RealLand: A Wargaming Approach to Computational International Relations

Abstract

The objective of this study is to advance a wargaming approach to computational international relations (IR). Wargaming has a long tradition of artfully balancing between realism and human playability. Those same techniques can be incorporated into computational IR models. A wargaming approach affords both greater resolution in the operational environment and emulation of human decision-making, which provides a significant alternative to past computational IR models of international conflict. As a demonstration of this approach, I developed two simulations: Basic and Enhanced RealLand.