Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Wargames
  • Cited by 21
      • Show more authors
      • You may already have access via personal or institutional login
    • Select format
    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      05 April 2013
      04 April 2013
      ISBN:
      9781139579872
      9781107036956
      9781107684423
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139579872
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.66kg, 341 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.54kg, 341 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Military History, History, Politics and International Relations, International Relations and International Organisations
    You may already have access via personal or institutional login
    • Selected: Digital
    Add to cart View cart Buy from Cambridge.org
    Subjects:
    Military History, History, Politics and International Relations, International Relations and International Organisations
    Information

    Book description

    Where did wargames come from? Who participated in them, and why? How is their development related to changes in real-life warfare? Which aspects of war did they capture, which ones did they leave out, how, and why? What do they tell us about the conduct of war in the times and places where they were played? How useful are they in training and preparation for war? Why are some so much more popular than others, and how do men and women differ in their interest? Starting with the combat of David versus Goliath, passing through the gladiatorial games, tournaments, trials by battle, duels, and board games such as chess, all the way to the latest simulations and computer games, this unique book traces the subject in all its splendid richness. As it does so, it provides new and occasionally surprising insights into human nature.

    Reviews

    ‘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 Source: 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 Source: Choice

    Refine List

    Actions for selected content:

    Select all | Deselect all
    • View selected items
    • Export citations
    • Download PDF (zip)
    • Save to Kindle
    • Save to Dropbox
    • Save to Google Drive

    Save Search

    You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

    Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
    Cancel
    ×

    Contents

    Contents

    Metrics

    Altmetric attention score

    Full text views

    Total number of HTML views: 0
    Total number of PDF views: 0 *
    Loading metrics...

    Book summary page views

    Total views: 0 *
    Loading metrics...

    * Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

    Usage data cannot currently be displayed.

    Accessibility standard: Unknown

    Why this information is here

    This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

    Accessibility Information

    Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.