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MILITARY GAMES

MILITARY GAMES. Video Games and the Warfighter. About Me. 20 Years Military Service Combat in Iraq Peacekeeping in Bosnia Airborne Infantry Military Intelligence Special Operations Senior Drill Sergeant. Panzer Elite America’s Army Twilight War Order of War Sturmtruppen

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MILITARY GAMES

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  1. MILITARY GAMES Video Games and the Warfighter

  2. About Me • 20 Years Military Service • Combat in Iraq • Peacekeeping in Bosnia • Airborne Infantry • Military Intelligence • Special Operations • Senior Drill Sergeant • Panzer Elite • 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)

  3. 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

  4. 1 – Kriegspiel A Brief History of Wargames

  5. 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 19th century and influenced Wells’ “Little Wars”

  6. 2 – Modern Wargames Civilian Wargame Development

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

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

  12. 3 – Simulations The Development of Military Games

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 4 – Training Can Be Fun The Advent of Game-Training

  16. 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.

  17. Modern Training Games (cont.) • DARWARS Ambush! • Convoy team trainer using PC with 3D 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

  18. 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” • UrbanSim • 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

  19. 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 km2 • 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

  20. 5 – Future Force Turning Wargamers into Warriors

  21. 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

  22. 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), LinkedIn, SIGs, etc. • Leverage your outside skills and experiences • Military training simulations are an expanding field

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

  24. Questions? Chris Keeling chris@chriskeeling.com

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