Persuasive Media
Simulated experiences have been effective as tools of presentation. The definition of simulation is broad - it can be a video presentation (enabling the user to imagine themselves in the situation depicted), a recreation (placing the user in a model of a situation), or even a sample or test drive (enabling the user to interact with an artifact directly, generally for a limited amount of time).
In terms of technology, simulation is a presentation that may be a static (a video or animation) or interactive (a computer model that the user can operate). The use of simulation is common in video games (the player identifies with a character in the game) as well as training (the military makes extensive use of combat simulations to train soldiers in the use of weapons systems).
The computer simulation creates an artificial experience intended to mimic real-world experience, with a level of detail that, through the willing suspension of disbelief, the subject considers to be "real." The behaviors they learn in the simulation are then transferred to the real-life situation.
The author defines three categories: scenarios, environments, and objects, and will discuss each in greater detail.
(EN: In a broader sense, simulation has been in use for much longer than the author seems to suggest. The rhetorical use of narrative, which creates a hypothetical scenario that depict might happen if certain actions are taken, has long been a teaching and persuasive method - the "story" being a simulation that depends on the audience to imagine the details that computer technology can now depict.)
Computer Simulation as Persuasion
One of the earliest uses of computer technology involved the creation of mathematical models for the study of complex systems, such as the weather and the financial markets. Beyond merely understanding how a system works, a simulation enables the user to create a model of the future, whether this is a projection of present trends or a "what if" scenario that enables the user to change certain parameters to alter the outcome.
In that way, the computer enables the user to experiment with various courses of action: observing the outcome in an artificial model before undertaking those actions in a real environment enables the user to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the individual user's actions and the simulated environment, removing any real-world consequences and compressing time.
The simulation has persuasive power in that the subject accepts the simulation as the equivalent of reality and derives conclusions based on their experience of using the simulation. However, simulations are not reality, and outcomes are affected by a logical model that reflects the ideas an opinions of the designer.
Persuasive Power and Design Bias
The difference between simulation and reality may be incidental (the designer does not take into account all the factors that affect a "real" situation), accidental (there is a mathematical or logical error that skews the outcome), or intentional (the simulation was developed with the purpose of making an outcome seem more likely that it really is). In that way, the designer unintentionally or intentionally rigs the simulation to change the perception of the subject, and the subject may accept the logic of the simulation.
This can be highly effective because subjects are in "exploration mode" and generally accept the "reality" of the simulation without considering the logic that drives it. Unless the outcome is blatantly skewed or counterintuitive, most test subjects accept it as being a valid model, and because learning takes place through their first-hand experience, they are more likely to accept and defend the conclusions presented.
The game "Sim City" is an example of a simulation that has been criticized for designer bias. The mathematical model of the game has been criticized for being "propaganda" in that certain acts of the player, as city leader, have consequences that do not match the political theories of its critics (it "teaches" the notion that citizens dislike taxes, a strong police presence is desirable, etc.)
Because reality is highly organic, it is impossible to account for every factor that might affect a situation or know, with mathematical certainty, what the outcome of decisions will be. Developing a simulation requires the designer to choose a finite number of factors and use mathematical models that are based on assumption and approximation.
However, there remains the question of whether the designer is morally responsible for disclosing the premises upon which a simulation is based. One product ("Great Cities") does so, presumably with the goal of giving their simulation greater credibility by impressing the user with the level of detail, but the author finds it unlikely that a simulation that is designed to ell products or promote an ideology would be willing to do so, nor that most subjects who use a simulation would be interested in reading this information. (EN: Not would it be likely in instances where a simulation is a product - were Sim City to give away its logic, it would be easy to emulate). The other challenge is that a designer may not be aware of their own biases or the shortcomings of a simulation.
The author suggests that the most reasonable path is simply educating people about the nature of simulation, so that they may consider whether they are willing to accept the simulation as a genuine model of reality, or at least consider the simulation with a critical eye.
Environment Simulations
An environmental simulation places the user in a virtual surrounding. Environment is an important part of giving the user a sense of the reality of a simulation. An example would be a racing game in which the simulation depicts not only the vehicle (which is an object), but the track, the stands, the sky, and other features of the environment through which the simulated vehicle is being driven.
An environmental situation can place the user in a real or imaginary environment, and enable the user to interact with objects in context. The virtual nature of the environment makes it possible to place the user in dangerous situations without putting them in actual danger, and may enable the user to engage in role-play if the environment is viewed through altered perceptions (seeing the world through the eyes of a dog, a bird, or a child, or traveling through the human body as a blood cell).
The key to an environmental simulation is the cause-and-effect relationship between the actions taken by the user and their consequences in the virtual environment, as a method of modeling behavior patterns that will be transferred to a "real" environment. Otherwise, the simulation is merely an entertainment experience.
The author provides numerous examples from the medical field: environmental simulations that promote healthy activity, teach patients to manage health conditions, desensitize people with phobias, etc.
Object Simulations
Environment simulations create a virtual world into which people must mentally transport themselves. Object simulations do the opposite: these products go with users into a real-world setting. This approach enables users to experience more directly how their daily routines would be affected by what is being simulated.
One example given is the "infant simulator" that has been used as part of many school parenting program: a lifelike doll is presented to the student, for them to carry around in real life, that simulates needs for care and attention the same way a real infant would. This has been found to be effective in reducing teen pregnancy rates among test subjects who realized, through interacting with the simulated infant, the amount of effort that parenting requires.
The author mentions virtual objects, but does not go into much detail about them.