JudgeSim

JudgeSim puts players in the robe and gavel of a trial court judge, focusing on decision-making under pressure, evidence evaluation, and maintaining balance in a courtroom full of unpredictable participants. The game emphasizes fairness and authority while forcing players to navigate legal gray areas and emotional testimony.

Courtroom Procedures and Dynamics

The core gameplay in JudgeSim revolves around managing hearings, reacting to interruptions, and maintaining courtroom decorum. Players must decide when to intervene, sustain objections, and direct the flow of questioning, all while following the logic of each case as it unfolds.

• Objection Management: Time your rulings based on speaker tone, precedent, and content accuracy.
• Contempt Protocols: Use warnings and punishments to maintain control during tense exchanges.
• Case Summary Briefs: Read summaries and evidence fragments before issuing verdicts or interim rulings.

Evaluating Evidence and Testimony

JudgeSim includes a detailed evidence review system, allowing players to flag inconsistencies, match testimonies, and uncover contradictions. Success is not about catching liars, but understanding motivations and filtering relevance in complex trials.

1. Timeline Builder: Assemble events from different perspectives to find contradictions.
2. Witness Tracker: Monitor credibility shifts based on tone, contradictions, or new disclosures.
3. Hidden Bias Indicators: Occasionally identify your own subconscious bias through dialogue prompts.

Ethical Dilemmas and Sentencing Choices

Cases often end with player-defined outcomes. Sentencing allows for multiple options, including traditional jail time, community-based justice, or rehabilitative alternatives. The decision impacts how the courtroom evolves, as returning characters may show up in future cases.

• Sentencing Tree: Choose severity, motivation weight, and restitution levels.
• Public Trust Meter: Public opinion fluctuates based on how controversial or balanced your rulings are.
• Ethics Override: Optionally reject the law and go off-script—at a price.

JudgeSim delivers a complex and evolving simulation where power, ethics, and pressure come into conflict. Your rulings shape not only the courtroom, but the world that reacts to them.