A Simple Simulation

In this extract from The Rules We Break (2022), Eric Zimmerman examines how games create meaning through rules, interactive narrative systems, and dynamic simulation processes. Designers of such systems operate by defining the game structure, balancing rules, considering which elements to include, a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inDisegno industriale no. 85
Main Author Eric Zimmerman
Format Magazine Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bologna University press 01.07.2025
Subjects
Game System
Interactive storytelling
Systemic simulation
Transformative change
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN2785-2245
1594-8528
2785-2245
DOI10.30682/diid8525f

Cover

More Information
Summary:In this extract from The Rules We Break (2022), Eric Zimmerman examines how games create meaning through rules, interactive narrative systems, and dynamic simulation processes. Designers of such systems operate by defining the game structure, balancing rules, considering which elements to include, and — most importantly — which to leave out. However, the potential for games to become agents of transformation emerges from the “free movement” that occurs between the designed structures of the system. This Story presents three mini-essays — Free Movement, Systemic Storytelling, Stylized Simulations — and the game Utopia 2099, which invite readers to consider how games represent their subject matter and how players find and create meaning through play.
ISSN:2785-2245
1594-8528
2785-2245
DOI:10.30682/diid8525f