Bringing War to the Classroom: How Can Wargames be Utilized in Academia?

Year 2023, “New” Wars and “New” Militaries, 31 - 59, 24.11.2023

Mehmet Fatih Baş

https://doi.org/10.17752/guvenlikstrtj.1394904

Abstract

Wargames have been present in various parts of the world in different forms since the early periods of history. The version used today emerged in the early 19th century in Prussia. Until the mid-20th century, wargames were primarily used in professional military education and training. However, with the widespread popularity of hobby games having military history themes, wargames began to make their presence felt in academia in the 1950s and academic wargames began to be played for educational and analytic purposes in the 1970s. Especially from the 2000s onwards, wargames have found a limited but growing place in academia and have become a subject of study in classrooms, moving towards becoming an independent academic discipline. These games are increasingly played for academic purposes, particularly in the fields of military history and international relations. However, Turkish academia has remained somewhat distant from wargames for various reasons. Nevertheless, positive outcomes have been obtained by experimenting with wargames in Turkish academia. This article evaluates the potential methods for Turkish academics to make use of wargames for academic purposes.

Keywords

Wargames, Kriegsspiel, Free Kriegsspiel, Matrix Wargames, Hobby Wargames, Military History

Savaşı Dersliklere Taşımak: Akademide Savaş Oyunlarından Nasıl İstifade Edilebilir?

Abstract

Savaş oyunları tarihin erken devirlerinden beri dünyanın farklı yerlerinde, farklı şekillerde ortaya çıkmış ve günümüzde kullanılan halini 19’uncu yüzyılın başlarında Prusya’da almıştır. 20’nci yüzyılın ortalarına kadar profesyonel askerî öğretimde ve orduların harbe hazırlık faaliyetlerinde kullanılan savaş oyunları, 1950’lerde askerî tarih temalı hobi oyunlarının yaygınlaşmasıyla akademide kendisini göstermeye başlamış, 1970’lerde akademik maksatlı analitik savaş oyunları oynanmaya başlamıştır. Özellikle 2000’li yıllardan itibaren akademide kısıtlı da olsa kendine yer bulan ve kürsülerde bir ders konusu haline gelen savaş oyunları günümüzde kendi başına bir akademik disiplin olmaya doğru ilerlemektedir. Bu oyunlar özellikle askerî tarih ve uluslararası ilişkiler alanında akademik maksatla git gide daha yoğun biçimde oynanmaktadır. Ancak Türk akademisi çeşitli sebeplerden ötürü savaş oyunlarına yabancı kalmıştır. Buna rağmen savaş oyunlarından Türk akademisinde de istifade edilmesi için girişimlerde bulunulmuş olup, denenmesi halinde olumlu sonuç verebilecek belli yöntemler olduğu görülmüştür. Makalede bu yöntemlerden bahsedilecektir.

Keywords

Savaş Oyunları, Kriegsspiel, Serbest Savaş Oyunları, Matris Oyunları, Hobi Savaş Oyunları, Askerî Tarih

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