Does no one but me see the irony here?

Wonder why military exercises are called Wargames and not Warsimulations......

 

If there is such a super-sharp dividing line, that is.

 

I guess the people coining the phrase had nothing to prove.

I consider my interest in flight simulation to be a hobby; one hobby out of several that I've maintained interest in over the years.  In some forms or outlets over the years, it has had gaming elements to it, but I don't necessarily consider all of the time I spend on flight simulation to be a game.  To me it's an extension of a larger interest in various elements of aviation: of the machines themselves, of the world they existed in.

 

When people ask me if I'm playing a 'game', I don't get annoyed by that reference - I do play many hardcore computer games, so there's no real reason to take offense.   However, I don't describe it as such, even if others do.  At the same time, there's nothing I consider about it to be 'serious, real life stuff' either, as I'm not a pilot, and I have no intent on becoming such.

 

A further extension of my interest in aviation is my library; I've been lucky enough to accumulate a nice collection of aviation related books and materials over the past several years, from Cessna POH's to original Lockheed F-104 promotional brochures.  Everything to do with a hobby, very little to do with a game.

 

As with life, everything is simply what people make it.  ^_^

It is not a game ! It is a simulator !

I am Spartacus!

Does it matter.  I don't think people who play 'The Sims' or 'Sim City' care wether they are playing games vs life simulator or mayor simulator.  It is a hobby, it is entertaining, it is educational, you have fun and want to do it again.  Can games be educational?  Sure!  Can simulators be fun?  Sure!....Does it really matter?

 

Some folks entering their mid life will buy a sports car or motorcycle and call it their 'toy'.  Is the sports car a motorcycle really a toy?  Depends how you look at it.  I don't think it really matters.

 

Perhaps for some, implying FSX as a game suggest you do it for fun and recreation.  Implying FSX is a simulator suggests it is something to be taken seriously for which you might be using it as a professional training tool.  For this, I would ask, would you tell the interviewer for your airline pilot job that 'I have XXXX hours in the PMDG NGX?'  Would this be something legitimate to be on a resume?

 

 

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about what others think of your recreational activities.  When people ask me about FSX,  I just tell them it is a hobby that I enjoy for fun, and that it also helps to keep my mind sharp while I am not actively flying IRL.  If they accept that, great, if not, I don't care.

Check this out.

I think it's a simulation of a game :ph34r: .

 

Steve

 

 

I am Spartacus!

 

Well then what are you doing on an internet forum? Haven't you got a boat to catch in Italy?

It's a game that simulates flying an airplane.

 

Edit:  How about, "Games require skill, simulations require knowledge."

 

Hook

I'm with those who said that it depends on the user and the way FSX/P3D/XPX is used, as to whether it's a game or not. I think we all know that it's not a multi-million $$ "Level-D" simulator, or a real aircraft, but it is a tool that can be used to supplement flight training (particularly instrument flight, if the user knows enough about instrument flight to use it as such), if used in the appropriate manner.

 

Thanks, Bruce.

Wow, glad to see many people step up to this post!

 

And yes guys. I don't think there are any Boeing/Airbus certified products for FS, I was wrong there (don't kill me). You guys all gave great arguments to whether FSX is/is not a game. And I might take this to the debate club at my school. XD

In the end, its how you use it.

If a 5 year old buys it form Best Buy, and fly's around in the Extra, and doing loops in the 747, then its a fun game. But for the other, legit flyers, FSX is a...... tool? We treat it as a way for us to get the closest to real-life flying that we can get to.

 

Once again, don't kill me, I thought Boeing/Airbus gave some development groups the "Okay" on real-life aspects of FSX addons, but I was WRONG. Sorry.

Edit:  How about, "Games require skill, simulations require knowledge."

 

Eh.

 

Intellectually challenging game.

 

We are splitting some awful fine hairs here.

 

To prove...... What, exactly?

 

Hmmmmmm...... I wonder which of these guys is the simmer and which is the gamer? Its obvious, right? Right??