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Jonathan W. Keller, Misusing Virtual Worlds Can Be Dangerous: A Response to Carvalho, International Studies Perspectives, Volume 15, Issue 4, November 2014, Pages 558–563, https://doi.org/10.1111/insp.12087
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Abstract
The article “Virtual Worlds Can Be Dangerous: Using Ready-Made Computer Simulations for Teaching International Relations” reports on one class's experiences with the Statecraft simulation. Students reported confusion regarding the simulation rules, questioned its utility as a teaching tool, and found that Statecraft was unrealistically prone to cycles of violence including nuclear war. However, the article makes no mention of the fact that Statecraft was used in this classroom in ways that directly contradicted its explicit instructions. These instructions were designed to maximize Statecraft's pedagogical effectiveness and prevent precisely the sorts of negative outcomes this class experienced. Specifically, the simulation was not properly set up before Turn 1, students were not incentivized to learn the simulation rules, the all-important grading system appears not to have been used, and the instructor materials that are essential for helping students make sense of their Statecraft experience are nowhere mentioned in the article and appear not to have been used. This brief response highlights the most important features of the Statecraft design and pedagogical intent that were entirely absent from this article, so that readers may gain a more complete picture of what Statecraft was intended to do and how it is designed to work.
