STRATEGY WARGAMING
ARTICLE SW_002

HOBBYIST WARGAMERS ARE NOT JUST INDUSTRY STATISTICS

This series of articles focusses on "Strategy Wargaming". Strategy wargaming approaches and activities are no strangers to hobbyists. Yet, they are seldom explicitly acknowledged. In fact, they tend to be somewhat disparaged, even maligned, in public.....

As I have stated earlier in this article series, there are wargames and, then, there is wargaming ! The two are definitely related but in no way synonymous.... Invariably, wargames are sold for private gain or are made freely available to interested parties. Wargames are conceived of and developed by various types of private sector firm, military establishment or free-lance specialists. Wargaming is what interested parties think, hear, say, read, write, view, ACTUALLY do and experience with wargames including thinking, hearing, saying, reading and viewing things about wargaming approaches, actions and experiences THEMSELVES.

First off, I assert that strategy wargaming cannot be fruitfully discussed in an atmosphere dominated by concerns about recently released wargames and the FUTURE of the wargaming INDUSTRY. Strategy wargaming activities are predominantly undertaken by HOBBYIST wargamers. A "hobbyist wargamer" is a person who, in primarily seeking enjoyment from appreciating wargames, focusses almost exclusively on wargaming activities which in no way are related to his intending to make real money...... Thus, your ordinary PBEM wargame club member is a "hobbyist wargamer" provided he is not a professional gambler utilising wargames to wager tonnes of money ! Similarly, a hobbyist who designs custom scenaria for free or even codes his own computer wargame, which he subsequently releases as freeware, is also a "hobbyist wargamer". Ditto for myself ; All of my rants and raves on the Internet, USENET and my web pages as well as my wargame title specific activities make me a "hobbyist wargamer". I am not in this for the money !!! On the other hand, Mr. J. Dunnigan of SPI fame is NOT a "hobbyist wargamer", at least in most of his public wargaming manifestations. Ditto for Messrs. N. Koger and G. Grigsby. Ditto for all wargame title developers and designers.... All these gentlemen and the commercial concerns they are associated with are INTENDING to make (reasonable ?) profits from the lion's share of their wargaming activities.

Those of you that are a bit philosophically inclined may want to look at things as follows: One starts with wargames, "the things in themselves". Then, a "hobbyist wargamer" starts thinking, hearing, saying, reading, writing, viewing, ACTUALLY doing and experiencing things within the context of wargames. Consequently, the wargames cease being "things in themselves" and become interpretational snapshots of a never ending feedback loop where the "hobbyist wargamer's" mind is dynamically and inextricably intertwined with the wargames never again to be separated.... Therefore, from where I stand, I consider all readers of this on-line article to be engaging in a hobbyist wargaming activity just by virtue of the fact that reading about strategy wargaming is involved !

Earlier in this article series, I stated that Military History, Strategy and Immersive Experience are the three pillars of hobbyist wargaming interests. As one would expect, Strategy would be the focus of any discussion regarding hobbyist strategy wargaming. However, it would be a grievous error on my part not to deal with Military History and Immersive Experience. I assert that any strategy wargamer worth his intellectual salt MUST develop a good understanding of the other two pillars in order to properly appreciate his very own interest......

Earlier in this article series, I also stated that commercially released wargames reflect market and marketing realities. I then proceeded to say that I was NOT going to second guess the economic efficiency of the underlying markets and the economic signals that wargame purchases send to the various wargame producers/developers. I shall stand firm by this resolution. I believe that extra care should be taken to keep INDUSTRY concerns at arm's length here. This is because I am of the opinion that a hobbyist strategy wargamer stands to gain a lot from a cool, dispassionate examination of HOBBYIST Military History and Immersive Experience wargaming interests when it is ALWAYS clear that it is precisely those HOBBYIST interests that one discusses and NOT those of the industry that attempts (?) to meet them through new wargame releases....

It is an opportune time, perhaps, to complicate matters a bit.... Up until now, I have talked about "hobbyist wargamer" interests. One could easily be lured into a way of thinking that would be more appropriate for a marketing executive of the wargaming industry. Namely, one would be tempted to peg INDIVIDUALS as "strategy wargamers", "immersion buffs" and the like. From the industry's point of view this would be perfectly understandable. BUT, from a "hobbyist wargamer's" point of view that would be decidedly impoverishing in terms of understanding the "hobby". A "hobbyist wargamer" may be subject to different interest foci or moods at different points in time. Furthermore, these different interest moods may manifest themselves even within the confines of the SAME wargame !! To this effect, I have no problem with the wargaming industry selling us "strategy games", "wargame sims", "historical wargames" and the like. I have a BIG TIME problem when "hobbyist wargamers", presumably attempting to communicate with their own kind in good faith, uncritically continue to utilise such terminology as a "given"......

The author, Panos Stoucas, is a long time all-human strategy wargaming enthusiast and is currently the "Facilitator" of the PG (DOS) PBEM RESEARCH CENTRE. He can be reached at pstoucas@istar.ca