Reimagining War Games: Possibilities Beyond the Traditional Concept

In the realm of game design, Mary Flanagan, the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities at Dartmouth College, is making waves. As the director of the internationally acclaimed game research laboratory Tiltfactor, Flanagan is spearheading a shift in the way we approach and understand wargames.

Wargames, traditionally associated with military simulations, have been a staple in strategic planning for centuries. However, Flanagan and other innovators are challenging this status quo by introducing experimental, artistic, and trust-based games that diverge from the typical rules and visuals of chess-like wargames.

One such game is "Play It by Trust," an interactive chessboard created by artist Yoko Ono. In this game, all pieces and squares are white, and players are asked to play without remembering where their pieces lie, erasing the distinction between sides and promoting thoughts about commonalities.

Another innovative game is Ruth Catlow's "Rethinking Wargames: Three Player Chess," developed in response to the Western war against Iraq. Catlow's game introduces a new interested party, the pawns, who are at risk in war and aim to reduce retaliatory behavior.

This shift in wargames is not just about reinterpreting the rules. It's about emphasizing social interaction, fostering cooperation, and often incorporating conceptual or artistic elements. These alternative wargames move away from strict competition and fixed strategies, offering a fresh perspective on conflict resolution.

Wargaming, at its core, is about negotiating power, systems modeling, and strategy. However, Flanagan argues that it's crucial for game scholars, makers, and players to see these familiar models on a continuum of change. This allows for the invention of new play forms that model new solutions to our problems.

The fascination with wargames extends beyond the academic realm. The author of this piece attends historical, sci-fi, fantasy, and hypothetical conflict simulations and conferences, demonstrating a shared curiosity in the potential of these games to shape our understanding of conflict and resolution.

The origins of wargames can be traced back to ancient times, with games like chess, Go, and the Olympic Games serving as forms of conflict simulation. Even more recently, computer games were developed on machines used for calculating secret war codes and bombing trajectories.

In light of this history, Flanagan suggests that we should look to transcend old conflict models and find new models for conflict resolution using social norms or aesthetics. The nuclear plant warzone scenario, for example, models an outdated mode of conflict and is a powerful fiction. Peace can only come if the "little people" reinvent their role in the peacemaking process, as demonstrated by unconventional methods like those used by Antanas Mockus Šivickas, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who hired mimes to shame drivers and distributed visual cards for peaceful public feedback.

In conclusion, the world of wargames is evolving, moving away from strict competition and towards cooperation and understanding. By embracing these alternative wargames, we open up new possibilities for conflict resolution and foster a more peaceful future.