Quote:
Originally Posted by Kendras
Who said that SH3 was a simulation ? 
No. SH3 is a game based on the German submarines of WWII, but it's far from a real simulation. Very far !
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In English, at least, the terms "game" and "simulation" are not mutually exclusive.
Game:
A form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck. (Google)
A
game is a structured form of
play, usually undertaken for
enjoyment and sometimes used as an
educational tool.
[1] Games are distinct from
work, which is usually carried out for
remuneration, and from
art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work (such as
professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such as
jigsaw puzzles or games involving an artistic layout such as
Mahjong,
solitaire, or some
video games).(Wikipedia)
Simulation:
The representation of the behavior or characteristics of one system through the use of another system, especially a computer program designed for the purpose.(Dictionary.com)
Simulation is the
imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over
time.
[1] The act of simulating something first requires that a model be developed; this model represents the key characteristics, behaviors and
functions of the selected physical or abstract system or process. The model represents the system itself, whereas the simulation represents the operation of the system over time.(Wikipedia)
Simulation games:
Strategy games—both traditional and modern—may be viewed as simulations of abstracted decision-making for the purpose of training military and political leaders (see
History of Go for an example of such a tradition, or
Kriegsspiel for a more recent example).
Many other video games are simulators of some kind. Such games can simulate various aspects of reality, from
business, to
government, to
construction, to
piloting vehicles (Wikipedia)
So a computer program (or a board game or miniatures game) can be both a game and a simulation. It is a game because it is an activity indulged in for recreation. It is a simulation if it is an attempt to imitate another process. Bridge (the card game) is a game which does not imitate anything, so it is not a simulation.
All the Silent Hunter series are both games and simulations. We can argue as to the
quality or
fidelity of the simulation, just as we can argue as to their
entertainment value as games. But they are used for entertainment and they are modeled on other real or hypothetical processes. So they are both game and simulation.
Are these simulations usable for developing new tactics? No. Are they usable for training submarine crews? No. They are programs intended to retail for about $40. Can they teach us anything about the historical problems and challenges of commanding a U-boat? Possibly, and they can probably teach us things that are simply historically wrong, as well. Any simulation merely teaches us how to use the simulation, not the real-world process it is imitating.
Are we now so far OT that the mods are going to come and turn off the lights?