Wargames (or war games) are a technique used to simulate humanitarian decision problems.
These simulations can focus on any task of
strategical importance; such as forecasting, logistics, pre-empting, stress-testing, or resource
allocation — and they can cover virtually any crises; such as wars, pandemics, climate change, or
election fraud
The sector gets most of its funding from governmental entities — mainly the military — and uses video- and tabletop games to simulate the events. Hence the name.
Wargames are an economic option to test plans in advance for serious crises. They are intended to aid decision-making by simulating the consequences of one's actions.
However, it is important to understand that
wargames can easily yield misleading results; the games' effectiveness is heavily dependent on the quality of the game design and the behaviour of the players.
Example:
Military General: I just ran
wargames to simulate the impact of a nuclear bomb being dropped on one of our biggest cities. And as an added bonus, producing this board game for
the simulation was much cheaper than actually dropping a nuke on Boston! Wheeeeeeee ^w^
The Red Cross: I just played wargames to plan helicopter routes dropping off critical aid to remote villages. And running this little video game was way less wasteful than
trial and error! yayyyy :D