This paper is intended as a guide for the use and development of simulation games in the classroom. To justify the use of such games at a time when the public is demanding a return to "the basics," the paper cites 30 ways in which simulations can contribute to student learning, including the following: (1) simulations help to motivate students; (2) they help students understand the relationships among economic, cultural, historical, political, social, and interpersonal factors that form the social system; (3) they permit the student to practice making real-life decisions without suffering the direct consequences of wrong decisions; (4) they place the responsibility for learning on the student, not the teacher; (5) they help develop a student's problem solving abilities; (6) they require critical thinking, not just rote memorization; (7) they bridge the gap among the various reading levels in a classroom; (8) they encourage student-to-student verbal interaction; (9) they convey cause and effect relationships; and (10) they teach the student the form and content of the model being used. The paper then provides seven steps for use by teachers who wish to create their own simulation activities. An appendix contains a list of sources for commercially produced simulation games. (FL)