SIMULATION GAMES AND SOCIAL THEORY. OCCASIONAL PAPER.

GAMES INTEREST THE SOCIOLOGIST BY DEMONSTRATING MOTIVES AND BEHAVIOR THAT OCCUR IN REAL LIFE AND BY FACILITATING LEARNING THROUGH THEIR RULES, REWARDS, AND LOSSES. SOCIAL SIMULATION GAMES EXPLICITLY MIRROR CERTAIN SOCIAL PROCESSES. EXAMPLES ARE (1) THE FAMILY GAME, BETWEEN CHILD AND PARENT AND THE COMMUNITY OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS, (2) THE DEMOCRACY GAME, BETWEEN LEGISLATORS VYING FOR VOTES, AND (3) THE LIFE-CAREER GAME, WITH A YOUNG PERSON RESPONDING TO TEACHERS, REGISTRARS, EMPLOYERS, AND POSSIBLE SPOUSES. THE NECESSARY RULES INCLUDE THE PROCEDURAL RULE, THE MEDIATIVE RULE, THE BEHAVIOR CONSTRAINT, A SPECIFIED GOAL, AN ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, AND THE POLICE RULE, ALL PARALLELING NORMAL CONSTRAINTS IN REAL LIFE. THESE GAMES SHOW A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEIR RULES AND CERTAIN BEHAVIOR THEORIES--PURPOSIVE, POSITIVIST, EXPRESSIVE, FUTURE-GOVERNED, ALTRUISTIC, ETC. THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENTS AKIN TO THE PURPOSIVE THEORY DEPEND MAINLY ON THE IDEA OF EXCHANGE, FROM WHICH EACH PARTY EXPECTS A GAIN. IT MAY BE A TANGIBLE OBJECT, A UNIT OF CONTROL, SATISFACTION, A PROMISE, TRUST, ESTEEM, OR ANY COMBINATION OF THESE. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THESE AND OTHER (E.G., NO-FINAL-SCORE) GAMES PERMITS THE TRANSLATION OF A SET OF IDEAS INTO ACTION FROM WHICH MAY BE EXTRACTED A BEHAVIOR PROCESS THAT DESCRIBES, BY ITS RULES, THE CONDITIONS THAT WILL GENERATE THE PROCESS, THIS USE OF SIMULATION GAMES IS CONSIDERED USEFUL IN STIMULATING AND REINFORCING THE LEARNING PROCESS. (HH)