Sim Simulations: Can Games Teach?

There's a good post over the World Changing blog about the power of games in education. For some time, I've been pumping the idea (as have others on a much grander scale) that game simulations are powerful learning tools that can be implemented in a variety of fields. That, however, doesn't mean that every game is instantly usable.

This post examines how a game like Sim City, while an interesting look at urban planning, is actually more a study on how people interact with each other (since players tend to dominate landscapes with little regard for the right way to lay down a cityscape).

Still, these pseudo-realities do provide a glimpse, at least, of what lies ahead. The latest Sims 2 expansion pack, Sims 2: University, lets players relive (or maybe pre-live) college life, according to this IGN article.

Players will enjoy all-new college based wants and fears that are tied to their Sims' social life and academic goals which will lead to new rewards and powers that will help them achieve their goals and aspirations in college and beyond.

It's this type of role-playing -- the social interactions -- around which some game theorists are using to develop truly learning-based simulations.