 Wargame: A classic Serious game, Vector of InnovationStéphane Goria ()
Post-Print from HAL Abstract: This chapter examines the evolution and professional utility of wargaming, tracing its development from 18th-century tactical simulations to the seminal Prussian Kriegsspiel of 1824. It highlights the historical tension between rigid and free rulesets and identifies a modern return to analog tabletop formats to avoid the "black box" lack of transparency found in complex digital simulations. A central theme is that wargaming's value is often undermined by leadership's failure to act on "disturbing" results that challenge pre-established plans, a mistake that led to historical military disasters at Tannenberg, Midway, and in 1940s France. Today, wargaming is categorized as a serious game used for four primary functions: learning, collaboration, planning, and foresight. Ultimately, for a wargame to be an effective vector of innovation, it must be malleable, open to debate, and its findings must be credited by the highest levels of the hierarchy. Keywords: wargame; serious game; Serious gaming; boardgame; board game; tabletop serious game; tabletop game; kriegspiel; kriegsspiel; analytic wargaming; Future studies; Edutainment; simulation game; wargaming; jeu sérieux; jeu de pletau; prospective (search for similar items in EconPapers) Published in Camille Aouinaït et Dimitri Uzunidis. Testing Innovation Digital Modes and Models, Wiley, pp.187-216, 2026, 9781836690825 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05638080 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in Post-Print from HAL |
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