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Decision Support Wargaming:
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The Prussians developed the first wargames conducted to develop plans for specific military contingencies. Today wargames are used by decision makers from Presidents to platoon leaders to help anticipate the likely consequences of their alternatives. Their goals range from determining the best route for tomorrow’s patrol to forecasting what research is needed now to meet the defense needs of 2030.
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Educational and Training Wargaming:
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The first wargames were used to train the children of rulers to out think their adversaries. The Prussians were the first to apply wargaming to formal military schools. Today wargames are used in military academies, staff colleges and war colleges world wide. While decision support wargames are used to increase the effectiveness of decisions, academic wargames seek to improve the decision maker.
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Recreational Wargaming:
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While one could argue even the earliest wargames were as recreational as they were educational, the first modern wargames designed for civilian recreation (and education) were created in the United Kingdom around the turn of the 20th Century. However, these wargames required miniature land and sea unit to play hence they were fairly expensive. In the early 1900s only the well to do could afford to play these tactical level only wargames. After the mid-20th century print wargames were developed in the United States. As these wargames were less expensive and could depict warfare at the tactical through strategic levels they were significantly more popular. However, it was not until the coming of personal computers the use of wargames exploded. Today computerized wargames are a modest but significant part of the huge global computer gaming industry.
