{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T14:27:38Z","timestamp":1777645658968,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,5,22]],"date-time":"2016-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1463875200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Games and Culture"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>When renowned game designer Will Wright designed and developed SimCity, the first \u201csoftware toy\u201d released by his company Maxis, he was strongly influenced by a 20-year-old text on urban planning written by Jay Forrester of MIT. I will argue in this article that we can only understand Wright\u2019s actions if we think of the game model he developed as a fictional text. Yet Forrester\u2019s work, which had been heavily criticized by urban planners, may also be considered as a work of fiction. I rely here on Gough\u2019s theories concerning the utility of fiction in exploratory research as well as Smithers\u2019 work on exploratory, freeform design work. Both of these models\u2014Wright\u2019s and Forrester\u2019s\u2014may be adapted, altered, or mined to create new fictional models. I will also cite Woolgar\u2019s technology as-text paradigm to explain the ways in which these model texts differ.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1555412015571182","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,5]],"date-time":"2015-02-05T23:23:26Z","timestamp":1423178606000},"page":"528-547","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Deliberate Constructions of the Mind"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Matthew","family":"Wells","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00221349808978827"},{"key":"bibr2-1555412015571182","first-page":"1","volume-title":"The dynamics of complex urban systems: An interdisciplinary approach","author":"Batty M.","year":"2007"},{"key":"bibr3-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/0470020997"},{"key":"bibr4-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1440-1703.2003.00611.x"},{"key":"bibr5-1555412015571182","first-page":"133","volume-title":"James S. Coleman","author":"Boocock S. S.","year":"1996"},{"key":"bibr6-1555412015571182","first-page":"31","volume":"1","author":"Broderick D.","year":"1987","journal-title":"Antithesis"},{"key":"bibr7-1555412015571182","volume-title":"STROP: A strategic planning model","author":"Dalkey N. C.","year":"1966"},{"key":"bibr8-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Industrial dynamics","author":"Forrester J.","year":"1961"},{"key":"bibr9-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.14.7.398"},{"key":"bibr10-1555412015571182","unstructured":"Forrester J. (1969a). The beginning of system dynamics. Retrieved from http:\/\/web.mit.edu\/sysdyn\/sd-intro\/D-4165-1.pdf"},{"key":"bibr11-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Urban dynamics","author":"Forrester J.","year":"1969"},{"key":"bibr12-1555412015571182","unstructured":"Forrester J. (1989, 7 13).\n                      The beginning of system dynamics\n                      . Banquet talk at the international meeting of the System Dynamics Society, Stuttgart, Germany. Retrieved from http:\/\/web.mit.edu\/sysdyn\/sd-intro\/D-4165-1.pdf"},{"key":"bibr13-1555412015571182","unstructured":"Forrester J. (2009). Some basic concepts in system dynamics. Unpublished manuscript, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved from http:\/\/clexchange.org\/ftp\/documents\/system-dynamics\/SD2009-02SomeBasicConcepts.pdf"},{"key":"bibr14-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0739456X07305791"},{"key":"bibr15-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0950-7051(96)01054-4"},{"key":"bibr16-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/01944367108977364"},{"key":"bibr17-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Laboratories in fiction: Science education and popular media","author":"Gough N.","year":"1993"},{"key":"bibr18-1555412015571182","first-page":"93","volume-title":"Curriculum: Toward new identities","author":"Gough N.","year":"1998"},{"key":"bibr19-1555412015571182","volume-title":"The machine at work: Technology, work, and organization","author":"Grint K.","year":"1997"},{"key":"bibr20-1555412015571182","first-page":"117","volume-title":"Culture, media, language: Working papers in cultural studies","volume":"1972","author":"Hall S.","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr21-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Half-real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds","author":"Juul J.","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr22-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/9780262042482.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr23-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Digital computer simulation: Modeling concepts","author":"Kiviat P. 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Retrieved from http:\/\/www.engagingcommunities.org\/proposing-the-ethnographic-research-project\/3a-examining-culture-as-text\/"},{"key":"bibr28-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/030631200030005004"},{"key":"bibr29-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Textual analysis: A beginner\u2019s guide","author":"McGee A.","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr30-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02697459.2013.829335"},{"key":"bibr31-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/3592.003.0006"},{"key":"bibr32-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-84882-525-3"},{"key":"bibr33-1555412015571182","volume-title":"Game design: Theory & practice","author":"Rouse R.","year":"2005","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr34-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/0022027900220306"},{"key":"bibr35-1555412015571182","unstructured":"Sanders P., Sanders F. (2004). Spatial urban dynamics: A vision on the future of urban dynamics: Forrester revisited.\n                      22nd International Conference of the System Dynamics Society\n                      . Retrieved from http:\/\/www.systemdynamics.org\/conferences\/2004\/SDS_2004\/PAPERS\/119SANDE.pdf"},{"key":"bibr36-1555412015571182","first-page":"197","volume":"43","author":"Schwab J. J.","year":"1962","journal-title":"Educational Record"},{"key":"bibr37-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/jors.1963.20"},{"key":"bibr38-1555412015571182","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-017-0795-4_1"},{"key":"bibr39-1555412015571182","volume-title":"An introduction to curriculum research and development","author":"Stenhouse L.","year":"1975"},{"key":"bibr40-1555412015571182","volume-title":"An introduction to war games","author":"Weiner M. 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