MILITARY GAMES Video Games and the Warfighter About

MILITARY GAMES Video Games and the Warfighter

About Me 20 Years Military Panzer Elite Service Combat in Iraq Peacekeeping in Bosnia Airborne Infantry Military Intelligence Special Operations Senior Drill Sergeant America’s Army Twilight War Order of War Sturmtruppen Military Games Editor at www. gamersinfo. net MFA in Video Game Production and Design (pending thesis)

1 – Kriegspiel A brief history of wargames 2 – Modern Wargames Civilian wargame development 3 – Simulations The development of military games 4 – Training Can Be Fun The advent of game-training 5 – Future Force Turning wargamers into warriors CONTENTS

1 – Kriegspiel A Brief History of Wargames

Historical Wargames Go (Wei-Hei) Chess Based on the Indian game Chaturanga and used to teach royalty to think tactically and plan ahead Koenigspiel A larger version of chess with more pieces and spaces Kriegspiel Divided into two types, the original with clearly- defined rules, and the later “Free Kreigspiel” which used a referee to arbitrate and interpret Used to train German officers through the end of the 19 th century and influenced Wells’ “Little Wars”

2 – Modern Wargames Civilian Wargame Development

Toy Soldiers Little Wars Written by H. G. Wells on the eve of World War I Started the concept of miniature soldiers for games The First Nerds Hobby wargamers painted huge armies and used them to play large battles from the 30’s onward Modern Miniatures Games Interest in miniatures games was generally not affected by the introduction of the PC for wargaming There are many more miniatures gamers in the US than board wargamers

Board Wargames Tactics First board wargame by Charles Roberts in 1953 Avalon Hill created the board wargame industry Simulations Publications Incorporated Turned wargame design into a system Churned out hundreds of games in the 1970’s The End of an Era The introduction of the PC in 1980 killed the market Board wargames are now a niche market (~10, 000) As a consequence, board wargames are now generally larger, more graphically appealing, easier to learn and play, and much more expensive than before

Military Wargaming Gaming the World Wars Generally used the “Free Kriegspiel” model Numerous flaws and deficiencies when modeling anything larger than a single battle Operational Research First started in World War II to improve conduct of operational and strategic warfare Initiated the analysis of historical battles to define modern tactics and constants of warfare Mechanical Simulators Focus on operator simulations such as fighter cockpits

Computer Wargames Personal Computers First computer wargames are similar to board games Computers also make flight simulations available Types of Military Games Turn-Based Strategy Games Real-Time Strategy Games Warfare Simulations (Tanks, Planes and Shooters) Multiplayer Games Hot Seat Wargames Multiplayer (head-to-head) Wargames Massively-Multiplayer Online Wargames

Popular Military Games First-Person Shooters Strategy Games America’s Army Axis & Allies Armed Assault Close Combat Battlefield Combat Mission Call of Duty Command Conquer Counterstrike Company of Heroes Delta Force Endwar Ghost Recon Men of Valor Medal of Honor Order of War Operation Flashpoint Panzer General SOCOM World in Conflict

3 – Simulations The Development of Military Games

Physical Simulations Focus is on controls and engineering Pilots, astronauts, drivers, and equipment operators Limited feedback You’re either doing it right or crashing and burning Limited realism Controls are authentic but scenarios are not Cost They must be custom-made at great expense Specific to model Once your hardware changes, your sim is out of date

Virtual Simulations Simulate anything Convoys, tanks, drones, leadership, and diplomacy Immediate feedback Realistic results are provided through “soft” endings Custom-tailored Scenarios can be designed to fit user needs Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Cheaper and faster to build and maintain Upgradable Software can be updated for new equipment

4 – Training Can Be Fun The Advent of Game-Training

Modern Training Games Pioneered by the US Marine Corps America’s Army: Operations Developed as a recruiting tool to get target audience interested in the Army. Its sister project, America’s Army: Soldiers, was designed as a roleplaying game to teach players about army life, ethics, and training. Engine also used to develop training simulators for Javelin antitank launcher and bomb disposal drones. Full Spectrum Warrior Originally designed for training squad leaders, then used as the foundation of a popular videogame.

Modern Training Games (cont. ) DARWARS Ambush! Convoy team trainer using PC with 3 D graphics and realistic scenarios with multiple vehicles managed by human observer-controllers. Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) Shooting skills training using video scenarios and air- powered weapons with focused light emitters (FATS) Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer (VCOT) Realistic crew stations with authentic vehicle controls and weapons and video panels for displaying the combat environment; designed for small teams

Modern Training Games (cont. ) Tactical Iraqi Uses the Unreal Engine (same as America’s Army) to teach Iraqi Arabic to soldiers deploying to theater by evaluating their speech in conversation with “locals” Urban. Simulates an urban environment and simulates major events such as terrorist attacks, elections, and civil unrest, forcing the players to make decisions that will impact the groups involved

PEO-STRI Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Maintain over 100 applications in which soldiers can drive vehicles, fire weapons, and pilot unmanned aerial vehicles in battle spaces as large as 10, 000 km 2 Responsible for deploying 70 systems of 52 computers each in locations in the United States, Germany, Italy and South Korea (yes, over 3, 500 Army gaming PCs!). Among their projects is a virtual reality simulator that allows trainees to walk around in a closed environment with a training weapon and goggles as interface devices

5 – Future Force Turning Wargamers into Warriors

What’s Next? Still recruiting gamers America’s Army expanded to consoles and still going Treating soldiers with PTSD Using training tools to stimulate responses to events Training tools becoming real tools Console controllers adapted to operate drones Massively-Multiplayer Online Training The Army is working on an interactive training world Combat texting Blue Force Tracker uses a game-like map and icons along with the capability of texting other units

So You Want To Make Games? Game development is not a glamorous profession Developing games doesn’t mean playing games You must be a hardcore gamer to develop them Educate yourself – classes and outside reading Stay current on new trends and technologies Join the IGDA and other game-centric organizations Network – conferences (GDC), Linked. In, SIGs, etc. Leverage your outside skills and experiences Military training simulations are an expanding field

Useful Websites PEO-STRI peostri. army. mil DARWARS darwars. org Game Production Svcs gameprodsvcs. com Raydon raydon. com America’s Army americasarmy. com Gamasutra. com Creative Heads Creativeheads. net Game. Dev gamedev. net Game Career Guide Gamecareerguide. com Tom Sloper sloperama. com/advice

Questions? Chris Keeling chris@chriskeeling. com