Why people wargame
Created | Updated Jun 6, 2003
Why do people like Wargames?
People like Wargames for a very simple reason: deep down, everyone wants to hurt someone else. This stems from the days when men (I say men because males are usually stronger in the animal kingdom) would set out to hunt buffalo to eat. Of course, as humanity evolved, it became harder and harder to suppress our agressive streak.
Why wage war?
War has probably been around longer than any other human past-time (except sex) and so we have become very good at it! Nowadays it is not considered acceptable to simply invade someone because you feel like it, so we need new ways to fight...
Sport
How is sport like fighting? Well normally no, but there are some sports, such as football1 or rugby which are useful examples: Football began life as an extremely violent sport, where there were no rules of any kind. Rugby, on the other hand, is still quite violent today, but no-where near as viscious as ancient football.
So you see, sport can be connected to war. However, there are less subtle versions of expressing our urge to purge:
Paintball: Gun 'em down!
Quazar: Same thing, but with lasers.
Tabletop games: Commanding model armies, not for everyone, but great fun all the same!
Chess: Chess is, to an extent, a tabletop wargame. However, it is noticably different from most as there is no dice, no 'shooting' and no measuring of ranges. Still, it is probably the most well known and most popular 'Tabletop' wargame of all time.
Computer Games
Computer games are probably the best known form of Wargames. They can involve anything from saving the world from alien invaders to conquering the ancient world. Some examples of computer game wargame types are:
'Doom Clones': Also known as 'First Person Perspective Shooters', these games involve the player seeking out and destroying the enemy in a variety of ways. In some games (such as Perfect Dark or Agent Under Fire) the player is required to complete missions before he/she can finish the level.
'Real-time stratagy': Probably one of the most deserving of the title 'wargames'. These usually consist of the player controling an army of soldiers/mutants/robots/etc. and, usually, building up a base from which to expand your force. The most infamous of these is the Command and Conquer series, where the player is given control of an army and must destroy his/her enemy be any means possible.
Role Play Games
Role Play Games are, to a greater or lesser extent, a variation on the Wargames theme. They often involve the player assuming the role of an adventurer who sets out on a quest. These can be compared to Wargames as they often involve the player fighting his way through Orcs, Demons and countless other horrors.
So whenever you need to kill, just remember: hunt with paint, not with bullets!
1or soccer, if you're American
