There have been few attempts to introduce frameworks that can help support tutors evaluate educational
games and simulations that can be most effective in their particular learning context and subject area. The
lack of a dedicated framework has produced a significant impediment for the uptake of games and simulations
particularly in formal learning contexts. This paper addresses this shortcoming by introducing a
four-dimensional framework for helping tutors to evaluate the potential of using games- and simulationbased
learning in their practice, and to support more critical approaches to this form of games and simulations.
The four-dimensional framework is applied to two examples from practice to test its efficacy and
structure critical reflection upon practice.