It’s easy to start building a model with a vague idea of what you want, and then sharpen your focus as you proceed. It’s impossible to complete an adequate model unless you have developed a precise idea of what you want it to do.
Quotes about models
The question then is to understand the nature of models, what distinguishes good ones from not so good ones, and techniques for creating a dynamic model capable of abstracting details and revealing key processes.
[…] the microcosm of the game board, a simple model of real-world events which can be explored inconsequentially.
[Games] are predigested models that we can easily absorb and manipulate. This is why they are relaxing to play – they are less work for our brain than the real world, because so much of the complexity has been stripped away.
It may seem odd to describe books, articles and lectures on war as “models”, but that is exactly what they are.