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This reading and discussion is so relevant to me right that I am finding examples all 
over the place in some of the work that I am doing. I have to share an email I received 
late last night.  

"Hi Tai! 
I just found this really cool ​game​ that puts the player in a Hab on Mars. They have to 
do real science and get to explore. ​http://mars2030-vr.com​ I'd love to use this as the 
2nd Six Weeks test. I know there are some hurdles that we would have to overcome, 
but I would love your help."  
 
Then, this picture was attached to the email.  

 
 
For context, this email is from an Astronomy teacher. He first referred to it as a game, 
but after a conversation, he's really wanting to use this in class because he wants his 
student to know what it feels like to be an astronaut in Mars in the year 2030. Just like 
the reading from Gredler says, the goal is to "address problems that arise in the 
simulation and experience the effects of one's decisions." We can't physically take our 
students to Mars, but we can give them the next best experience.  
 
My example I shared cannot be considered a game because there is no clear path to 
winning this simulation. One might be able to argue survival equals winning, but this is 
more about the environment and not a particular set of rules to follow. Mars 2030 would 
be considered a symbolic simulation or also a microworld. "A microworld is 'a 
computer-based simulation of a work of decision making environment'" (Sauer, Wastell, 
& Hockey, 2000, p. 46). 
 
These readings and the listed characteristics in each piece reinforce to me that I am 
creating a game for my design project. It fits that bill based on the four purposes that 
Gredler shared: 
(a) to practice and/or refine already-acquired knowledge and skills 
(b) to identify gaps or weaknesses in knowledge or skills 
(c) to serve as a summation or review 
(d) to develop new relationships among concepts and principles. 
Sauer, J., Wastell, D. G., & Hockey, G. R. J. (2000). A conceptual framework for designing 
microworlds for complex work domains: A case study of the Cabin Air Management 
System. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 45–58