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hurdygurdy21 t1_jdtofnn wrote

I'm honestly surprised how accurate some simulators can be. Not saying you could make a career choice based on how well you do one but you can for sure learn some basics in things like Power Washing Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator, Lawn Mower Simulator, most farming sims, and yes the PC building sim is not bad. I think I remember watching Linus Tech Tips play it and he was pretty impressed. Not 100% but good enough to get the idea.

Goat Simulator can teach how to be a goat and I love that lol (that was a joke but you get the point)

Edit: not necessarily a sim but there is a gun disassembly game I played once and that taught me a lot about stripping and field stripping weapons. I've forgotten most of it but enough to know the basics.

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DataDrifterOFC t1_jdv3evu wrote

Agreed. You get the hang of it from most sims and it works as a "logical roadmap" but not as a step-by-step guide.

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BlueMikeStu t1_jdtrac1 wrote

...yes and no.

Very often, they're a stripped down, more easily accessible and playable version of a given hobby, even if they're very information accurate. Invariably they're like LEGO for the chosen hobby. You're not getting the hands on information or the nitty gritty, but it gives you a basic idea of how things work compared to someone clueless.

Like, I'd rather have someone who has never played a Car Mechanic simulator and never done the job take an hour with YouTube to do my brakes, than have someone with 100 hours on Car Mechanic simulator do them from memory.

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Varkoth t1_jdtt7fj wrote

But if you were to choose between the unskilled person with 100 hours in the Sim game who has access to YouTube, and compare that person to another unskilled person who never touched the sim, would you choose the person who used the sim?

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[deleted] t1_jdui6n5 wrote

If I had to choose between these 2 morons? Neither.

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BlueMikeStu t1_jdttuyl wrote

I'd choose a thousand other factors first, to be honest. Like, if I were giving it a weighing score, the willingness to watch the YouTube video would be a +100 and the sim knowledge would be a +0.5-+1 at best.

I've played fucking thousands of hours of Call of Duty and I'm under no delusion that said experience means a god damned thing in anything remotely comparable.

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MistahBoweh t1_jdujx6g wrote

Cod is not a simulation, nor is it trying to be. I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s like you’re comparing driver’s ed software to need for speed. Obviously the program that helps you learn to do a thing is going to be more helpful than a pure entertainment product that makes no attempt at accuracy.

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OmNomCakes t1_jdu60zl wrote

I'd pick whichever guy included the make, model, and year in his Google/ YouTube search.

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Reasonabledwarf t1_jdtsn7b wrote

They tend to be skewed to focus on the elements of a hobby that are easier or more interesting to simulate, rather than the actual problem points you're likely to run into. I would only ever consider them supplemental to actual instructional materials, like written guides, classes, and video tutorials.

A lot of simulator games are also much more focused on simulating the business side of an activity, the buying and selling of parts, setting prices, interacting with customers. They're more like Lemonade Stand clones, basically. That said, Kerbal Space Program is a great tool for making the basic mechanics of spaceflight more intuitive.

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ilovepizza855 t1_jdu7neh wrote

In the case of PC Building Simulator, it does gives you a fairly good grasp of PC building, as well as basic level troubleshooting. Good for beginner imo.

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German-Supremancy t1_jdu0jj3 wrote

PC Building Sim is really not a great way to learn. You are better off watching a few YT Videos. The Game obviously removes all the annoying clunky parts.

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chevyguyjoe t1_jdw524c wrote

Car mechanic simulator is extremely realistic when it comes to removing and reinstalling parts in the correct order. However, being a mechanic is much more than replacing parts. It involves troubleshooting a problem. Depending on the problem this requires the use of specialized tools and equipment, which means knowing how to use that tool or equipment. You need to be able to identify a part that may not have completely failed, but may be just at the edge of a usable tolerance. Knowing what tool to use far a specific scenario is important. When you are working on a vehicle you need to know how to overcome challenges like removing damaged hardware, rusted parts, etc.

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PogTuber t1_jdxxg5f wrote

I work on my cars and the car mechanic simulator is pretty good. Nothing beats real world practice and watching videos on your specific car but the game does a good job of listing what the parts are called. You could definitely learn a good bit about the basics of what makes up a car and even how some pieces have to come off in specific order.

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