![]() ![]() To prevent confusion, this section will establish the general definition employed by this article. ![]() The exact definition of "wargame" varies from one writer to the next and one organization to the next. A second reason is that the technical data required to design an accurate and precise model, such as the performance characteristics of a fighter jet, is often classified. By contrast, military officers typically have little or no wargaming experience. Recreational wargamers tend to have a lot of wargaming experience (it is usually considered a hardcore hobby), so learning a complicated new wargame is easy if it is similar enough to ones they've already played. One reason for this is to keep the learning curve small. Umpires may even be allowed to make arbitrary decisions using their own expertise. Professional wargames that are arbitrated by an umpire or the players themselves (manual wargames) tend to have simple models and computations compared to recreational wargames. By contrast, military organizations tend to see wargaming as a tool and a chore, and players are often bluntly obliged to use whatever is provided to them. Ĭommercial wargames are under more pressure to deliver an enjoyable experience for the players, who expect a user-friendly interface, a reasonable learning curve, exciting gameplay, and so forth. This can lead to great complexity, high development costs, and a compromised product that satisfies nobody. If a wargame is commissioned by several clients, then the designer will have to juggle their competing demands. Professional wargames, by contrast, are typically commissioned by the military that plans to use them. Īlthough commercial wargame designers study consumer trends and listen to player feedback, their products are usually designed and sold with a take-it-or-leave-it approach. Consequently, errors in professional wargame models tend to persist. Whereas a commercial wargame might have thousands or even millions of players, professional wargames tend to have small player bases, which makes it harder for the designers to acquire feedback. Secrecy also makes it harder to disseminate corrections if the wargame has already been delivered to the clients. The data the designers require, such as the performance characteristics of weapons or the locations of military bases, are often classified, which makes it difficult for the designers to verify that their models are accurate. Military organizations are typically secretive about their current wargames, and this makes designing a professional wargame a challenge. As professional wargames are used to prepare officers for actual warfare, there is naturally a strong emphasis on realism and current events. Games which do not include modern armaments and tactics are of limited interest to the military, though wargames covering famous historical battles can interest military historians. Recreational wargames can cover a wide variety of subjects, from pre-historic to modern – even fantasy or sci-fi combat. A recreational wargame is one played for fun, often in a competitive context. Main articles: Professional wargaming and Recreational wargamingĪ professional wargame is a wargame that is used by a military as a serious tool for training or research. Professional vs recreational A professional wargame at the US Marine Corps War College (April 2019) A recreational wargame ( Here I Stand) in play at CSW Expo 2009 Civilian enthusiasts also played wargames for fun, but this was a niche hobby until the development of consumer electronic wargames in the 1990s. After Prussia defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War, wargaming was widely adopted by military officers in other countries. Modern wargaming was invented in Prussia in the early 19th-century, and eventually the Prussian military adopted wargaming as a tool for training their officers and developing doctrine. Likewise, activities like capture the flag and paintball are classified as physical sports. Some writers may refer to a military's field training exercises as "live wargames", but certain institutions such as the US Navy do not accept this. friendly warships firing dummy rounds at each other) are not considered wargames. ![]() Generally, activities where the participants actually perform mock combat actions (e.g. Many simulate land combat, but there are wargames for naval and air combat, as well. Many wargames re-create specific historic battles, and can cover either whole wars, or any campaigns, battles, or lower-level engagements within them. ![]() Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to study the nature of potential conflicts. A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a hypothetical simulation of some military operation. ![]()
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