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GamingForeignPolicy

RexBrynenDepartmentofPoli/calScience,McGillUniversity

senioreditor,PAXsims

SeriousGamesinSupportofAnalysisandTraining

aboutme  Professor,DepartmentofPoli?calScience,McGillUniversity

  MiddleEastpoli?csandsecurity  humanitarian,peace,andstabiliza?onopera?ons  intelligenceanalysis  serious(poli?cal-military)gaming

  PolicyStaff,DepartmentofForeignAffairs;IntelligenceAssessmentSecretariat,PrivyCouncilOffice;SeniorNonresidentFellow,Atlan?cCouncil;consultanttoWorldBank,UNagencies,others

  Senioreditor,PAXsims(hTp://www.paxsims.org)

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whygame?

  Gamescanbeeffec?veeduca?onalandtrainingtools.  Engagementandlearning  Helpbridgetheoryandprac?ce

  Gamescanofferanaly?calinsight.  Empathy/alterna?veviews.  Crowdsourcing(genera?ngcollec?veinsight).  Adversaryresponses.  Secondandthirdordereffects.  Explorealterna?ves.  Adjuncttoothermethods.

  Networkingandteam-building.

Inorderto“effectivelypursuean

innovative…strategyavoidoperationaland

technologicalsurprise,andmakethebestof

limitedresources,weneedtoreinvigorate,

institutionalize,andsystematizewargaming

“Whendoneright,wargamesspurinnovation

andprovideamechanismforaddressing

emergingchallenges,exploitingnew

technologies,andshapingthefurthersecurity

environment.Thecanpotentiallymakethe

differencebetweenwiseandunwise

investmenttrajectoriesandmakeourforces

moresuccessfulinfutureconflicts”

“Mid-termwargamingwillfocusonthe

developmentofnewcapabilitiesaswellas

operationalandorganizationalconcepts…

withaneyetoincorporatinginnovative

approachesortechnologiesintothefuture

forceandidentifyingpotentialportfolio

offsets.”

Gaming“acrossdifferenttimehorizonswill

alsoserveacrucialeducationalfunctionby

bringingtogetherdifferentgroupsofdefense

professionalstothinkcriticallyaboutfuture

challenges.”

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someofmygames

Brynania  large(100+)weeklongsimula?onofcomplexpeaceopera?onforuniversitystudents

  AFTERSHOCK:AHumanitarianCrisisGame  educa?onalboardgameforuniversityandprofessionalaudiencesonmul?lateralhumanitarianassistance/disasterreliefopera?ons

someofmygames

  FallofTripoli  scenario-basedexamina?onofpost-QaddafigovernancechallengespreparedforLibyanNTC(Benghazi,July2011)

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someofmygames

  Pales?nianrefugeenego?a?onsimula?on(2009)  FCO-supportedChathamHouseproject

  UNRWApolicysimula?on(2013)  policyrecommenda?onforUNRWACG

  Pales?nianrefugeeworkshops(2014)  USDoS/FCO-supportedChathamHouseprojectinsupportofKerrynego?a?ons

  SyrianRefugeesinLebanonsimula?on(2014-15)  educa?onalsimula?onforExeterUniversity,McGillUniversity

someofmygames  USEngagementintheMiddleEast(2016)  askedbyAtlan?cCouncilMiddleEasttodevelopgameexploringtheimpactofgreaterUSengagement/disengagementonMiddleEast

  focusoncrisisstability:canUSeffec?velydeterchallengers,support(andrestrain)allies,buildcoali?ons,mediateandresolvedisputes?

  twosimultaneous,semi-linkedgames

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someofmygames

Dstltripreport:https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/dstl-wargaming-trip-report-or-i-visited-portsdown-west-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-mug/

someofmygames

  ISISCrisis  mul?-sidedpol-milmatrixgame  examinescounter-ISISchallenges,withemphasisonIraq  developedwithMajorTomMouat(DefenceAcademyoftheUK),basedonmatrixgameapproachfirstdevelopedbyChrisEngle

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matrixgames  matrixgames*arenarra?ve-basedgamewithnorigidrules

  inturn,eachplayerdeclares:1.   anac?on2.   theoutcome/effectofthatac?on(ifsuccessful)3.   reasonswhytheywillbesuccessful

  otherplayers(+SME)iden?fyotherargumentsfor/againstsuccess

  outcomeisthendetermined  umpireadjudica?on  balanceofarguments  adjustedstochas?cdetermina?on(dice+modifiers)

  gameisadjusted,andnextplayertakesturn

*whichinvolvenoactualmatrix

matrixgames  strengths

  cheap,fast,andeasy  flexible  mul?sided  fullspectrumofdiploma?c/informa?on/military/economicac?onsandeffects

  role-playing

  weaknesses  skilledfacilitator?  don’tlookcomplicated(orexpensive)enough  sequen?alone-ac?on-at-a-?me  languageskills  lacksophis?catedmodeling

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ISISCrisis(Iraqedi?on)  Sixplayers/teams+op?onalSME1.   ISIS2.   Kurds3.   Iraqigovernment4.   Sunniopposi?on5.   Iran6.   UnitedStates7.   SME(unrepresentedplayersandeffects)

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matrixgamevaria?ons  mul?-levelgame

  largerteams(4-6),withplayersassignedrolesandindividualgoals

  groupdecision-makingrules  individualinterac?onlimits

  mul?pleCOAs,selectone  generateslargernumberofpossibleac?on  enablesanalysisofroads-not-taken

  mul?pleac?onsperteamindifferent(diploma?c,military,economic,other)domains  all-of-government  reducekine?cbias

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matrixgamevaria?ons  distributedandasynchronousgames

  playbyemail,skype,messaging,etc

  linkedgames  forexample,simultaneousSyriaandIraqgames

  matrixgamesembeddedinmoreconven?onalwargames  RCAT