A
wargame (also
war game) is a
strategy game that deals with
military operations of various types, real or
fictional.
Wargaming is the
hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called
conflict simulations, or
consims for short. When used professionally by the
military to study
warfare, "war game" may refer to a simple theoretical study or a full-scale
military exercise. Hobby wargamers have traditionally used "wargame", while the military has generally used "war game"; this is not a hard and fast rule. Although there may be disagreements as to whether a particular game qualifies as a wargame or not, a general consensus exists that all such games must explore and represent some feature or aspect of human behaviour directly bearing on the conduct of war, even if the game subject itself does not concern organized violent conflict or
warfare. The
business wargames exists too, but in general they are only
role playing games based on market situations.