A discussion on simulations´ visualization usage

The usage of a simulation´s visualization varies enormously within our community: for some, it is the simulation; for others, it is a development annoyance used for a screen-shot in presentations before the “proper” statistical results can be shown. Real-world systems are, for the most of us, explored visually so a simulation´s visualization allows us to reconnect the simulation to its underlying system through the same media we experience it. However, simulation models are not perfect representations of reality and some of these imperfections maybe left out of the simulation´s visualization. At best, this might be due to parsimony concerns by the developer (e.g. the color of a simulated entities shirt usually does not matter); at worst, charlatanism to sell the simulation package. In this paper, a detailed discussion is given on the use (and potential misuse) of simulation visualization and possible solutions.