"science-based" is a shortcut; description, not it's definition. What I have in my mind, is about games with its core mechanics being to something related to

"science-based" is a shortcut; description, not it's definition. What I have in my mind, is about games with its core mechanics being to something related to (yes, it can be psychology; or international relationships). Some game that would be "I played X for it's own sake, yet I've learnt how Y works.". And clearly, it's not a game of "games I like the most" or "the most advanced games" or anything. (For both of these aspects DF >> DQ.) In any case, seeing how you think: Kerbal Space Program is clearly one of the most popular games in this category, but nowhere near specific as, say, Velocity Raptor. (Yet, order is kind of incidental.)