In the practice of teaching in recent years, imitation games have become very popular. They were actively developed by domestic experts. What is an imitation game? This and other issues will be covered in the publication.
The meaning of the concept
As a rule, the word “game” in many people is associated with imitation, imitation, competition, confrontation, conventionality and frivolity. Some experts use this term to mean a meaningful unproductive type of activity in which the process is important not the result. However, simulation (imitation) and business games come from military role-playing games. They arose long before our era, but became a significant element of learning only in the 18th century.
Simulation game is a kind of business game. It determines the behavior of participants by a model of the business environment and is presented in the form of a simulation. It combines elements such as cooperation and competition.
Unlike role-playing games
Simulation game, although similar to role-playing, but it has a number of significant differences:
- It depicts some designs, principles, technologies that determine behavior and interaction.
- Specific roles are not strictly allocated, but only the business environment is modeled.
Functions and Tasks
Specialists distinguish the following main functions of simulation games:
- Mastering a new type of activity.
- Familiarization with the elements of reality.
- The development of any abilities.
However, the scope of simulation games is very multifaceted. They can solve many problems:
- Rallying a playing group.
- Self-disclosure of participants.
- Formation of an adequate perception of oneself and others.
- The development of skills.
- Correction of ways of thinking and attitudes.
- Diagnostics, prediction of effectiveness and determination of strategies for activity.
- Self-organization training.
- Development and project management.
- Training in the correct behavior in conflict situations that may arise in everyday, educational, labor and professional activities.
- Search for non-standard solutions to the problem.
- Adaptation to a profession, a new place of study or work.
- Increasing motivation and involvement in the process.
We can conclude that simulation games are effective in many areas. They make the learning process more fun and lively.
Ebert classification
Gunther Ebert in 2000 proposed his classification of simulation games. Their scientist divided according to the following criteria:
- Branch of the enterprise.
- The degree of openness of the game.
- Process level and scope of decision making.
- Freedom to make decisions.
- The complexity of the model.
- The influence of other groups.
- The interdependence of decisions.
- Summarizing.
Clipper Classification
H. Clippert in 2006 proposed another classification. He identifies such types of simulation games as interactive and non-interactive. The scientist includes 3 types in the first group. These are single-phase conference games, multiphase negotiation games and discussions of the pros and cons type. In the group of non-interactive games, Clipper distinguishes 4 types. These are listening, assignments using a computer, individual games with decision-making and specific group games with decision-making.
General classification
Also, experts identify a general classification, which includes various types of simulation games:
- Interactive and non-interactive.
- Open and closed.
- Games in the form of a computer program and without using a computer.
- Full-time and distance.
- Integrated and with a simple structure.
- Deterministic and stochastic.
- Free and hard to make decisions.
- Reflecting the enterprise as a whole or only part of it.
- Special games (economic, political, mathematical, environmental, pedagogical, social and so on).
Simulation Game Structures
According to V.A. Smirnova, simulation games can be conducted as follows:
- Introduction
- Division into groups and identification of participants.
- "Immersion" in the game.
- Acquaintance with situations.
- Game process.
- Summarizing.
- Return to reality.
R. Steinhen proposes to consider only three stages of the simulation game:
- Motivational stage. This familiarization with the occasion of the game, the definition of roles and the separation of tasks.
- Action phase. This is the conduct of the game itself.
- Stage of reflection. This is a debriefing, conducting a survey and generalizing discussion.
Build Phases
Each simulation game content and features will vary. But experts to facilitate planning suggest using the following phases of construction:
- Preliminary stage. If necessary, first explain to the group important concepts and terms that will be used in the process.
- Information phase. This includes warming up the group, getting to know the problem, confrontation. Participants can be invited to read the information card.
- Preparatory stage. At this stage, participants are selected and placed. The rest of the group becomes spectators, which explains their role as active observers. Players read cards, solve problems and collect arguments. If necessary, they are all fixed on the information sheet.
- The game itself. The participants are having a discussion. Viewers follow the process, recording observation and developing their own opinions.
- Stage of discussion. The arguments previously expressed by the players are discussed.
- Summarizing. The leader captures the results of the game (for example, on a board or flipchart).
- Stage of generalization. The leader provides all participants with information that conveys general knowledge that goes beyond the scope of the simulation game. This will help confirm or deepen previously obtained information.
- Transfer phase. Information and knowledge gained during the simulation game are used in practice to solve similar situations.
Moderator role
In a simulation game, random learning and guided learning occur simultaneously. The process should proceed as freely as possible, but the actions of the participants still need to be controlled and built. This is the moderator. On the other hand, during the game he should be in the background, without interfering in the process without good reason. The leader can only carefully put forward suggestions and express criticism. It is important for the moderator to remember their functions in the game. They consist in the selection of simulation situations, the distribution of roles, in deciding on the end of the process and controlling the discussion during the debriefing.
Thus, the functions of the leader are reduced to the following actions:
- Be an expert for participants and set tasks for them.
- Organize material support.
- Manage, supervise and define phases.
- Interrupt gameplay if necessary. After that, independently determine the moment of renewal.
- Summarize the statements of the participants.
- Summarize with the players.
The principles of the simulation game
Whatever the features and content of simulation games, they are always built on the observance of certain principles.
Full immersion. This principle means that players throughout the process should deal only with those issues that relate to the problem being investigated. To implement this task, it is necessary to accompany the simulation game with thoughtful lectures, practical, laboratory and independent homework. They will help align the initial training of participants, unify terminology and create a favorable atmosphere for creative feedback. That is, they will help students maximize their research potential. Moreover, experts for greater effectiveness recommend holding a simulation game continuously for 8-10 hours.
The principle of gradual entry of participants. It requires simplifying the initial steps as much as possible. This is necessary to make it easier for participants to adapt to each other, to a new learning situation, to master the proposed game activity and at the same time not to experience psychological or professional discomfort. That is why, at the beginning of an imitation business game, it is necessary to use traditional methods: lectures or conversations on professional topics. A more detailed study of the problem should be based on the experience of the participants in the game. Such a sequence of interaction will mobilize students for productive work with educational materials.
The principle of uniform load. It seems to be a continuation of the previous one. According to this principle, simulation games, which are designed for several days, must be organized so that participants receive approximately the same amount of new information every day. However, the experience of holding simulation games in the process of personnel consulting and in refresher courses shows the opposite. Even if the training lasts no more than three days, it is still often difficult to fully follow this principle. This can be explained by the heterogeneity of the composition of the trainees (differences in the initial level of knowledge), the speed of mastering information and skills, activity, and motivation of players. Incomplete implementation of the principle is also affected by a low communicative culture and undeveloped competence in the communication of participants, which often leads to conflict situations in the game. These factors are important to consider when drawing up a plan.
The principle of competition. It means that rivalry should arise between game groups. It will increase the responsibility of participants regarding the protection of a jointly developed solution. And thanks to the introduction of cross-opposition, a situation of mutual critical analysis is created. This in turn increases motivation, stimulates the activity of students and enhances the effectiveness of training.
However, the experience of conducting outdoor and simulation games shows that the emphasis on rivalry and excessive enthusiasm for the competitive side can lead to negative consequences. They are that some participants want to win at all costs. This gives rise to sports interest, gaming excitement and distracts from a deep analysis of the problem being studied. Also, especially competitive participants, for the sake of victory, begin unconstructive relationships with partners, painfully experience unfavorable situations and even more so defeat. Such behavior is not conducive to achieving educational performance.
The likelihood principle of simulation game simulation. It means that all activities to a large extent should be similar to real ones. If game situations are brought closer to plausible conditions, then participants begin to better understand the system being demonstrated. This is easily explained by the fact that human thinking in this case works by analogy.
This principle can be implemented in the game through the interaction of participants, the process of making important management decisions, the reaction of the external environment, sets of simulation forms of accounting and planning documents, the organization of business meetings and meetings that are as close as possible to real situations, and so on.
For example, some educators present to participants not only the names of existing professions (legal adviser, manager, assistant secretary, marketer, etc.), but also provide a brief reference that contains official and biographical data. This is a marital status, personal and business characteristics, education, work experience, hobbies and more. In this case, in the eyes of the participants, the performance of the represented workers and the behavior in the situations occurring with them begin to look more reasonable (appointment, conflict, downsizing, study leave, etc.) It will also be effective to provide participants with job descriptions and regulations on units that are as close as possible in form to real similar documents.
The principle of "first leader." It will be relevant only if the simulation game method is used at any enterprise or where there is a hierarchy of managers. According to this principle, the participation of the chief manager of the company, on the basis of which the game experiment is carried out, is supposed. However, this is not always possible, as many years of experience show. If the game will be attended by a large number of leaders, specialists of a lower rank may experience psychological discomfort, especially in the initial stages. This affects both communication and informational results. For a large number of managers, special trainings with a moderator-psychologist are better suited.
Post-game discussion
It is important to end any imitation game with a post-game discussion. It performs the following functions:
- Defines and shows how the game corresponds to a similar real situation.
- Compares the problems and phenomena that arose in the process.
- Evaluates the decisions made, their effectiveness, value or moral meaning.
- Determines what needs to be changed in the actions of participants in order to increase efficiency.
- Shows the reasons for the negative and positive behavior of players.
- Demonstrates which way each participant needs to change their communication style.
- It gives occasion to reflect on what conclusions can be drawn regarding professional activities.
For clarity, it is better to record all statements on a board or flipchart, this is especially important in simulation games for children who are less likely to perceive information by ear. After a general discussion of the problems, it is better to invite a large audience to use colored paper cutting. On it, each team can write conclusions or main thoughts. After that, the leaves are pasted on a poster or board so that participants can classify or structure problems in directions.
The teacher who leads the discussion should be able to ask questions and give answers to them. In the discussion, they help to achieve the goal and identify the degree of understanding of the simulated problem. In addition, the right questions help to interest the participants, focus on a specific aspect, stimulate the activity of speakers and encourage mental activity. You can also change the pace of information, exercise leadership over the group and direct their actions in the right direction. Experts for discussion recommend using the same questions as in business communication. These are open and closed, directional, suggestive, with subtext and other types.
The following options can be considered as examples of simulation games.
"International relationships"
Political science teachers use simulation games of this kind in their work quite often. This helps to better absorb the received material and diversify the educational process. The essence of the game is to form a model that simulates negotiations between large entities in the course of resource exchange.
The group needs to be divided into teams of 4-5 people. The roles are divided between them: the president, the minister of finance, the minister of defense and deputies. That is, each team is a separate, full-fledged state with its own territory, economy and population. Also, the groups in the arsenal will have five resources: gold, grain, peasants, workers and wars.
The game is divided into certain periods (fiscal year). During this time, teams must negotiate, negotiate agreements, and share resources. All changes are important to record on state maps. Each team can choose its own development strategy: aggressive with wars, compromise, competing and so on. The task of each state is its development. For example, you can improve your organizational structure and industry or establish trade relations with other teams. At the end of the game, a discussion is held about why the participants chose one or another development path, what difficulties arose, what results were achieved and what could be changed.
"Fishing"
This simulated environmental game is based on environmental modeling. Its purpose is to demonstrate the need for environmental management.
The group needs to be divided into teams of 3-5 people. Each of them will represent a specific country. Participants take as a basis a real or fictional map, which they draw on their own. She will be a playing field. . 5 . , 10 . 12 . ( ) , 2 .
The game consists of 10 stages, which are equal to 10 years. Before each round, the moderator places paper clips on the field that simulate fish floating in the sea. At the beginning there should be 40 pieces (i.e. 40 tons). In each subsequent round, their number doubles. Players take their boats out to sea and pick up the number of staples corresponding to the amount of fish caught. Moreover, the teams themselves determine what kind of catch they will have. In addition, they should record how many fish were caught and how much was left at sea. The amount of catch in the next step may depend on this.
This simulated ecological game can be considered completed if all 10 rounds were held, if all the fish ended in the sea or its number exceeded 80 tons. After that, the results are summed up. Each team must draw a graph reflecting the amount of catch in each round. The participants introduce him to the rest and tell how the game went. At the end of the game, the moderator conducts a discussion. He raises several questions for discussion: what was the situation in each team? Was there a desire to win? What were you thinking: profit or the number of floating fish? Why did you care about this? How did catch volume affect team income?
“I offer help”
This example of an imitative game is pedagogical in nature, develops the ability to look for different ways out of problem situations. More suitable for children of primary and secondary school age.
The moderator divides students into two groups. These are “needing help” and “solving problems”. All participants think through various situations in advance. But the moderator can do this himself, having prepared the cards. Problems can be both real and imaginary. For instance:
- My parents do not understand me.
- They offend me in the classroom.
- I have lost a dog and so on.
A group of people in need of help reports their life situation. Players from another team alternately propose solutions. Participants from the first group confer and choose the most appropriate option. The moderator sums up the results, a discussion is underway why this or that solution did not fit. After this, the teams change roles. At the end of the entire simulation pedagogical game, the leader leads the guys to the idea that it is important not only to offer help, but also to be able to provide it.
You can slightly modify the tasks. For example, instead of help, you can offer occupation. That is, the problem will look like "I have free time." Or, a helping team can give advice on any behavior.
So, in the article it was considered that imitation game is a rather effective teaching method. With its help, it is possible to solve various problems in both educational and professional activities.