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.