A computer based surgical training system, comprising (a) a processor; (b) a hand-held component operatively coupled to the processor and configured to provide a haptic feedback to a user; (c) a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program characterized in that the computer program causes the processor to: (i) display a virtual object as part of a virtual surgical field, wherein the virtual object is associated with a plurality of assigned susceptibility values and a damage threshold value, wherein each susceptibility value of the plurality of susceptibility values corresponds to a susceptibility to damage of the virtual object and an amount of damage necessary to achieve an effect on the virtual object by a type of interaction between the virtual object and a virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field; (ii) display a movement of the virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field based on an input from the hand-held component when a user moves the hand-held component, wherein the virtual surgical instrument is associated with a plurality of affordance values, each affordance value of the plurality of affordance values corresponding to an approximation of a strength of a type of interaction by the virtual surgical instrument with the virtual object; (iii) calculate a damage multiplier value based on the susceptibility value and the affordance value corresponding to the type of interaction between the virtual object and the virtual surgical instrument; (iv) calculate a haptic value based on the damage multiplier value, the damage threshold value, and the input when the virtual surgical instrument is displayed in the type of interaction with the virtual object within the virtual surgical field; and (v) transmit the haptic feedback to the hand-held component wherein a quantity of the haptic feedback that is transmitted is determined based on the haptic value. (a) a processor; (b) a hand-held component operatively coupled to the processor and configured to provide a haptic feedback to a user; (c) a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program characterized in that the computer program causes the processor to: (i) display a virtual object as part of a virtual surgical field, wherein the virtual object is associated with a plurality of assigned susceptibility values and a damage threshold value, wherein each susceptibility value of the plurality of susceptibility values corresponds to a susceptibility to damage of the virtual object and an amount of damage necessary to achieve an effect on the virtual object by a type of interaction between the virtual object and a virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field; (ii) display a movement of the virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field based on an input from the hand-held component when a user moves the hand-held component, wherein the virtual surgical instrument is associated with a plurality of affordance values, each affordance value of the plurality of affordance values corresponding to an approximation of a strength of a type of interaction by the virtual surgical instrument with the virtual object; (iii) calculate a damage multiplier value based on the susceptibility value and the affordance value corresponding to the type of interaction between the virtual object and the virtual surgical instrument; (iv) calculate a haptic value based on the damage multiplier value, the damage threshold value, and the input when the virtual surgical instrument is displayed in the type of interaction with the virtual object within the virtual surgical field; and (v) transmit the haptic feedback to the hand-held component wherein a quantity of the haptic feedback that is transmitted is determined based on the haptic value. (i) display a virtual object as part of a virtual surgical field, wherein the virtual object is associated with a plurality of assigned susceptibility values and a damage threshold value, wherein each susceptibility value of the plurality of susceptibility values corresponds to a susceptibility to damage of the virtual object and an amount of damage necessary to achieve an effect on the virtual object by a type of interaction between the virtual object and a virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field; (ii) display a movement of the virtual surgical instrument within the virtual surgical field based on an input from the hand-held component when a user moves the hand-held component, wherein the virtual surgical instrument is associated with a plurality of affordance values, each affordance value of the plurality of affordance values corresponding to an approximation of a strength of a type of interaction by the virtual surgical instrument with the virtual object; (iii) calculate a damage multiplier value based on the susceptibility value and the affordance value corresponding to the type of interaction between the virtual object and the virtual surgical instrument; (iv) calculate a haptic value based on the damage multiplier value, the damage threshold value, and the input when the virtual surgical instrument is displayed in the type of interaction with the virtual object within the virtual surgical field; and (v) transmit the haptic feedback to the hand-held component wherein a quantity of the haptic feedback that is transmitted is determined based on the haptic value.