Counterinsurgency Games, Redux

The other day, Adam Elkus posted a link, leading me to a blog which discusses counterinsurgency-related games called "PaxSims". As you may know, I like to examine the various computer programs the military uses to simulate conventional war (such as the JANUS system), versus commercial programs which simulate insurgency and nation-building campaigns (Jagged Alliance 2, Civilization, etc).

While PaxSims doesn't include a mod of Civilization IV which allows you to replay The Surge, it does showcase some great efforts in designing programs to simulate complex situations, such as pandemics, insurgencies, and ecological development.

If you're interested in this topic, check out:

• PaxSims thread at Small Wars Journal
• Afghanistan as a Computer Simulation--The Eastern Campaign
• The Wargame I Want--Reach 364 (who also has a few more posts on this subject)
• The Ultimate War Simulation Game--Cracked.com (a satire of war games)