MILITARY GAMES

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

16. 4 – Training Can Be Fun The Advent of Game-Training

17. 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.

19. 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

22. 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

24. 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

25. 5 – Future Force Turning Wargamers into Warriors

26. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. Questions? Chris Keeling chris@chriskeeling.com