KG Erwin
Posts: 8981
Joined: 7/25/2000 From: Cross Lanes WV USA Status: offline
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The level of interest and immersion with the game depends upon its command level. Being the "man at the top" means different things at different levels, and during different time periods. Above all of them is a test of your decision-making skills, which can be applied in a number of real-world applications. To contrast the levels, my two favorite games right now are SPWaW and Silent Hunter II. In SH2, the decisions you make are immediate and life and death. This can also include you, as the commander of a U-Boat. This is in real time, and your skills and ability to perform under pressure are sometimes put to the test. A level upwards is SPWaW. You are a battalion commander, and will usually be out of the line of fire. This tests upper-management skills, and you have many different decisions to make. I prefer this level, as I still have the responsibility of protecting the lives of my men while balancing this against the objectives that must be achieved. I tend to think like a modern-day US commander, relying upon maximum use of firepower and minimum loss of life to complete the mission. This is an ideal, as I tend to play the toughest missions (with the US Marines of WWII) against the toughest opponents (their Japanese adversaries in the Pacific). My innate pacificism has to deal directly with warfare of the most brutal and costly nature. I do this intentionally, to remind myself of the determination it takes to win in a kill or be-killed battle, and to do everything in my power to minimize losses to my men. Many don't understand me, but I do care about my troops, and even though its on a virtual battlefield, I treat the simulation as if it were real. Modified versions of these games are used by the military for officer training, so I try to treat my gaming as if I were doing the real thing. I don't take it too lightly. Wargaming, to my mind, is serious business. For those who just want to shoot the baddies, there's plenty of that available. War is an ugly thing, but it is sometimes necessary, and these games give us opportunities to wage it in the most cost-efficient way we can manage it. With all that said, the blood-thirsty mindset sometimes does overtake me. It is an unfortunate part of human nature. It goes with the territory. I don't take prisoners. If the opportunity arises, the enemy will be destroyed completely. Then we either move on to the next mission, or else the war ends victoriously and we can all go home.
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