SimWord of the Day: Map

A map is part of any simworld, that influences the visual experience of the player, level design, type of knowledge captured, and also the play/know/do.

• There are maze structures: the goal is to travel to the right spot (or spots), or get something (like a ball) to the right spot, sometimes even learning what the right spot is.

• There are territory structures: the goal is to control as much as possible, or to control the right spots. This could be marketspace as well as Poland.

• There are ecosystems structures: the goal is to get a thriving set of interdependencies. Most of the sim and tycoon games go here.

• There are arenas, where teams or individuals just do combat.

• There are workbench structures: the goal is to build something that works.

• There are conceptual structures, such as in the form of 2X2 grids or Zachman structures.

• There are analogy structures, such as using a virtual museum to provide access to a mess of objects.

And of course there are combinations of all of the above.

Different places have different conditions, worth, value, ease of mobility, etc.

Maps are one of the trickiest areas for building business simulations. Many Big Skills, such as project management, security, innovation, relationship management, don't have easy corresponding maps.

And yet maps already are a critical tool of business (and all) communication. And as the next generations of more visual thinkers, they will only increase in relevancy, both in the context of sims, and outside.