Simulation Lab

2006

Golan Levin (US)
Toshio Iwai (JP)
Friedrich Kirschner (DE)
Frederic Vester (DE)

The Simulation Lab is equipped with 10 mobile laptop tables and a “Smart Board,” and its setup can be customized for use by groups. Three dedicated workspaces provide free Internet access. Visitors can also use the Simulation Lab to try out educational games.

The Simulation Lab on the second floor features known games and so-called “serious games” where virtual characters and scenes can be designed and various sound and graphics programs investigated. The emphasis is on learning scenarios of the future: learning games and motivational learning environments are put to the test. This ranges from examples of object-oriented programming, adventure games and role play with a social and political context, right up to scientific simulation games.

Audiovisual Environment Suite
Golan Levin (US)
The “Audiovisual Environment Suite” is a collection of five interactive artworks which can be used to create and perform dynamic animations and abstract sounds by direct and communicative means. In contrast to this screen-based application, the artist’s interactive installations (Messa di Voce, Scrapple) can be sampled in the Ars Electronica Center. How do the different man-machine interactions work

Electroplankton
Toshio Iwai (JP)
Ten different digital types of plankton allow players to explore different play and influence options. Sound and graphics can be changed by tapping the touch screen on the Nintendo games console with a pen, leading to fascinating new sound and image compositions thanks to the resulting interactions.
http://electroplankton.com

person2184
Friedrich Kirschner (DE/AT)
Visual anecdotes on the theme of anonymity and loneliness in an unreal town. “person2184” is a series of machinima, or real-time animations created in a game engine.
www.person2184.com

Ecopolicy
Frederic Vester (DE)
A computer game which simulates global ecological, economic and social interactions. The aim is to develop and build up the industrial nation of Cybernetia, the fast-developing nation of Cybinia and the third-world nation of Cyboria. The planning game simulates the consequences of every decision made in the game and highlights complex relationships in the process.
www.frederic-vester.de/ecopolicy.htm

Local Democracy
How does democracy work? You can develop your own election programme in interactive scenarios and find out why laws and rules are important for any society.
www.immersiveeducation.com/uk/Kar2ouche_Titles_LocalDemocracy.asp

Climate Change Time Bomb
Frederic Vester (DE)
This illustrates the complex processes, relationships and effects of climate change. Certain human activities have far-reaching consequences on climatic events – this is now common knowledge. However, the vivid scenarios featured in this game enable the time bomb that is climate change to be conveyed even more forcefully.
www.frederic-vester.de/klimawandel.htm

NitroGenius
The game simulates the effects of agriculture, industry and transport on air pollution. Based on air quality in the Netherlands – one of the nations with the highest nitrogen emissions in the world – the player can develop the best possible policy to reduce air pollution and thus gain awareness of environmental conservation measures.
www.serc.nl/play2learn/products/nitrogenius/frameset.htm

Real Lives
Live anywhere in the world and find out about different cultures. “Real Lives” permits the player to experience other people’s lives: whether as a farmer in Bangladesh, a policeman in Nigeria or an American lawyer – the simulation game offers a realistic portrayal of the lifestyle and conditions in different countries.
www.educationalsimulations.com/products.html

Food Force
This computer game for children aged between 8 and 13 highlights the work of the UN World Food Program, WFP. The fictional island of Sheylan is stricken by civil war and famine. The players have to perform missions to supply the island population with food. Each mission is interspersed with explanatory videos which explain the work of the WFP and combine the fun of playing with a measure of learning.
www.food-force.com

Hotel Giant
Design your own dream hotel! The player can choose from a variety of hotel types – from a country house hotel to a themed resort – in various international cities and put his own stamp on the hotel right down to the design of the rooms and individual fixtures and fittings. The better the hotel is suited to its location, the higher the number of incoming guests!
http://hotel.jowood.de/

Transport Giant
This is the year 1850, the start of the industrial era with mass production and mass transport. The aim of this planning game is to create a transport company which will endure for the next two centuries and keep pace with the technical revolution. Means of transport and resources therefore need to be deployed skilfully right from the start.
www.transportgiant.com

Nanotravel
Discover the world of the micro and nanocosmos! The player can gradually make himself smaller and thus set off on a journey through the smallest known dimensions of the universe. He is equipped on his travels with a suitcase full of helpful tools, including a guidebook containing information on the worlds he will visit.
www.nanoreisen.de

Rapunsel
Women are still under-represented in the world of information technology. The aim of the Rapunsel initiative (Realtime Applied Programming for Underrepresented Students’ Early Literature) is to introduce more girls to the world of computers and whet their appetite for more. The focus is on tackling problems and finding creative solutions through play.
www.maryflanagan.com/rapunsel

SimCity
In this successful economic simulation game the player can develop a city in a landscape created by his own powers of imagination. Once an infrastructure has been set up, the value of land can be established. According to the skill with which you handle your development sites, prosperous or poor areas will be created within the city. The player has access to a wealth of town planning opportunities ranging from a village right up to a large metropolis.
http://simcity.ea.com/

SimEarth
In “SimEarth” the player experiences the simulated forces of nature, the creation of continents and all the processes which affect our planet. From plate tectonics and continental drift, via erosion and meteorological events, right through to evolution, the game teaches you a lot about the individual characteristics of our planet.
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/sw/games/simearth.html

SimHealth
A nation’s health system is a very complex issue. In “SimHealth” you can try to develop your own health system. This means juggling the many interactions between the public’s needs, doctors’ and hospital services and insurance schemes, for example.
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/sw/games/simhealth.html

SimLife
The game simulates the interaction between life forms and their environment. The player can genetically manipulate animals and plants to find out how they are able to survive under different living conditions.
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/sw/games/simlife.html

Primary Shakespeare
A compilation of famous scenes from various Shakespeare plays which can be recreated by children on the computer and redesigned using individual text and audio contributions. This provides the opportunity for literature and theatre to come together with an element of play. Romeo and Juliet as you’ve never seen them before!
www.immersiveeducation.com/uk/Kar2ouche_Titles_PriShakespeare.asp

Healthy Lives
Playing with science makes learning more exciting! Children can learn about topics such as healthy eating, growth and movement and the human circulatory system by solving tasks.
www.immersiveeducation.com/uk/Kar2ouche_Titles_LivingThingsHealthyLives.asp

School and the wider world
The game allows individual role play situations to be designed as an active response to conflicts, permitting discussion and enabling solutions to be found. This allows children to learn how to tackle or avoid conflicts within groups, how to resist group pressure and how to become more assertive.
www.immersiveeducation.com/uk/Kar2ouche_Titles_PSHE_SchoolAndWiderWorld.asp

Bullying – Violence in Everyday Life
Children are often attacked by their peers. Ways of dealing with intimidation and bullying can be played out in a number of different scenes and possible consequences of their own actions within the group can be examined.
www.immersiveeducation.com/uk/Kar2ouche_Titles_PSHE_Bullying.asp