Simulation Fever

Simulation fever refers to negative reactions towards simulated works. It comes in one of two forms: simulation resignation, which is a blind acceptance of a faulty simulation; or simulation denial, which is the refusal to accept any part of the simulation on the basis of it being a simulation. According to Ian Bogost, who coined the term in Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism, the value in simulations arises only when this discomfort is overcome and the user falls somewhere between the two extremes (108). This concept has dire effects in the area of video game violence, in which the connection between games and reality is constantly debated.