Background. The abstraction of complex systems, which is required by default when modelling gaming simulations, is a convoluted and time-consuming process. For gaming simulations to be efficient and effective, the problem of the real system they imitate needs to be narrowed down and simplified as much as possible. Additionally, even after abstraction of the real system, multiple design decisions need to be made and these may differ depending on the gaming simulation. Aim. This article proposes a framework for formalizing, and consequently standardizing, expediting and simplifying, the modelling of gaming simulations. Method. The proposed framework applies game concepts pertaining to game theory in the abstraction of the real system and the game design decisions. Results. Application of the framework in three case studies reveals several advantages of incorporating game theory into game design, such as formally defining the game design elements and identifying the worst-case scenarios in the real-systems, to name but two. Conclusions. Given the framework’s advantages in general, and the game design recommendations it offers in particular, it is safe to conclude that, for the cases presented in this article, the framework make positive contributions towards the development of gaming simulations.

Games used by organizations generate a wealth of valuable output in terms of knowledge. In order to maintain the produced knowledge, such as the explicit, e.g., logging and questionnaires, and implicit/tacit knowledge, e.g., experience from game sessions, a knowledge management system (KMS) should be employed. This paper starts by giving a brief description of the building blocks for a KMS and then proposes a methodology that combines three different methods, namely, semi-structured interviews, causal maps, and the Q-methodology, to illustrate how tacit knowledge from principal stakeholders (game designers and project team members) can be extracted as part of building a KMS. The proposed methodology is applied in a case study related to the railway sector.

Simulations are the core of every railway system. Changes in the timetable and the infrastructure, or even in the internal processes of a railway company should be, and usually are, first tested through simulations. Given their significance and potential impact, simulations should be primarily validated; validation ensures-at least to some extent-that the returned results are credible and can be used for the intended purpose. This study is a detailed report on two case studies from the railway sector. The aim of this paper is to identify critical factors that can advance or hinder the validity and the effective usage of simulation models.

The complexity of modern systems has made the use of simulations paramount, in order to test different scenarios in an affordable, ethical, and risk-free way. As such, simulations need to be validated, ensuring that the obtained results are meaningful. But validation apart from the computational difficulties, bears several other problems. The constant need for validation due to updates on the simulation software, the dependence on the validation experts to be always available for the new iterations and for presenting any new insights are just some of these problems. This paper proposes a framework, and applies it to two case studies, which is based on Web 3.0 technologies and the R statistical language as a mean to mitigate such problems.

While the topic of validating simulation models is rich in literature, validating the environments in which models run has been poorly researched. Despite the fact that such environments have high face validity, in most of the cases there are no formal methods developed for validating them. In this project, we first distinguish between the different forms of validity, such as data, model, and environment validity and then we propose an automated procedure for validating simulation environments, similar to what unit testing is for verification.

Educational games are a class of serious games whose main purpose is to teach some subject to their players. Despite the many existing design frameworks, these games are too often created in an adhoc manner, and typically without the use of a game design document (GDD). We argue that a reason for this phenomenon is that current ways to structure, create and update GDDs do not increase the value of the artifact in the design and development process. As a solution, we propose a model-driven, web-based knowledge management environment that supports game designers in the creation of a GDD that accounts for and relates educational and entertainment game elements. The foundation of our approach is our devised conceptual model for educational games, which also defines the structure of the design environment. We present promising results from an evaluation of our environment with eight experts in serious games.