Simulation Genre Examples

Clark Aldrich has what he calls a Style Guide for Serious Games and Simulations, and on it he provides a Summary of Simulation Genre Examples:

mini games: one note really is better than none: Small, easy-to-access game built to be simple and addictive, which often focuses on mastering an action and can provide awareness of more complicated issues.

• editorial ([Take Back Illinois]);
• explanation ([Binary Numbers], [building and throwing paper airplanes], [Tips On Tap], [Dean for America game], or [Disney for Kids on Running a business]); and
• marketing/messaging ([Dr. Pepper Speedway Rush], [General Electric's Ecomagination], or [Monster.com Climbing the Corporate Ladder]).

interactive spreadsheets: they are wonk-ariffic! Simulation in which students typically try to impact critical metrics by allocating resources along competing categories and getting feedback of their decisions through graphs and charts.

• Two Forio interactive spreadsheet examples: [here] and [here].
• A more complicated interactive spreadsheet example on [global warming].
• Business school issues such as policy, supply chain management [McDonald's game], but with a satirical twist.

game based models: no one wants to take a test, but everyone wants to be in a game show: Students engage familiar games and puzzles such as Wheel of Fortune®, solitaire, or memory, with important pieces of awareness or task-based content replacing trivia or icons.

• Participants play [California's Flex You Power] game to raise awareness of power issues and gain some tips.

branching story: where a little interactivity that goes a long way: Simulation in which students make a series of decisions via a multiple choice interface to progress through and impact an event.

• First Person Sample Branching Story from [Performance Development Group] (you may have to load it twice; I always get hung up the first time on the "loading screen.")
• Third Person Example from [WILL Interactive]

practiceware: if you need results, or even just want them: Real-time, often 3D sims that encourages participants to repeat actions in high fidelity situations until the skills become natural in the real-world counterpart

• Click on the entry and watch the two available YouTube hosted videos.

Virtual product or virtual lab: A series of challenges/puzzles to be solved using on-screen representations of real-world objects and software.

• Go to the gallary of [this site] and click around.

All of the above can be considered game activities for soft skills classes.