As Plato once said, that imitative artists create things that are THIRD removed from The Truth:
http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2012/11/12/...iation-of-art/
But then again, who could possibly spare real blood & flesh to educate oneself about the art of war, or, for mere enjoyment of one's spare time? There is bound to be tradeoff between preserving The Truth, and, making The Truth accessible.
Steel Panthers is an imitative art, it is a simulation; but simulation too has many levels, in regards to the realism it's trying to achieve.
Cheers