War Games [Paperback]

Thomas B. Allen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Allen, author of Rickover, has written a solid nontechnical introduction to the development and use of military simulation. He includes abundant anecdotes and information drawn from various levels of the "war gaming hierarchy." Of particular interest is the 1982 game "Ivy League" simulating a full-scale nuclear exchange, an exercise whose details were "leaked" as a "demonstration of Washington's ability to react to a decapitating attack." Some readers will find the book alarming; others will take comfort in Allen's description of the professionalism of the strategists and their efforts to"validate" the games' results. Although the absence of a conclusion is regrettable, this is recommended for public and academic libraries. Zachary T. Irwin, Humanities and Social Sciences Div., Behrend College-Penn State Univ., Erie
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley (July 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425116476
• ISBN-13: 978-0425116470
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,074,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been writing since my teen years, when I covered high school sports for my hometown newspaper, The Herald, in Bridgeport, Conn.
I continued working at the paper while I was in college. In the mid-1950s I began working for The New York Daily News, writing feature stories. In 1963, I left The News, going to Chilton Books in Philadelphia, and then to the National Geographic Book Division. I began freelancing in 1981, but I continued contributing to Geographic publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Review of War Gaming History, May 5, 2008

By 

H. Campbell (houston, texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Games: The Secret World of the Creators, Players, and Policy Makers Rehearsing World War III Today (Hardcover)

This is a good overview of the history of modern war gaming, including the politics, egos and military culture generated by this practice. However, it is disturbing to learn that it is not customary for American political Big Shots to engage in these crisis simulation games. When informed of this in the 80s, West Germans generals were shocked. What's the point of all this modeling if the real world people who may have to implement crisis actions never participate? The air of unreality associated with efforts to mathematically replicate an army's actual behavior and performance in war is almost amusing. The author's writing style, while not particularly dynamic, does allow readers to glimpse the mindset of some gamers, who seem to be sensitive to accusations that they're playing Avalon games (essentially they are.) This book was published in 1987, so it's themes of USA-USSR global and tactical war seems a bit like fiction, but the ideas and inherent flaws are the same. What I would love to see in an updated edition is whether the Iraq war was war gamed.

4.0 out of 5 stars Ground breaking book on simulation and conflict modeling in the US, April 20, 2008

By 

Charles A. Leonard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Games: The Secret World of the Creators, Players, and Policy Makers Rehearsing World War III Today (Hardcover)

A bit dated now, but a good overview of the early days of the US simulation and conflict modeling industry and its development as computers began to take over. This could not have been an easy book to research but Allen does an excellent job and the notes and sources sections are detailed and serve as excellent tools for further learning. Allen points out that, while the humans had difficulty pushing the nuclear button in the earliest games, it seemed to become easier as the decisions in the simulations were being made by computers.