Shall We Play a Game? The Promise (and Pitfalls) of Wargames for Policy | Policy Stories

Wargames—interactive events with human players immersed in scenarios and bound by rules—have a long history of influencing policy and are becoming increasingly prevalent. They are used not only for military purposes but also to simulate natural disasters, assess economic cooperation, and study political phenomena. The Hoover Institution aims to enhance wargaming as a policy-making tool by creating an open-source archive of wargames, conducting games on significant policy issues, and providing resources for educational purposes. For more information, visit the PolicyEd page here: https://www.policyed.org/policy-stories/shall-we-play-game-promise-and-pitfalls-wargames-policy/video Additional resources: Read “Wargaming for International Relations Research,” by Erik Lin-Greenberg, Reid B.C. Pauly, and Jacquelyn G. Schneider via European Journal of International Relations. Available here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13540661211064090. Watch “How Dangerous Are Cyberattacks?” with Jacquelyn Schneider on PolicyEd. Available here: https://www.policyed.org/perspectivesonpolicy/how-dangerous-are-cyberattacks/video. Read “Does Technology Win Wars?” by Jacquelyn Schneider via Foreign Affairs. Available here: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/does-technology-win-wars. Watch “Managing the China Challenge,” with Larry Diamond on PolicyEd. Available here: https://www.policyed.org/perspectivesonpolicy/managing-china-challenge/video. Watch “Deterrence by Denial: The Taiwanese Example,” with H.R. McMaster on PolicyEd. Available here: https://www.policyed.org/perspectivesonpolicy/deterrence-denial/video. - Subscribe to PolicyEd’s YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/PolicyEdSub. - Follow PolicyEd on Twitter: http://bit.ly/PolicyEdTwit. - Follow PolicyEd on Instagram: http://bit.ly/PolicyEdInsta.