Politics of Play: Wargaming with the US Military

Cover
Politics of Play
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
	Wargames Resurgent
	Politics of Play
	Wargaming with the US Military
	Structure of the Book
1. Conceptualizing Wargaming
	Introduction
	What Is a Wargame?
		Games, Simulations, Exercises
		Manual Versus Digital Wargames
		Commercial Versus Military Wargames
		Deterministic Versus Open-​Ended Wargames
	What Are Military Wargames For?
	Conclusion
2. The State of Play
	Introduction: Worlds of Wargames
	Gaming International Relations
	The Defense Innovation Initiative and the Third Offset Strategy
	The Wargaming Renaissance: Gaming the Human Dimension
		Uncertainty and Complexity
		Critical Thinking
		Futurity
		Decision-​making
	Methodological Divergences: Art Versus Science
	Conclusion
3. A Genealogy of Play: The Presocratics to the Moderns
	Introduction: Theorizing Play
	Ancient Play
	Modern Play
		Apollonian Idealism
		The Dionysian (Re)turn
		Homo Ludens
		Phenomenological Play
	Conclusion
4. The Play of Postmodernity: Deconstructive Play
	Introduction: Postmodern Play
	Poststructural Play
		Derrida’s Interminable Economy of Play
		The Play of Deconstruction
	Deconstructive Play
		Disentangling Play from Game
		Cultivating a Deconstructive Player
		Deconstructive Play in Gameworlds
	Conclusion
5. Play as Pedagogy: Gaming the Cognitive Dimension
	Introduction: Play as Pedagogy
	Why Wargaming Works
	How Wargaming Works
		Step One: Attention and Engagement
		Step Two: Consolidation Through Iteration
		Step Three: Consolidation Through Critical Thinking
		Step Four: Retention
	Producing Realities with Wargames
		The Forever Game
	Conclusion
6. Playing the Player: Gaming the Affective Dimension
	Introduction: The Problem of Player Agency
	The Politics of Game Design
		Designers
		Facilitators and Adjudicators
		Players
	Persuasion, Emotion, Coercion
		Promoting Apollonian Play
		Aligning Player Goals with Game Goals
	Producing People with Wargaming
		Generating Synthetic Experience
		Mental and Physical Muscle Memory
		Compromising Player Agency
	Conclusion
7. For the Win
	Introduction: Driving Pedagogical Play
	What’s Fun About Wargames?
		For the Win
		Competition and A(nta)gonism
	How the Desire to Win Drives Play
		Rewards and Punishments
		Orchestrating Failure
		Systemic Iterative Irresolution
	Conclusion
8. The Politics of Immersion
	Introduction: Where Do We Go When We Play?
	The Focus of Flow and the Spell of Immersion
	Immersive Wargaming
		Total Immersion Technologies
		The Power of Analog Immersion
	Cultivating Immersion
		Suspending Players
		Inside Immersion
	The Politics of Immersion
		Desubjectification: Suspending the Reflective Subject
		Resubjectification: Producing Reflexes in the Subject
	Deconstructing Immersion
	Conclusion
Conclusion
	An Academic Field of Wargaming
	Deconstructing Deconstructive Play
References
Index