Introduction; 1. On animals and men; 2. Games and gladiators; 3. Trials by combat, tournaments, and duels; 4. Battles, campaigns, wars, and politics; 5. From bloody games to bloodless wars; 6. Enter the computer; 7. The females of the species; 8. Conclusions: the mirrors and the mirrored.
Explores the history and development of wargames, and how they relate to real war and society in general.
Martin van Creveld is Emeritus Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and one of the world's best known experts on military history and strategy. He is the author of over twenty books, covering all aspects of these subjects, which have now been translated into twenty languages including Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serb and Spanish. Professor van Creveld has consulted for the defense establishments of various countries and taught or lectured at many institutes of higher learning, both military and civilian. He has also written hundreds of articles and conducted interviews for newspapers, television and radio all over the world.
'No other historian could bring us this marvellous history of
wargaming and its relationship to the larger strategic and societal
trends that are the critical context for the impact these games
have had.' Paul Bracken, Yale University, and author of The Second
Nuclear Age
'A witty, wide-ranging, and uniquely inclusive analysis of wargames
that goes beyond games and simulations of war and combat. This is
the story of all forms of war, and all the games developed over
thousands of years to practice, simulate, or analyze these
conflicts.' James F. Dunnigan, editor-in-chief,
strategypage.com
'From antiquity 'til tomorrow, warlike games encounter ritualized
combat in Martin van Creveld's meandering journey across the
centuries. Because it is van Creveld who is doing the meandering,
with his unique talent for uncovering the unexpected, readers will
wish for more of it rather than less. Undoubtedly, this is an
illuminating masterwork.' Edward N. Luttwak, author of Strategy:
The Logic of War and Peace
'This is a characteristically broad-ranging, insightful, and
provocative survey of the many ways in which war and games - two of
humanity's deepest instincts - interact.' Philip Sabin, Kings
College London, and author of Simulating War
'Martin van Creveld has written the most comprehensive work on
wargaming to date. This superb book provides an insightful and
in-depth analysis of the history and value of gaming. Wargames:
From Gladiators to Gigabytes is a must-read for all those desiring
to understand this important component to military planning,
training, and education.' General Anthony C. Zinni, United States
Marine Corps (retired)
'Van Creveld is incapable of writing an uninteresting book. His
latest provides a history of war games, which he defines very
broadly to include almost any activity that links play and
conflict, from gladiatorial combat, to jousting, to chess, to
hunting, and to all manner of re-enactments and simulations.'
Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs
'Van Creveld surveys the history of war games, defined as strategy
games, from prehistory to modern times … the sheer range of this
work makes it an important contribution to simulation studies …
Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.' L. De Rosa, Choice
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