The Sims How Simulation Models Can Help Us Understand Social Trends

by Kathryn Heath

The Sims How Simulation Models Can Help Us Understand Social Trends The Sims is a popular video game franchise that allows players to create and control virtual people, called Sims. Players can direct their Sims' lives, choosing their careers, relationships, and activities. The Sims has been praised for its realism and for its ability to provide a unique insight into human behavior. In this book, Dr. Helen Nissenbaum argues that The Sims can be used as a powerful tool for social science research. By studying how players interact with their Sims, Nissenbaum shows how simulation models can help us to understand social trends and to develop new ways to design more inclusive and equitable societies. Nissenbaum begins by discussing the concept of a simulation model. A simulation model is a simplified representation of a real-world system. Simulation models are used in a wide variety of fields, from engineering to economics. Nissenbaum argues that simulation models can be particularly useful for studying social phenomena, because they allow researchers to control for variables and to test different hypotheses. Nissenbaum then turns to The Sims. She argues that The Sims is a powerful simulation model that can be used to study a wide range of social trends.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2024

About the author

Kathryn Heath, PhD, is a distinguished thought leader, author, and sought-after speaker on the topic of women’s leadership. For more than twenty years, she has coached high-potential women leaders to help them move forward faster. She is a co-author of I Wish I'd Known This: 6 Career-Accelerating Secrets for Women Leaders (Berrett-Koehler, Aug. 2022); The Influence Effect: A New Path to Power for Women Leaders (Berrett-Koehler, 2017); and Break Your Own Rules: How to Change the Patterns of Thinking that Block Women’s Path to Power ( Jossey-Bass, 2011). She also authored five chapters in the HBR Guide for Women at Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019).

Heath currently serves as a managing director of the Leadership Acceleration Practice at Bravanti, a preeminent firm in the field of leadership development. She was a founding partner of Flynn Heath Leadership, where she designed and executed custom programs to recruit, retain, and promote women and to help women overcome barriers to advancement. Previously, Heath was senior vice-president and director of First University at First Union, where her inventive and results-focused approach won her numerous awards in the field of learning and development.

Heath has also coauthored numerous articles on women’s leadership for Harvard Business Review. She is a high-demand speaker for conference keynotes and other events, and she has presented at the 24th Annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference and the Network of Executive Women Leadership Summit.

Heath holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina Greensboro; a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.