https://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/author/jmccall/Recent content in Jmccall on Journal of Digital HumanitiesHugoen-USThu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-2/historical-simulations-as-problem-spaces-by-jeremiah-mccall/Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-2/historical-simulations-as-problem-spaces-by-jeremiah-mccall/<h3 id="part-i-historical-simulations-as-problem-spaces-some-guidelines-for-criticism">Part I: Historical Simulations as Problem Spaces: Some Guidelines for Criticism</h3> <p>The concept of <strong>problem space</strong> is a highly useful tool for studying historical simulations, teaching history, and using the former to help in the latter. Simulation games are interpretations of the past designed as problem spaces. In this sense, a historical problem space borrows and extends upon two existing concepts. In the field of educational and cognitive research a <a href="http://cognitivepsychology.wikidot.com/cognition:problem-solving" title="Cognitive Psychology, 'Problem Solving'">problem space</a> is a mental map of the options one has to try to reach a goal, the various states. There is no implication of physical space. In contrast work by some scholars of video games, most notably <a href="http://website.education.wisc.edu/kdsquire/tenure-files/40-Game_On.pdf" title="Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire, 'The Art of Contested Spaces'">Jenkins and Squire</a>, discuss video games as contested spaces: here there are certainly problems, but the space itself (or rather the representation of it) becomes critical. Extending from these established concepts a historical problem space has the following features:</p>