Virtuality and Imitation in the Philosophy of Simulation. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
• Other Names: Yilmaz Levent guest-editor.; Ören Tuncer guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Simulation & gaming. Volume 46:Number 6(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 838
• Page End: 856
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: animation -- experiment -- material ontology -- materialism -- metaphor -- model -- non-disciplinarity -- ontology -- philosophy -- reference system -- rules of correspondence -- science -- videogames -- virtuality -- videogame research; Social sciences -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Simulation methods -- Periodicals; Game theory -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Simulation, Méthodes de -- Périodiques; Jeu de rôle -- Périodiques; Éducation; Jeu d'entreprise; Jeu de simulation; Méthode de simulation; Sciences sociales; Théorie des jeux; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 003.3
• DOI: 10.1177/1046878115616219
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1046-8781

Abstract

Simulation . The concept ofsimulation has been contested in academia since its proliferation in the 1960s. This is hardly the case invideogame 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 articlecompares the simulation of videogame research to the ways in which other scientific sectors utilize the term. Problematic science communication . It turns out thatvideogame 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 aproblem in cross-scientific communication . Intentional philosophy . In order to overcome the problem, the article encourages scholars to adopt anintentional philosophy of simulation according to which videogames and their components may be structured as computerized simulators or simulations iffunctional evidence for a reference system exists. For those cases that lack functional evidence, the article (re)proposes the conceptual framework ofvirtuality .