The engaging and interactive characteristics of gaming and simulation lead to the tentative assumption that online simulations could be reflective instruments for knowledge elicitation in social work. Experiments and further research are necessary to identify the collaborative and constructionist possibilities of gaming simulations in social professions. Online simulations should be embedded in approaches that include mixed forms of narrative and performative inquiry. The author investigates some of the manifold doubts and conditions as to the description and classification of complex variables and constructs, when applying online simulations in social work practice.