One can make the case that wargame sales are better than ever, if one simply changes the definition of a wargame. […] But that’s like saying that historical fiction should be reflagged as history books because few people will buy and read real history books anymore. No, the problem is that historical wargames were always a small market because they emphasized information and analysis at the expense of entertainment.
Quotes about wargames
Wargaming is not gonna die. It’s been around for 5,000 years; so why now and not before, right? […] It will be interesting to see how it evolves, what it turns into, but I have no concerns for the hobby.
There was a wargame I tried to learn in which you put a counter on your vehicle to indicate that the vehicle has started moving, but is not moving fully yet. And later you replace the counter with a counter that says that the vehicle is moving.
I don’t have time for that anymore.
People who are into playing or designing wargames do not think like the rest of us. Actually, this applies to most people in the sciences, or anyone who uses the scientific method (testing hypotheses until you get a proof in the form of a reproducible result). Wargamers look at wars, and most other things, in a more analytical fashion, taking into account historical precedents and antecedents.
The enjoyment in a war game deteriorates in almost direct ratio to the degree of realism attempted so we now have a cardinal principle that if realism interferes with enjoyment then out goes realism!
