A Structured Report on Agent-Based Simulation Development with the GAMA Platform

The use of agent-based simulations is becoming common and has been used to abstract complex concepts through visual demonstrations. This has driven the emergence of platforms for developing these simulations. In this context, GAMA stands out as an attractive option because of its wide range of features. However, GAMA still lacks materials to guide beginner developers. In order to fill this gap, this paper presents a structured report on agent-based simulation development with GAMA. The paper describes the main functionalities and the structure for developing a simulation with GAMA. In addition to that, the paper exemplifies these elements through the development of the Sugarscape simulation, known in the community. The combination of the structured report and the Sugarscape implementation provides a introductory guide to developing agent-based simulation in GAMA. Finally, the paper presents the challenges that a beginner developer may encounter and recommendations to address them.