Wargames for Learning

 “A scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”

— Robert Baden-Powell

The video from People Make Games about “The Games Behind Your Government’s Next War” has caused quite a stir recently among professional and hobby wargamers. What initially started as a documentary about wargaming in the defense industry became an hour-long video essay presenting and exploring the “complete moral labyrinth” of using wargames to prepare for future conflicts. The video generated a lot of discussion, both in the video’s comments section and elsewhere; notably responses at the excellent PAXsims blog. I watched the video and was impressed with the thoughtful look at moral issues related to wargaming (despite its sometimes outraged delivery, which, I’ll admit, makes for an engaging presentation style). Frequent readers might recall I’ve occasionally reflected on the ethics of wargaming — especially with kids or hobby newcomers — usually asking questions about how we can have fun playing historical games about a real-world activity that resulted in death and destruction, how we might use them as learning tools, and how we could more thoughtfully approach this activity (once again, often with the younger set in mind). Part of me wanted to respond to various issues the video raised; which were many among the hairpin turns of the host Quinns’ at-times manic journey through the moral labyrinth. I will leave more informed reactions to the wargaming professionals (though I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind joining their ranks career-wise). Instead, after much reflection about what I might say, I felt I needed to elaborate on something the video didn’t really address. It focuses on the analysis role professional wargaming plays in military circles, creating models and simulations to explore emerging crises and evolving technology to formulate and test tactical solutions. But it doesn’t look at another major facet of professional military wargaming, and even hobby gaming: the educational role games play.

COTS Games for Learning

 “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Those in the professional wargame sphere frequently rely on simulations intended for education or analysis, wargames requiring a custom design and implementation. Not all organizations have the resources for such projects, nor are such simulations always appropriate for every circumstance, especially when introducing wargaming in a professional environment to newcomers with time constraints. Sometimes they turn to existing resources, adapting them to particular missions and situations. They adapt “Commercial* Off The Shelf” or COTS games to their specific needs. One doesn’t have to be an innovator in the professional wargaming sphere to adapt COTS games — modifying them for a particular audience and objective — for experiential learning across other disciplines.

Tiny Brush Strokes on the Larger Canvas

 “There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

People sometimes say we need to see the bigger picture, the forest from the trees, the larger canvas. Such phrases always remind me of Georges Seurat’s masterpiece of pointillism, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Stand back and the viewer takes in the entire painting, which, at 10 feet wide, is quite a canvas. Step closer and one sees the tiny points of paint which make up tge larger characters, landscape, and the overall picture. Ferris Beuller’s Day Off artfully demonstrated this during the tourism montage scenes. Historically themed games allow us to explore new perspectives, form connections with the subject matter, and hopefully gain a greater understanding of events...notably the people involved. Many such games focus on the big picture — abstracted political factions, military units, entire regions of geography, and other broad generalizations — but a contrast between that and the finer details (and everything in between) helps us better appreciate the whole on different levels.

Solo/Co-op Games & the “Bad Guy” Dilemma

 “Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.”

— W. H. Auden

I often grapple with the issue of playing the “bad guys” in historical wargames. Villains in our history have committed heinous atrocities and human rights violations, beyond the death and destruction war brings to soldiers and civilians alike.* I’ve explored the issue before, mostly in the case of using games to engage and teach kids about history or in examining delicate periods or perspectives. It’s all fun and games — literally, at the most basic level — until one takes a deeper look at the context of historical games and reflects on some of the weightier implications...and our involvement in them in the abstracted ways games allow us. In some cases I’ve included follow-up material to help students further consider on the consequences of their game actions (notably cards with historical information about their roles in the attack on Pearl Harbor). Sometimes switching sides can alleviate some of these concerns, with participants playing games or scenarios twice, so each gets a chance to experience the other’s perspective. As I veer more toward solitaire and cooperative games, I’m discovering their very one-sided nature can absolve players of taking the role of the “bad guys” and allow them some guilt-free game experiences...which ultimately might lead to the after-action reflection I feel remains necessary to learn from games.

“The Adventure Is Yours”

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

— Albert Einstein

I haven’t followed developments with Dungeons & Dragons for a while. Every so often some D&D news or controversy appears on my gaming radar; I take note but really don’t feel the need to voice my opinion (not that anyone would notice). D&D has evolved into a very different creature than what I knew growing up in the 1980s, what I turn to now in nostalgia. I dabbled with the third edition Wizards of the Coast released shortly after acquiring TSR, running a few adventures at a local game store and even writing some d20 products in the Open Game License (OGL) boom of the early 2000s. Hasbro’s acquisition of D&D caused the line to stumble a few times, usually from management prioritizing growing profits without understanding (or perhaps caring about) the game and its customers. After threatening to vanquish and reanimate the OGL as some unfriendly form of undead corporate contract, Hasbro now seems intent on turning D&D content away from physical publications to emphasize electronic materials accessible through subscription...aping the greedy corporate subscription model others use for software and media to feed an economic system based on infinite profit growth from a finite system. Yet some of D&D’s earliest advertising slogans remind us we don’t need every scenario and supplement, we don’t even need the core D&D rulebooks to enjoy the roleplaying game hobby. Because, as the old ad said, “The Adventure Is Yours.”

Ukraine 2022 Prepares Students for War

 “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”

— George Washington

A skirmish in Ukraine 2022.

My son just started high school last week (yes, August 7 is unreasonably early in America). After a carefree summer filled with a few fun road trips, various excursions, and just lounging around, he scrambled to get ready for the early onset of the academic year. What school supplies we didn’t scrounge from around the house or salvage from last year we ran out to purchase, from pencils and erasers to the obligatory new backpack. Sorted out the last-minute bus route schedule and inevitable blunders on the first day. Met a host of teachers at the open house, from the interesting electives my son chose like drama and interior design to more traditional English, science, geometry, and history (with a teacher who enjoys games, no less). He’s not taking any mandatory course to prepare him for combat against a belligerent nation currently invading his. But kids in Ukraine are...using a wargame for part of the course.

Games Offer First-Hand Perspective

 “You will always have partial points of view, and you’ll always have the story behind the story that hasn't come out yet.”

— Margaret Atwood

I’ve written recently about immersing ourselves in films, books, and games to help broaden our perception of a particular literary genre or historical period. It’s a different way to expand our experiences through diverse media; yet games put us in the moment in a deeper way than films and books. Most media begins and ends at fixed points, providing a step-by-step narrative that often helps us identify with the experience of individuals and their perspectives as the plot unfolds. Games start at a fixed point, too, but where they end — and how they get there — often remains uncertain until played out. As we take turns, we assess the “game state” at that moment, plot our moves, and ultimately see how they succeed. Games give us first-hand experience at estimating a situation and forming a plan of action in response to that situation in a way that “fixed” media relying on plots do not. They can immerse us in an event as it evolves; even though we might know how it turns out, the participants at that time and place did not. Games can offer us a taste of that experience as players try to comprehend and react to a developing situation.