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I, like so many around the world, have been horrified and devastated by the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Although I hold a degree in political science and international relations, I do not claim to be an expert in the intricacies of this war or any war. I am, like so many fellow gamers, an armchair historian, a strategy theorist. It is difficult when we see video of citizens taking up arms to put ourselves in their shoes–and odds are good that the vast majority of us would make fools of ourselves if we tried.
Earlier this week I tweeted out the following message:
“Icky” is the wrong word and I shouldn’t have used it, because it doesn’t accurately capture what I was trying to say. What I meant is that there is an amount of cognitive dissonance that must take place when wargaming during a time of war, at least in my mind. Of course, I don’t mean to speak for all wargamers, which is why this tweet was framed as a question. But it remains: what do we think of wargaming during a time of war?
Well, there was a lot of response, and for the most part, people found that wargaming gave them a sense of peace and camaraderie. Wargaming is, after all, a game played with toys, and imagining ourselves in the shoes of actual fighters is not something that we regularly do. There were some insightful comments, such as this one from Discourse Miniatures:
LeakyCheese had much the same to say, and added a note about how wargamers can help those in Ukraine:
I would say that the bulk of the responses echoed these thoughts. There were quite a few people who said that wargaming should not be seen as a literal translation of warfare.
On the other hand, Arbitor Ian had this to say:
And then there was this:
I have to admit that a major part of my discomfort come from a decision that I made just a few weeks ago, something that I don’t fully understand or condone (even though I did it). And that was to use the buildup of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, and the threat of war in Europe, as the reason to post a review of World War Three: Team Yankee. (The game is a recreation of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact taking place in approximately 1987.) I didn’t glorify the threat of war in Europe in my article (which I am leaving up for transparency’s sake) but I did specifically use the threat as justification.
I have written in the past about the ethics of historical wargaming, and I didn’t really come to any conclusion in that except to say that there are some people who are sensitive to it and some people who aren’t. I think, when it comes down to it, that I find myself in the camp of the sensitive. Do I condemn those who aren’t? I think not, though I do have issues with people who take a little too much pleasure in wargaming as the SS.
Wargaming is a game, of course, and that can’t be denied, and when I went to my friendly local game store today everyone was smiling and having a good time, and I bought some models and paint, and we all got along very well–all while crisis is taking place elsewhere in the world. Does the fact that wargaming springs from the recreation of actual battles–a tool of the military for training–make the present nature of the games problematic?
I think this is a decision that everyone has to make for themselves, and I certainly won’t judge anyone for where they fall on the issue. War movies can be escapism every bit as much as they can be heart wrenching and meaningful. Wargames can be friends throwing dice and playing with lizardmen and elves just as much as they can play simulations of Russia invading Eastern Europe.
I have decided to put my current project, the creation of my Death Korps of Krieg army, on the table, and will be turning to something that is a little more detached from reality: Turnip 28.
I’m curious to know what you think about wargaming during wartime. Leave your thoughts below.
