Using an Exocentric Sim, the player views an angled overhead view of the 3D world in which the learning takes place. Typically, this type of sim will involve human situations and events where the player controls characters and objects in the scenario. The player control will most often be ‘point and click’ using the computer mouse. For example, the player clicks on a character in the world and points to another location, to which the character will move.
The action unfolds in real time – characters and events will be ongoing, the player can intervene and make decisions. Often, time is a key variable in these scenarios, meaning that the gameplay can be moved on to different times of the day etc. This gives great scope for scenario generation and testing strategic skills.
There is less ‘presence’ than in an Egocentric Sim – the view is not so personal, there is less feeling of control and the scenario does not move as rapidly, in visual terms
