Background: The concept of simulation has been contested in science since its proliferation in the 1960s. This is not the case in videogame research, the subject of which is commonly discussed as a ‘simulation’ or something that ‘simulates’ with little analytical consultation of the term’s extra-ludic roles.

Method: We compare the ‘simulation’ of videogame research to the ways in which other scientific fields utilize the term.

Results: We find that videogame research has found a rather eccentric use for ‘simulation’ with none or little relation to the term’s etymological (imitation and counterfeiting) or scientific (knowledge-driven) predecessors.

Conclusions: We conclude by submitting to an intentional philosophy of simulation according to which videogames and their components may be structured as computerized simulators or simulations. As to the material ontology of videogame components, however, we (re)propose the term virtual as a more fitting theoretical concept.