Developing and Adapting Simulations through Six points of Variance: An Example of Teaching Applied Game Theory through International Negotiations S TEVEN B. R OTHMAN Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University The essay describes a new way to evaluate variation among simulations through six distinct categories. The six points involve the content of the simulation, the integration of the simulation with other aspects of the course, the length of a simulation, the strictness of rules, the interaction among students during the simulation, and assessment techniques. The essay assesses the benefits and costs of the simulation and course design through student feedback and instructor evaluation. In addition, the essay uses these six points of variation as a framework to explain a sam- ple simulation integrated with course objectives, goals, lecture material, two short research essays, and other class activities designed to teach game theory applied to current international problems. The simulation uses current world issues to help students incorporate class content, game theoretic modeling, and strategic interaction into an international negotiation conducted in class. Keywords: simulations, role-plays, active learning, international education, negotiations, game theory Simulations vary by many different factors such as the strictness of rules, integra- tion with other course content, length of the simulation, type of interaction among students, assessment tools, and the simulation story or content. This essay intro- duces the ways simulations vary and the costs and benefits of different types of sim- ulations to provide instructors the information to design their own simulations or adapt existing ones to courses. Since all classes are idiosyncratic in some ways, designing individual and personalized simulations ensures adequate incorporation with course objectives, course content, and teaching style of the instructor. In addi- tion, this essay describes an integrated negotiation simulation with a high level of course integration, flexible rules, a high level of face-to-face interaction, and indi- vidual assessment, which is based on current events as an example of an individual- ized simulation created with attention given to the points of variation. The simulation illustrated in this essay was developed for a course titled Intro- duction to International Strategy (IIS) taught at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu, Japan. The course was taught entirely in English as a second- year course. 1 The student body of the class consisted of 54 active students pri- marily in 4-year degree programs from up to 97 countries around the world. 2 1 A second-year course allows students to enroll who have completed 1 year at the university. 2 Due to personal data confidentiality restrictions, the exact student demographics in this course are unknown. As an estimate, the students consisted mostly of East, Central, and Southeast Asian students. A minority of students came from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Japan. Rothman, Steven B. (2012) Developing and Adapting Simulations through Six points of Variance: An Example of Teaching Applied Game Theory through International Negotiations. International Studies Perspectives, doi: 10.1111/j.1528-3585.2012.00466.x. © 2012 International Studies Association International Studies Perspectives (2012) 13, 437–457.