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The 1980s saw the emergence of the very first simulation games, made possible by the use of texture wrapping to create pseudo 3D environments (Thomson, 2008). Since then, the industry has flourished, and technology has allowed for the creation of increasingly complex simulations including popular titles such as The Sims<\/em>, Second Life<\/em> and Spore<\/em>. The proliferation of simulated media has led to significant academic discourse surrounding the potential for the simulation to disturb or even supplant the real. Notably, Baudrillard theorises that there are three orders of simulacra. In the first order, the \u201cimage is a clear counterfeit of the real\u201d. In the second, \u201cdistinctions between the image and the representation begin to break down\u201d, but it is still possible to \u201caccess the hidden fact of the real\u201d. The third order of simulacra erases \u201cany distinction between reality and its representation; there is only the simulacrum\u201d. In order words, the \u201crepresentation precedes and determines the real\u201d (qtd. in Felluga, 2011).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ender\u2019s Game<\/em>, a 1985 science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, is unique in its prescient exploration of the relationship between reality and simulation through the medium of video games. The book focuses on the conflict between the Formics alien race and humans, who have united to form an International Fleet (IF) for the war. A large part of the story takes place in the Battle School, an orbiting military academy designed to produce exemplary commanders by training children from the tender age of six. In order to prepare the children for war, a series of video games are introduced into the school curriculum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Interestingly, the virtual worlds of the games appear to converge with reality on many occasions. For example, the protagonist\u2019s thoughts about other characters are appropriated by a game in its creation of in-game features, which results in an overlap of reality and fantasy. In addition, the climactic battle of the story is at first believed to be a game, but turns out to have been the real war. In both cases, the simulation appears to \u201cprecede and determine the real\u201d (qtd. in Felluga, 2011), for it informs the psychology and behaviour of the players, which ultimately contribute to the reality they inhabit. The elevation of in-game virtual reality to a status equivalent to, perhaps almost surpassing that of, the \u201creal world\u201d raises questions about the book\u2019s portrayal of the relationship between reality and simulation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this article, I explore how the convergence of reality and the virtual worlds of games in Ender\u2019s Game<\/em> highlights the potential for simulations to both obfuscate and supplement the real. Specifically, the games threaten to supplant the real by misrepresenting or selectively representing it. This creates a warped reality that changes the player\u2019s perceptions of the real. On the other hand, the simulation also demonstrates the capacity to supplement the real by revealing hidden facets of it \u2013 for instance, the player\u2019s internal reality is examined by the virtual environment of the game. In the following paragraphs, I will examine two games relevant to the discussion: the mind game and the interstellar battle simulations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The climax of the story occurs during a battle on a simulator in Command School, not long after Ender graduates from Battle School. The simulator displays interstellar battles in holographic form and allows players to issue instructions to their own starships via a microphone. Believing the simulation to be just another game, Ender commands his fleet to detonate humanity\u2019s most powerful weapon on the enemy planet, reducing it to a clump of debris in space. A major plot twist follows as the teachers reveal that the game was not a game at all; Ender had won the actual Formics war. The teachers had intended all along to trick him into thinking that the simulation was a game so that he would not approach it with the same mindset as with actual war. Thus, the simulation became a tool for the obscuring of truth and reality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I refer to Baudrillard\u2019s concept of the \u201chyperreal\u201d to explain how the simulation threatens to supersede reality. Baudrillard posits that the \u201cemergent culture of simulation\u201d makes it such that \u201creality is giving way to hyperreality \u2013 that which is more real than the real\u201d (qtd. in Gane, 2006). When confronted with the hyperreal, the viewer loses the ability to distinguish reality from the simulation of reality. It is this creation of the hyperreal that detaches Ender from the realities of warfare \u2013 his decisions are instead based on the constructed reality of the simulation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the \u201cemergent culture of simulation\u201d makes it such that \u201creality is giving way to hyperreality \u2013 that which is more real than the real\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n While commanding battles on the simulator, Ender perceives them to be \u201cpure contests of strategy and force\u201d (Elkus, 2006, p. 3). War is abstracted to simple win-lose scenarios without any serious consequences, unlike in reality, where there are numerous ethical and philosophical considerations. This causes Ender to adopt a mindset that is focused on winning the \u201cgame\u201d regardless of the cost. As the teachers themselves acknowledged, Ender \u201chad to be a weapon\u2026 functioning perfectly but not knowing what [he was] aimed at\u201d (p. 230). If he had known the truth, he would have hesitated to sacrifice hundreds of human pilots and wipe out the Formics species for the sake of mankind\u2019s victory. The fact that the teachers used the simulation to deceive Ender points to its potent capacity to obfuscate the realities of war.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This can be explained by the simulation\u2019s tendency to selectively represent the real, leaving out elements deemed unnecessary for its purpose. For instance, death is one aspect that the simulation fails to fully represent. Der Derian (2000) states that the virtualisation of war gives it \u201can unsurpassed power to commute death, to keep it out of sight, out of mind\u201d. This creates \u201ca high risk that one learns how to kill but not to take responsibility for it, one experiences \u2018death\u2019 but not the tragic consequences of it\u201d (Der Derian, p. 3). In the constructed reality of the simulation, enemies are an endless stream of computer-generated pixels that can be revived ad infinitum; there is no real death.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Similarly, the simulation fails to capture the complex identities belonging to individuals in reality. The interstellar battle simulators in Ender\u2019s Game <\/em>have objectified the enemy by reducing them to simplified avatars on the screen, nothing more than targets for practice. In the simulations, the player\u2019s starships are represented by \u201ctiny light[s]\u201d and \u201cthe enemy [is] another light of a different colour\u201d (p. 199). Enemies in the game are \u201cgeneric\u201d, \u201chomogenous\u201d, \u201cnot given individual names, let alone personalities\u201d (Hitchens et al., p. 8). Thus, the Formics controlling the enemy starships have been stripped of their identities\u2014the player cannot see them as more than little points of hostile lights to be exterminated. In such a situation, there is no need for compassion or mercy. It is likely that this mindset contributed to Ender\u2019s decision to blow up the alien home planet, a simple action which claimed the lives of billions of Formics. Therefore, the simulation is shown to obfuscate and even supplant reality by portraying a skewed representation of war, and changing its eventual outcome.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite highlighting the potential for simulations to obscure the real, Ender\u2019s Game<\/em> also suggests that they can enhance one\u2019s understanding of reality by revealing previously hidden aspects of it. This is seen in a video game that Ender plays in Battle School, called the mind game. Described only as \u201cFree Play\u201d (p. 50) in the students\u2019 digital tablets, the mind game consists of a fantasy world full of obstacles that are spontaneously generated as the player navigates through the landscape. The highly advanced computer algorithm is able to adapt itself and make inferences about the player\u2019s psychology based on their in-game actions. A convergence between reality and the game is observed when the computer appropriates elements from Ender\u2019s most private thoughts for the creation of in-game features; this enables the simulation to uncover previously hidden dimensions of reality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c[t]he nature of the virtual is that it can be acted upon as though it were real, and it therefore calls into question\u2026 assumptions about one\u2019s own identity\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n The mind game, by drawing upon elements from the player\u2019s private life, provides clues to their notions of self. As described by Lasko-Harvill (1992), \u201c[t]he nature of the virtual is that it can be acted upon as though it were real, and it therefore calls into question\u2026 assumptions about one\u2019s own identity\u201d (p. 223). Specifically, the mind game reveals how Ender is torn between his peaceful nature and the merciless killer he is required to be as a soldier in Battle School. This internal conflict is explored when his avatar encounters several uncannily familiar enemies. In one scenario, Ender brings his character into a playground full of children, who later metamorphose into \u201ca dozen slavering wolves with human faces\u201d (p. 56). Ender\u2019s character is repeatedly eaten by the wolves until he manages to get rid of them by dragging their bodies into an acidic brook. There is a clear parallel between the wolves at the playground and the children in the Battle School who are often hostile towards him, sometimes to the extent of threatening his life. Ender\u2019s decision to kill the wolves thus signifies the part of himself that is capable of brutal murder. Yet, the game also brings out another part of his identity, one that simply desires a normal life free from the constant struggle to survive in Battle School. This is seen when Ender\u2019s character reaches a place called \u201cThe End of the World\u201d and he reflects that: \u201cPerhaps it’s called the end of the world because it’s the end of the games, because I can go to one of the villages and become one of the little boys working and playing there, with nothing to kill and nothing to kill me, just living there.\u201d (p. 58)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition, the mind game serves as a bridge to the truth, and thus illuminates reality, when it facilitates understanding between humans and aliens. This is reinforced by the blurring of boundaries between the real and the virtual. After the war, Ender stumbles upon an area that closely resembles what he saw in the fantastical landscape of the mind game. He realises that it was built by the Formics before they perished in the war, in an effort to communicate with him, for they spoke to one another via mental images instead of words. When he explores the area, he finds a cocoon belonging to the last remaining Formic hive queen in a place that only he would know. It is then that he discovers the hive queen\u2019s desire for peace and the aliens\u2019 regret for their invasion of Earth (pp. 244-248). Interestingly, there has been a \u201cprecession of simulacra\u201d and \u201c[r]eality itself has begun merely to imitate the model\u201d (qtd. in Felluga, 2011). Yet, instead of obfuscating the real, in this case the simulation reveals another dimension to reality by bridging the gap in understanding between Ender and the aliens.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In summary, Ender\u2019s Game<\/em> portrays a convergence between reality and the virtual worlds of video games. This is observed in the mind game and the interstellar battle simulations, both of which demonstrate a capacity to influence and inform the real. The novel suggests that simulations of war can obscure the real by constructing a warped reality that changes the player\u2019s attitudes towards warfare, as evidenced by Ender\u2019s treatment of the final battle against the Formics. Yet, the simulations also enhance one\u2019s understanding of reality by providing a glimpse into the player\u2019s internal reality \u2013 which consists of their notions of self and identity \u2013 and bridging the gap between humans and the aliens.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Card, Orson S. (1985). Ender\u2019s Game<\/em>. United States: Tor Books.<\/p>\n Der Derian, James. (2000). Virtuous war\/virtual theory. International Affairs, 76.4,<\/em> 771-788.<\/p>\n Elkus, Adam. (2006). Subliminal Militarization. Wiretap <\/em>4 May. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https:\/\/www.alternet.org\/story\/35759\/subliminal_militarization.<\/p>\n Felluga, Dino. (2011). Modules on Baudrillard: On Simulation.\u00a0Introductory Guide to Critical Theory<\/em>. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/guidetotheory\/postmodernism\/modules\/baudrillardsimulation.html>.<\/p>\n Gane, Nicholas. (2006). Simulation. Theory, Culture and Society, <\/em>23.2-3, 282-283.<\/p>\n Hitchens, M., Patrickson, B., & Young, S. (2014). Reality and Terror, the First-Person Shooter in Current Day Settings. Games and Culture, <\/em>9.1, 3-29.<\/p>\n Lasko-Harvill, Ann. (1992). Identity and Mask in Virtual Reality. Happening, Body, Spectacle, Virtual Reality,<\/em> 14.2, 222-234.<\/p>\n Thomson, Iain. (2008). 1980s Game Technology: 3D Graphics. Computer Programming, F Gaming 80s Tech.<\/em> Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https:\/\/www.lexisnexis.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Introduction The 1980s saw the emergence of the very first simulation games, made possible by the use of texture wrapping to create pseudo 3D environments (Thomson, 2008). Since then, the industry has flourished,[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7,14,16,17,15],"class_list":["post-19","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-apocalyptic-cultures","tag-enders-game","tag-games","tag-simulations","tag-virtual-reality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions\/51"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalpatmos.com\/vol1issue2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Supplanting of the real by a simulated reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The ability of simulations to supplement reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
References<\/strong><\/h3>\n