Adding value to simulation/games through Internet mediation: The medium and the message

Abstract

This theoretical article identifies and classifies the added value of Internet mediation to simulation/games to inform their design, evaluation, and research. The fundamental capabilities of the Internet are to support communication and access to multimedia information resources readily and economically across the global computer network. The article proposes a framework that maps out how these capabilities can contribute to development, operation, or strategic learning outcomes of simulation/games. It discusses the validity, application, and implications of the framework. It concludes that Internet mediation lends itself particularly well to support computer-assisted simulation/games that use international collaboration of participants and information resources to develop skills and awareness in areas such as negotiation, decision making, and policy formulation in an intercultural context.