Simulating Reality: Are Computer Simulations Experiments?

Computer simulations are now used in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including astrophysics, materials science, engineering, fluid mechanics, climate science, evolutionary biology, ecology, economics, decision theory, and sociology.
Philosophers of science have traditionally focused on the justification of theories, rather than their application. However, the epistemology of computer simulation is primarily concerned with the justification of the application of theories.