The Games We Play: Understanding Strategic Culture Through Games
The Games We Play: Understanding Strategic Culture Through Games
The Games We Play: Understanding Strategic Culture Through Games
March 23, 2022
By Kristan J. Wheaton and Jason C. Brown
Summary
The games we play represent our first, and arguably our most important, strategic language.
Sports games such as American football, soccer, or basketball, tabletop games such as chess or go, and even video games such as Starcraft or League of Legends provide a common, implicitly learned language of strategy.
While writers such as Herodotus, Benjamin Franklin, and even Clausewitz have commented on the value and influence of games in life, politics, and warfare, these mentions focus on the explicit value of games.
Just as certain games imply certain strategic lessons about ends, these games have a similar impact on ways.
The concept of sacrifice, or more precisely, the willingness of players to sacrifice themselves or their pieces to achieve desired ends is a strategic lesson that is influenced by games and sports.
Even if true, does an avid Go player-or in a Western context, a diehard Risk or Settlers of Catan gamer-have the operational knowledge or qualifications to translate strategy at the conceptual level of board games into national or military strategy? The impact of such strategic games upon the individual strategist is undoubtedly highly subjective.
Dickey, notably, does not discount strategic games, but cautions against generalizing how those games directly influence strategy.
Reference
Wheaton, K., & Brown, J. (2022, March 23). The games we play: Understanding strategic culture through games. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://mwi.usma.edu/the-games-we-play-understanding-strategic-culture-through-games/