[2] The interest in these games lies in accurate simulation of real-world events using algorithms,[6] as well as the close tying of players' actions to expected or plausible consequences and outcomes.
[11] There are many varieties of online business simulations – browser-based and downloadable, single-player and multiplayer, and real-time and turn-based.
Some online simulations are aimed primarily at the leisure market while others have real world applications in training, education and modelling.
[13] They are also used extensively in the professional world to train workers in the financial industries,[15][16] hospitality and management,[16] and to study economic models,[17] with some simulations having in excess of 10,000 variables.
[17] ABSEL, an association of professionals, exists for the sole purpose of promoting their use,[15] and economic simulations have even been used in experiments, such as those done by Donald Broadbent on learning and cognition that revealed how people often have an aptitude for mastering systems without necessarily comprehending the underlying principles.