This is the second installment in this mini-series. I already discussed a little about the social aspect of my gaming life, and you can take a peek at that here.
Educational Purposes
Honestly, I never thought I would find myself in this position. Growing up, hobbies were always something that I did strictly for pleasure, an activity to enjoy that was relaxing, fun, and that wasn’t homework/chores. I used to read a ton of books/ comics, play computer games, build and paint Airfix kits, had an ungodly amount of Lego and Star Wars toys, and then on top of that, played some board games, but mainly tabletop miniatures games. All of those things were, and still are, very fun.
As I’ve become older, my tastes and approaches to at least some of these pastimes has changed, and none more so than Board Gaming. I love gaming, but one of the most surprising developments in my gaming career is my recently(ish) developed love of games that teach me something. I don’t mean just teaching a new rules set, I mean teaching a new skill, a new way of thinking, or even teaching me cold, hard history.
If you’ve read any part of this website, it’ll come as no surprise to you that I love wargames. There’s something about pitting yourself against someone in a tactical, or strategic setting and seeing what happens. The cerebral nature of this kind of game is exhilarating, and will actually be the topic of the next post in this series. But more than anything, I have learned to love the learning aspect. Eating my way through a 52 page rulebook is at times grueling, but publishers are doing a fantastic job these days of including designer notes and historical background for the games that makes reading that book much more enjoyable and allows me to get engaged in the theme.
There’s nothing more rewarding than reading the details and thought processes that went into a game’s design, and how those relate to the actual circumstances under which the conflict was conducted. GMT’s COIN series, Mark Herman’s Empire of the Sun, and The States of Siege series from Victory Point Games are a handful of examples that have great explanations and historical background contained in the box to help you learn, and also help you to play the game well.
Playing games like Settlers of Catan, or Dominion is just fine, and a great a way to enjoy spending some time with friends, but the more I play games, the more I want to make the time as enriching as possible. Being from the UK, the Pacific Theatre of WWII was basically never taught in school, our roll there was so minimal, and poorly managed in the early stages of the conflict, that I guess the powers that be decided it was better to just gloss over that. I went into Empire of the Sun with the most rudimentary knowledge of how things played out. Now, having played it a good number of times, as well as other games like South Pacific, Silent Victory, Churchill, and B-29 Superfortress, amongst others, I’ve sparked a huge interest in that part of the war. The operations cards in EotS shed light on what each battle, each combat was supposed to try and do. Silent Victory and B-29 shed light into the day to day operations of the too-oft-forgotten servicemen below the water and above the land. Churchill sheds light on the geo-political struggle between the Allied powers over the post-war landscape of the Pacific. There’s just so much richness contained in the card text, the playbooks and designer notes that both bring the game a new level of life, and also an appreciation of the constraints the commanders were put under.
And that’s just one example, of one part, of one conflict. There’s so many more.
Wargames aside, recently VPG put out a game called High Treason! The Trial of Louis Riel, a man I knew nothing about. The cards contained so much historical detail that by the end of the game I felt like I had read most of the case files and could have stood in that courtroom myself. This made what was frankly an un-relatable topic engaging on a level I previously would have balked at.
Even Euro Games, like Marco Polo, or Five Points: Gangs of New York have their own stories to tell, they might not be on quite that intricate, textbook level plane that wargame simulations find themselves on, but seeing how cutthroat the politicking is in Five Points, shed’s a bit of light on how volatile the 1850s and 1860s were in America.
There’s always room in my board game collection for my favourites like Battlestar Galactica, or Blood Rage, which have nothing factual in them, but the more I play games, the more wargames I play, the more satisfaction that I derive from them. Not only do I get to play an awesome game, I get to fill my mind with knowledge, or at least different perspectives on what I already knew.
So, educational games? Do you like to get a serving of culture and history with your games, or is it more of a relaxation and unwinding activity for you? There’s a place for both poles and every point in between in my gaming life, but I just wanted to shed a little light on how rewarding your gaming experience can be on a whole new level.
-Alexander
Being a history nut and an avid reader, discovering wargaming a few years ago was a dream come true for me. There is nothing like being able to use a “paper time machine” to insert yourself into a battle, war or whatever place in history you want to explore. So much more enriching than just reading a book, board games allow you to (with enough imagination) “live it.” There is just nothing to compare to a detailed conflict simulation that allows you to be put into the shoes of the generals and decision makers of the time.
Being able to face the same decisions and options as those who really lived through the situations, while learning about the conflicts in question and pitting yourself against other minds takes learning history to a whole new level. I think if someone does have the time and brain energy to commit to “studying” enough to play wargames the resulting experience is far more rewarding than listening to any lecture, reading a book or watching a documentary. I think this is a major reason for the hobby’s growth (my perspective is that it is growing) and continued existence.
I would dare to say that currently my primary motivation in learning new games is to play them solitaire and learn about the historical situations by being the decision maker for both sides. Most of the time this is my only option as my one serious gaming opponent is not available to play as often as I would like (admittedly a situation faced by many, many wargamers and one which has given rise to high-tech solutions like VASSAL, etc.).
Great article and insight. I hope that, for as long as I am alive, the hobby continues to grow and produce great games that I and others get to enjoy 🙂
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I appreciate your thoughtful response, and also agree wholeheartedly. I love solitaire gaming as a simulation, or at least challenge – putting myself in the same situation as previous military, and historical figures.
I have bought a few games that aren’t designed to be solitaire just so I can play them solo and explore that they have to offer in the way of a learning opportunity.
I’ve spoken to a few designers and publishers, and I feel like there’s the beginnings of a trend towards at least including solitaire rules in wargames because they’re understanding how unrealistic it is for people to commit endless hours to huge operational level games.
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Dead on agreement with you in this article Alexander. For me it’s almost like there’s a couple of ‘free’ ways of getting information to firmly stick in your brain without even having to try.
For me, one is humour. I’ll always remember the circumstances around something that made me laugh or was just off-key, it’s like it switches on a photographic memory button in my head.
Another is of course, GAMING. I’m a fairly recent convert to ‘proper’ wargaming, although I have had been reading a smattering of history (military and otherwise) before hand. There’s just something about wargaming that firmly fixes dates, names, places, and situations firmly in my memory, no matter how counter-factual the actual gameplay ends up being.
As an aside, I find this is a good thing about counter- in a weird way, by doing it you’re subtly laying the ground work for learning about the game and the period it covers as you have to handle and inspect every piece in the game before you even start playing!
Or perhaps this is all just me convincing myself I done good for having ordered Men of Iron: Arquebus in the p500 despite knowing hardly anything about The Italian Wars…. !
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I know that feeling! I’ve picked up/played plenty of games on topics that I know nothing (or at least very little) about. If anything I like that even more. I’ve played a healthy number of East Front games, or Normandy Games, and whilst each is great and has merits, sometimes it’s just a new implementation of an old battle. Playing something new for the first time gives you a sense of trepidation and excitement as you learn new things, but adapt to the unknown. I recently played Where There Is Discord, a Falklands solo game. That’s a conflict I’d never gamed before so was unsure what the game would throw at me. It was a thrilling experience because I was learning and adapting on the fly. A great appendage that gaming provides.
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I’m not positive where you’re getting your info, however good topic. I must spend some time finding out more or figuring out more. Thanks for wonderful info I used to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.
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Wow, amazing blog format! How lengthy have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The entire look of your site is great, as well as the content!
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You actually make it seem really easy along with your presentation but I to find this topic to be actually one thing that I believe I might by no means understand. It sort of feels too complex and very wide for me. I’m taking a look forward in your next put up, I’ll attempt to get the dangle of it!
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