Digital tools and virtual reality (VR) have been used for the last ten years as specific tools to simulate situations before acting. These tools can be used to play, replay or anticipate social and professional situations. But their development raises questions. What is the impact of the hybrid status of reality that these tools convey on the design of situations in which they are implemented? Compared to more traditional forms of simulation, such as role-playing games, the objective of this panel is to explore how digital tools can produce a specific mode of engagement in action. What kind of work is done to frame the virtual situation? For example, what kind of interactional negotiations about the verisimilitude of virtual situations does this framing produce? When using these simulation frameworks, what are the limitations and difficulties encountered by the actors? Is the transition between the primary and the virtual framework smooth? How is the social dimension of the framework reflected and rethought by the actors? How do snags and bugs in the simulation affect the maintenance of the virtual situation? What kinds of fragility and/or breakdown of the fictional frame can be observed in such situations, as well as various operations of reframing and restoration of the frame? This panel aims to understand action simulation as a specific mode of engagement in action and to bring together research that addresses these non-exhaustive questions.
