From Agent Simulation to Social Simulator: A Comprehensive Review (Part 1)

TL;DR

This paper reviews the historical development and foundational models of Agent-Based Modeling for social systems, highlighting classic cases and challenges faced by traditional simulation methods in social domains.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of ABM's evolution, core principles, and classic social simulation cases, serving as a foundational reference for researchers.

Findings

Historical development of ABM outlined

Key models for social simulation introduced

Classic social simulation cases analyzed

Abstract

This is the first part of the comprehensive review, focusing on the historical development of Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) and its classic cases. It begins by discussing the development history and design principles of Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), helping readers understand the significant challenges that traditional physical simulation methods face in the social domain. Then, it provides a detailed introduction to foundational models for simulating social systems, including individual models, environmental models, and rule-based models. Finally, it presents classic cases of social simulation, covering three types: thought experiments, mechanism exploration, and parallel optimization.