Gamification for Resilience

10 Representing System Complexity Using Object-oriented Programming

10.1 Introduction

Representing complex phenomena – whether in language, film, computer modeling, or other media – affects our understanding and remains a challenge for researchers, even in the twenty-first century (Katina et al. 2020; Steiner 2013). While this chapter does not directly address this challenge, it shows how a complex system can be represented via object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP is a programming paradigm that uses “objects” to design applications and computer programs. This body of knowledge was created based on several concepts and techniques, including abstraction, encapsulation, modularity, and inheritance (see Chapter 7, Section 7.2). In OOP, the objects may contain data, in the form of fields (attributes) and code, in the form of procedures (methods). They can interact with one another by receiving messages, processing data, and sending information to others. Each acts as an independent unit with distinctive roles and responsibilities (Ancel 2011). Overall, the paradigm aims to support the development of efficient data structures and target real-world elements’ behaviors within the digital environment.

The present research uses a specialized tool, “TopEase^® Designer,” to handle OOP-related activities. TopEase^® Designer software allows the user to manage critical information of focused systems and visualize those entities in a holistic view of a complex system (Pulfer and Schmid 2006). ...