> Max, my 12-year old, started with SimCity two years ago. I was just
> discovering it and I went through the typical addictive process and
> have been dry, so to speak, for more than a year. Max went far beyond
> me with things like checking out the third party guide from the library
> and working with a group of friends and brothers squeezed around the
> computer monitor. He used the scenario editor and Internet resources to
> "beat" the game. I thought this was fascinating because one of the
> things that I took away from my SimCity binge was that there is no way
> to win, the game never ends, no conclusion, no score, no way to beat
> the system. Max redefined what "beating the game" meant. When he
> reached that self-defined objective, his interest dropped off. He moved
> on to another game.
>
> He plays a lot of simulations and is very good at them. I suspect a set
> of ecological strategies are being transferred from one game to the
It would be interesting to see what he does with agent-based
programming languages like StarLogo. If he uses an Apple it can be
down-loaded from their web site. http://lcs.www.mit.edu/people/starlogo
> next. As to your question about daily life, I am not so sure. What
> would you take as evidence of ecological thinking in daily life?
>
We just had a session on "Civilization" -- a grand-scale
simulation game, and I now see why the question wasn't transparent. In
agent-based programming languages like Cocoa and Starlogo, one is forced
to deal with growth rates, resources, competition, and initial quantities
in the abstract. This forces one to think of metaphors to daily life in
order to construct something meaningful. Civilization is so meaningful
already that applications might be less likely.
Still, there might be examples from reading the newspaper, going
to school, etc. Thus, in my home town a wannabe gang is forming and the
community would like to prevent it. I could envision a "Civilization"
player saying, "Well, that's civil disorder. We could give them more
religion, more entertainers, or more luxuries. If we gave them more..."
(then describing the consequences as they appear in the game). Another
example might be in deciding what courses to take. "If I take P.E., it
would make me more ready for the military, but literature would help me to
read better and that would contribute to my ability in science,
eventually." Though you are forced to come up with applications before
creating a StarLogo event, it might actually be easier to make up
applications from one of the more meaningful simulation games.
David