Influences on War Games

For as long as there has been war, there has always been war games. Technically, anything acted out for entertainment that relates to war or violence could be considered a war game, or even anything that involves conflict with two players. Whether it be using a stick to play fight, or military training by the ancient Greeks, there has always been an essence of war games in humanity's existence. Wars fought on horseback with valiant knights on noble steeds with swords and lances inspired the sport of jousting.

It is odd in a way that something often so violent and horrific as wars, have throughout history been used as inspiration for games played solely for enjoyment and fun. It is a strange yet effective form of inspiration to create a form of entertainment using real world examples of conflict, because games are so often based on conflict and competition between opposing players. Some games even take direct inspiration from actual life events.

Many games have been used to simulate combat to practice strategies for war. It is interesting how war games went full circle, from having been inspired by war, to be directly used to contribute towards war itself. 

Designing a timeline

I made a mock up timeline to see how to make it visually interesting. At first I tried using a few different images throughout the history of war games showing slightly in the background but it was a bit too cluttered so decided to go with something more subtle.

This final version features a plainer background, with the title being used to show various games throughout history. I did this by placing them along the title, selecting the pixels, then inverting the selection and deleting the area on each picture that wasn't making up part of a letter. I also added an army man silhouette to add some extra visuals.

To complete the timeline with the information added, I added a border around each section on the timeline and added a small image for each game. I also added the dates clearly to see.

What is... Risk?

Risk is a strategic board game, invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and which first released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde ("The Conquest of the World") in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players played on a board depicting a map of the world which is divided into territories and continents. The primary object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by occupying every territory on the board. Players control armies with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with each encounter being determined by the roll of a dice. The player is re-enacting the role of an army leader attempting to take over the world with legions of soldiers. 

It is considered the first war game to claim mainstream success. Following its success, the game has gone on to release licensed versions of the game, using the themes, characters and settings of various intellectual properties, from Star Wars to Halo Wars.

What is... Warhammer?

Although Dungeon's and Dragon's hit the market almost ten years earlier, the series featured more of a  role playing for players to take part in individually or in groups rather than an actual war game. Warhammer was the first true war game to bring miniature war gaming into the mainstream with extreme commercial success. The original Warhammer table top game released in 1983, featuring a fictional fantasy setting. It features a variety of races such as Humans, Elves, Dwarfs and Undead, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. The more popular version Warhammer 40K, was later released in 1987, set in a dystopic science-fantasy setting featuring various races and space marines.

Players get to assemble and paint their own characters bringing an aspect of role playing to the genre, but still in keeping with traditional war gaming rules. Each players figurines are collected to compose squads in armies which can battle opponents. The models are physically moved around the table and the actual distance between models plays a role in the outcome of combat. Play is turn-based, with various outcomes determined by tables and the roll of dice. 

Due to the open nature of the game, with players owning numerous varying figures they have collected, players choose a set number of points they are allowed to use in any given battle. Each type of unit has a score proportional to all other figures. Once a maximum score is agreed upon, players both pick a number of their units with total scores being less than or equal to the chosen limit to keep it fair. Players follow a rule book for general guidelines.

What is... Battlezone?

Battlezone is a first person 3D arcade game that was released in 1980. It is displayed with a wire-frame view that used vector graphics. The player controls a tank patrolling a war zone set in a valley surrounded by mountains. The aim of the game is to destroy as many enemy tanks as possible and get a high score whilst at the same time avoiding incoming homing missiles and enemy tanks. There were some similar attempts at tank simulation prior to Battezone but due to its more modern graphics and fun gameplay it was an incredibly popular arcade game at the time and was even featured in a number of films.

It was so advanced at the time in fact that the U.S. Army ordered for a modified version of the game to be produced for training purposes. It was possibly the first example of military personnel using a video game for training purposes. This is quite funny considering the game was inspired by real life and then went full circle to be a contribution to its inspiration.

What is.. Gettysburg?

Gettysburg is a board game that was released in 1958 which re-enacts the battle of Gettysburg that took place during the American Civil War . The battle is considered one of the most important for the civil war, and many historians believe had it gone differently, America may have become a drastically different country. It is the first board game to be based on an actual historical battle.

It is essentially a miniatures game played on a board representing a map, split into numerous squares. Players controlled units such as infantry, cavalry and outposts. Players used range cards to determine how far they could move and then to check their firing range. Units could rotate on their centers before checking with a range card, which was placed along the front side of the rectangular pieces. You got better odds hitting from a flank. Artillery had double range of infantry or cavalry.

The games original release had no playtesting, causing subsequent reiterations to be released. With the most recent one featuring the now common hex grid, which confined player movement, as opposed to the previous square grid which had no impact.

What is... Stonkers?

Although there were other games with similar gameplay around the same time, Stonkers is considered the first Real Time Strategy video game to be released, with many features similar to modern RTS's. It released in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum and was created by John Gibson and Paul Lindale. It was the first game to feature war emulation with control over military units such as tank's, infantry and supply trucks. The player is essentially commanding an army like a high ranking officer, deploying troops where they see fit.

It is interesting due to the fact it was the first time a video game let a player re-enact the role of someone in charge of an army. A once stressful and difficult job was turned into a strategic, fun game to be played for entertainment. Real Time Strategy games have gone on to feature real life wars and 3D life like graphics.

What is... Kriegspiel?

Kriegsspiel, from the German word for wargame, was a war game first created in 1812 by von Reiswitz and was named Instructions for the Representation of Tactical Maneuvers under the guise of a wargame. It is considered one of the very first proper war games. Prior attempts had simply been iterations of chess or some other game without much change, the creator of Kriegsspiel set out to create a new experience entirely. For exmaple he decided instead of being based on a rigid square grid, the game would feature an area of terrain. Reiswitz' system for simulating war was initially based around a specially designed table which he created for his King Friedrich Wilhelm III before creating something that then established many of the classic war game features seen today.
After its initial development, this particular style of wargaming became very popular among the Prussian Army officer corps. After numerous successful Prussian campaigns in the late 1800s, Kriegsspiel became more widely adopted by many militaries.

What is... Little Wars?

Little Wars was a set of rules and guidelines on how to play with toy soldiers written by H. G. Wells in 1913. It was attempting to introduce a sense of structure to playing with toy soldiers which had otherwise been used simply for fun in any way the player's imagination saw fit. Wells actually came up with the idea when playing with toy soldiers himself and decided it would be fitting to come up with a specific rule set for the toys. The book itself changed the toy soldiers from toys which are simply played with for fun an entertainment with no clear goals or rules into an actual miniature tabletop game with regulations and directions for use.

It was interesting how something that was originally intended for simple fun for children, which in itself is was an odd thing due to the fact the toys were soldiers of war, was then adapted to create a more rigid emulation of real life.

What is... Stratego?

Stratego is a strategy board game played on a square grid which represents a battlefield, and like actual battlefields, there are sections that aren't traversable. The game is played by two players, each having an army made up of a number of troops and some bombs. Each player also has a flag to defend, the aim of the game is to capture the opponents flag. Each troop has an individual rank, in a conflict the piece with the highest rank wins. At the start of the game, each player places their pieces anywhere they choose onto their side of the board, arranging their troops and bombs to protect their flag. Unlike games such as Chess, although both players have the same amount of pieces, neither player knows where their opponents pieces are placed as the backs of them are blank.

The most interesting thing with the game is that, quite like an actual war, each player has no idea where their opponent has deployed their troops and quite like a leader of an army, they have to decide how to arrange their ranks of troops, whether that be having the lower ranks leading the charge, or putting their strongest soldiers up front. Although the game clearly took influence from chess, it built upon it to reflect the thing it was emulating. I like how the player is able to position their own troops how they see fit and use different tactics and strategies to try and defeat their opponent.

Although the modern version of the game was released originally in 1946, there were earlier games with similar rules and gameplay that clearly influenced the now classic Stratego. There are a number of similarly playing games originating in China, and whilst often considered old games, their date of inception is unknown. There was however an early predecessor designed by Mademoiselle Hermance Edan in France. The patent for the game was filed in 1908 and released in 1909. Although Edan had not given the game a name at the time, a manufacturer started producing and selling the game as "L'Attaque".

What is... Space War!?

Space War! is one of the earliest video games ever made, programmed by Steve Russell in 1962. It was created initially to showcase the technical power of a new computer.  It is a two player game and the first video game to ever include conflict or an aspect of war. Each player takes control of a small spaceship, and are pitted against each other with the goal of destroying the opponents spaceship to win the game. The ships are under the influence of a gravity well in the center of the screen which the player must navigate and avoid whilst firing missiles at the opposing ship.

It is an iconic game because not only was it the first video game to bring an aspect of war gaming to the digital screen, it was also one of the first computer games to achieve significant success and was the first popular video game. It could be considered the start of the games industry. It has inspired numerous games since it's release with many games simply adding to the formula of 2D space combat.

What is... Battleship?

Battleship is a two player naval war game that originated as a pen and paper game played on simple square grids in the 1930's before being manufactured and published into a physical board game in 1967. The game is played on four equally sized grids which represent bodies of water. Each player has access to two; one flat, one vertical. Both players grids are positioned back to back so neither player can see the others grids. The players have a number of ships of various sizes that they must place down and position onto their primary grid; this represents the section of water that their own vessels occupy. Each boat has a number of pegs which slot into the grids holes.

Each players secondary grid represents their opponents section of water, neither player knows where opponent has placed their ships. Each players takes it in turns 'firing a missile' at a point on the grid where they suspect their opponent may be. The players then both mark the shot on their corresponding grid, either marking it as a hit or a miss. The game is won when one player has sunk all of their opponent's battleships. It is essentially a naval warfare simulator, with each player acting as a commanding officer ordering to fire at the enemy. The game was likely inspired by World War I and the naval warfare that took place during the war. Again something so catastrophic as naval warfare, which led to the deaths and drowning of many troops during the war, was an inspiration for a form of entertainment.

What is... War Gaming?

•A wargame is a strategy game involving military operations either real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to playing games of this type. 

•War games can be played for entertainment and fun, or may be used more seriously in military re enactments to study. 

•War games feature various game mechanics and settings. Both historically accurate and fictional.

Castlevania: A Timeline

Castlevania is a platforming action-adventure video game series created by Konami. The series centers around fighting vampires and the undead, with characters such as 'Golem' and 'Death' often appearing in games. The games' antagonists are a family called the Belmonts, who are at war with Count Dracula who is resurrected almost every 100 years. Dracula is the main villain and often the final boss in the games.

Castlevania - The original Castlevania was launched in 1986 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The protagonist, one of the Belmont family members called Simon, uses a whip called "Vampire Killer" to fight through a castle filled with enemies to confront and defeat Dracula.  

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - The sequel to Castlevania came a year later in 1987. It introduces non-linear open ended gameplay to the series, with new elements such as a world map that players could explore at will. It also introduced some RPG elements such as weapon upgrades. One of the most interesting new features was it's persistent world, and day-night cycle. The game had three different endings depending on how long the player took to complete the game.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - The third main entry in the series was released in 1989. It was more like the original game than it's predecessor, but had new features such as branching paths, multiple characters, and alternate endings depending on player choices. 

Super Castlevania IV - Essentially a remake of the original game for the newly released SNES, this game came out in 1991 with 16 bit graphics and an expanded control scheme. Although the level designs were different, the game itself followed the same plot and premise as the original.

Castlevania: Bloodlines - The only game in the series to be released on the Sega Genesis in 1994. The game doesn't feature a member of the Belmont family but has two different playable characters. The game was noteworthy for its special effects, with swaying towers, large bosses and water reflections.

 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - The first entry on the Playstation, released in 1997. It made a major change to the basic mechanics of the game, with the level-by-level platforming of previous games replaces with a wide-open level design and a massive game world. To stop the player from being able to access all areas of the game at the start, certain areas are only accessible once the player gains the ability to shape-shift.

Castlevania - Released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64, it was the first 3D game in the series. The players could choose between two characters to play as at the start of the game, and once again had to defeat Dracula. Due to the new 3D aspect of the game, the gameplay featured a basic target and lock-on system

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - Released in the same year, it was a direct sequel to the first N64 game but also included the original remastered.

 

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence - The first installment to be released on the Playstation 2,and the third 3D game of the series, the game was released in 2003. The game featured Hack 'n Slash gameplay similar to the 2001 release Devil May Cry. It was another open-ended game, featuring a room with five portals that connected to the main areas of the game. It was critically well recieved.

Castlevania: Judgment - Judgment was the first game in the series to move from the platforming genre to the fighting genre. The first title from the series on the Wii, the game features similar gameplay to that of the Tekken series, with players using the Wii's motion controls to attack. The game features a number of different characters from the series that are playable with some new additions.

 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Another game that radically changed the direction of the series, it was a reboot of the franchise and most recent title, released in 2010 on the next generation Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Much like past installments, the game still had a heavy focus on platforming and puzzles, but it also heavily focused on action gameplay. The player could unlock perform different attack combos with the main weapon. The game also features large scale bosses which the player can grapple onto using the main weapon.