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GamingForeignPolicy

RexBrynenDepartmentofPoli/calScience,McGillUniversity

senioreditor,PAXsims

SeriousGamesinSupportofTrainingandAnalysis

aboutme  Professor,DepartmentofPoli?calScience,McGillUniversity

  MiddleEastpoli?csandsecurity  humanitarian,peace,andstabiliza?onopera?ons  intelligenceanalysis  serious(poli?cal-military)gaming

  PolicyStaff,DepartmentofForeignAffairs;IntelligenceAssessmentSecretariat,PrivyCouncilOffice;SeniorNonresidentFellow,Atlan?cCouncil;consultanttoWorldBank,UNagencies,others

  Senioreditor,PAXsims(hTp://www.paxsims.org)

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thingswe’llbecovering

  Whygame?

  Whattypesofgamesmightbeappropriate?  Thepresenta?onwilldrawonownexperienceofanaly?calandeduca?onalseriousgaming.

  Howshouldoneusegamesintheclassroom(orforanalysis)?

whygame?

  Gamescanbeeffec?veeduca?onalandtrainingtools.  mo?vatedengagementwithmaterial  effec?velearning

  notasilverbullet,however:researchoneduca:onalgamessuggestsamoderatelyposi?veeffectonlearning(comparedtoconven:onalmethods),butconsiderablevariability

  helpbridgetheoryandprac?ce  offerinsightintoissuesofprocess,coordina:on,interac:onthatlecturesconveypoorly

  intellectualcross-training

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whygame?

  Gamescanofferanaly?calinsight.  empathy/alterna?veperspec?ves  adversaryresponses  secondandthirdordereffects  explorealterna?ves  crowdsourcingmethod(genera?ngcollec?veinsight)  adjuncttoothermethods

  Networkingandteam-building

Inorderto“effectivelypursueaninnovative…strategyavoidoperationalandtechnologicalsurprise,andmakethebestoflimitedresources,weneedtoreinvigorate,institutionalize,andsystematizewargaming

“Whendoneright,wargamesspurinnovationandprovideamechanismforaddressingemergingchallenges,exploitingnewtechnologies,andshapingthefurthersecurityenvironment.Thecanpotentiallymakethedifferencebetweenwiseandunwiseinvestmenttrajectoriesandmakeourforcesmoresuccessfulinfutureconflicts”

“Mid-termwargamingwillfocusonthedevelopmentofnewcapabilitiesaswellasoperationalandorganizationalconcepts…withaneyetoincorporatinginnovativeapproachesortechnologiesintothefutureforceandidentifyingpotentialportfoliooffsets.”

Gaming“acrossdifferenttimehorizonswillalsoserveacrucialeducationalfunctionbybringingtogetherdifferentgroupsofdefenseprofessionalstothinkcriticallyaboutfuturechallenges.”

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digitalgames

URBANsim  developedbyUSCICTforUSArmytoteachCOIN

  weaknesses  development?meandcosts  lackofflexibility(changesneedrecodingormodding)  “blackboxing”ofcausalrela?onships

  strengths  built-intutorialsandfeedback  standardizedtraining  datacollec?on

quickandsimplegames

  1minutenegotiation(ultimatumgame)

  2minutenegotiation

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quickandsimplegames

  takeuplittleclasstime,yetcanbelinkedtoconsiderableexperimentalresearch

roleplayandnego?a?ons

  variablelengthanddegreeofbackgroundpreparation

  in-personand/ordigitalinteraction

  somepremadesimulationsavailable

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seminargames

  FallofTripoli  scenario-basedexamina?onofpost-QaddafigovernancechallengespreparedforLibyanNTC(Benghazi,July2011)

  weaknesses  limitedto2-3“moves”  limitsadversarialeffects  liTleornonoise,fog,orfric?on

  strengths  easytoorganizeandrun(essen?ally,afacilitatedseminardiscussion)

  familiartomanypar?cipants

boardgames

  AFTERSHOCK:AHumanitarianCrisisGame  educa?onalboardgameforuniversityandprofessionalaudiencesonmul?lateralhumanitarianassistance/disasterreliefopera?ons

  weaknesses  limitedcomplexity  “gaminess”maybeoff-puingtosomepar?cipants  significantplaytes?ngrequiredforV&V

  strengths  easilymodified  simplicity/parsimonymaybeastrength

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a“gameshow”

  Inlargerclasses,gamescanbeplayedbeforeanaudience.

matrixgames  matrixgames*arenarra?ve-basedgamewithnorigidrules

  inturn,eachplayerdeclares:1.   anac?on2.   theoutcome/effectofthatac?on(ifsuccessful)3.   reasonswhytheywillbesuccessful

  otherplayers(+SME)iden?fyotherargumentsfor/againstsuccess

  outcomeisthendetermined  umpireadjudica?on  balanceofarguments  adjustedstochas?cdetermina?on(dice+modifiers)

  gameisadjusted,andnextplayertakesturn

*whichinvolvenoactualmatrix

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matrixgames

  ISISCrisis  mul?-sidedpol-milmatrixgame  examinescounter-ISISchallenges,withemphasisonIraq  developedwithMajorTomMouat(DefenceAcademyoftheUK),basedonmatrixgameapproachfirstdevelopedbyChrisEngle

matrixgames  weaknesses

  requireskilledfacilitator?  don’tlookcomplicated(orexpensive)enough  sequen?alone-ac?on-at-a-?me  languageskills  lacksophis?catedmodeling

  strengths  cheap,fast,andeasy  flexible  mul?sided  fullspectrumofdiploma?c/informa?on/military/economicac?onsandeffects

  role-playing  canbeusedinconjunc?onwithothergamesystems

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matrixgames

hybridgames

Brynania  large(100+)weeklongrole-playsimula?onofcomplexpeaceopera?onforuniversitystudents

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hybridgames

  USEngagementintheMiddleEast(2016)  Atlan?cCouncilMiddleEasttodevelopgameexploringtheimpactofgreaterUSengagement/disengagementonMiddleEast

  focusoncrisisstability:canUSeffec?velydeterchallengers,support(andrestrain)allies,buildcoali?ons,mediateandresolvedisputes?

  twosimultaneous,semi-linkedgames

hybridgames

  Pales?nianrefugeenego?a?onsimula?on(2009)  FCO-supportedChathamHousepolicyanalysisproject

  UNRWApolicysimula?on(2013)  policyanalysisforUNRWACG

  Pales?nianrefugeeworkshops(2014)  USDoS/FCO-supportedChathamHousepolicyanalysisprojectinsupportofKerrynego?a?ons

  SyrianRefugeesinLebanonsimula?on(2014-15)  educa?onalsimula?onforExeterUniversityandMcGillUniversity

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someofmygames

Dstltripreport:https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/dstl-wargaming-trip-report-or-i-visited-portsdown-west-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-mug/

Bestprac?ces  Startwitheducationalobjectives:whatareyoutryingtodo?

  Considerconstraints(time,space,participants)andtrade-offs.

  Integratewithcoursecurriculum,eithertoidentifyissuesforfurtherexaminationortohighlight/explorematerialalreadycovered.

  Thinkaboutatmosphericsandstudentengagement.

  Startsimple(asaneophytesimulationuser).

  Keepitsimple(asagamedesigner).

  Plagiarize!(asagamedesigner).

  Makeuseoffreetechnology(email,blogs,coursesoftware,Facebook,Twitter,Skype).

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Bestprac?ces

Prebriefing  whatshouldstudentsexpect?

  …althoughsomesurprisesarefine

  howshouldstudentsprepare?

  preparation/backgrounderassignments

Bestprac?ces

  Debriefing  whatshouldstudentknowaboutwhathappened?

  insomegames,playersmaynotbeawareofallthattranspired

  whatshouldstudentslearnfromtheexperience?

  whatshouldstudentsNOTlearn?  learningfrom“bad”games

  debrief/reflectionassignments

  studentfeedbackcanhelptorefinethegamedesignorimplementation

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Addi?onalresources

PAXsimshTp://www.paxsims.org

  Ac?veLearninginPoli?calSciencehTp://ac?velearningps.com

  GamingPoli?calSciencehTp://www.k-state.edu/polsci/gaming/

Addi?onalresources

  Journals  PS:Poli(calScienceandPoli(cs  Interna(onalStudiesPerspec(ves  Simula(on&Gaming

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Addi?onalresources

  Books  PeterPerla,TheArtofWargaming(1990)  Ka:eSalenandEricZimmerman,RulesofPlay:GameDesignFundamentals(2004)

  PhilipSabin,Simula(ngWar:StudyingConflictThroughSimula(onGames(2012)

  MarkC.Carnes,MindsonFire:HowRole-ImmersionGamesTransformCollege(2014)

  JohnCurryandTimPrice,MatrixGamesforModernWargaming(2014)

  NatashaGill,InsidetheBox:UsingIntegra(veSimula(onstoTeachConflict,Nego(a(onandMedia(on(2015)

  PatHarriganandMaVhewKirschenbaum,ZonesofControl:Perspec(vesonWargaming(MITPress,forthcoming2016)

ISISCrisis(Iraqedi?on)  Sixplayers/teams+op?onalSME1.   ISIS2.   Kurds3.   Iraqigovernment4.   Sunniopposi?on5.   Iran6.   UnitedStates7.   SME(unrepresentedplayersandeffects)8.   Humanrights/massatrocitypreven/oncommunity

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matrixgamevaria?ons  mul?-levelgame

  largerteams(4-6),withplayersassignedrolesandindividualgoals

  groupdecision-makingrules  individualinterac?onlimits

  mul?pleCOAs,selectone  generateslargernumberofpossibleac?on  enablesanalysisofroads-not-taken

  mul?pleac?onsperteamindifferent(diploma?c,military,economic,other)domains  all-of-government  reducekine?cbias

matrixgamevaria?ons  distributedandasynchronousgames

  playbyemail,skype,messaging,etc

  linkedgames  forexample,simultaneousSyriaandIraqgames

  matrixgamesembeddedinmoreconven?onalwargames  RCAT