The Pedagogical Benefits of SimCity in Urban Geography Education

Abstract

This article investigated the pedagogical potential of the SimCity simulation game in an urban geography course. University students used SimCity to build their own cities and applied a wide range of theories to support their urban structures. Moreover, the students critically evaluated the logic and functioning of the SimCity simulation compared to real-world contexts and urban geography principles. The students believed the SimCity activity provided them with opportunities to promote their geographic creativity, resulting in diverse, unique, and interesting cities. The findings demonstrate that the use of SimCity can be an effective tool for geography education.

Keywords:

• SimCity
• urban geography
• educational benefit
• critical thinking
• geographic creativity

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Minsung Kim

Minsung Kim is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography Education at Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan, South Korea. His primary research interests include spatial literacy and cognition, geospatial technologies, and teaching and learning strategies in geography education.

Jungyeop Shin

Jungyeop Shin is an associate professor in the Department of Geography Education at Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. His main research interests are urban geography, GIS, and spatial analysis.