Over the past several days the Homeland Security Watch blog has been highlighting the difficult work involving the conceptualization of resilience as a framework for Homeland Security strategic thinking. If for a moment, we consider planning for resilience as a complex strategic risk management problem addressing the spectrum of HS activity—prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery—then we should see strategy oriented HS games right? But there aren’t many.

I bring this up today because I would like to speak to a need for serious strategic gaming that promotes the concept of and hones a capability for resilience thinking. These games would be in addition to the “fun” action oriented tactical and procedural response games that are currently cropping up and were highlighted in this blog posting.

I realize that the strategy game genre is more difficult to develop and sell because 1) strategic “maneuvering” is not instinctive or intuitive—it is a thoughtful and deliberative process, 2) it may require gamers to develop domain knowledge to become proficient at the game and 3) the pace can seem plodding and lack direction. While the tactical action games appeal to large gamer populations which generate volume sales because they are aligned with and stimulate our primitive native and arguably better honed, tactical intelligence processes.

Because immersive strategic oriented games are important to the development of a resiliency mindset, and expensive to develop and commercially motivated development doesn’t seem likely this is an opportunity for DHS to take the lead in promoting development.

As an example, the DHS sponsored the development of a suite of First Responder Terrorism Prevention courses which are based on a common strategic risk management framework involving collaboration, information sharing, threat recognition, risk management and decision to intervene.

Offered through the Institute for Preventive Strategies, the courses employ both tactical and strategic gaming environments to promote individual interest, develop knowledge and skills, to build satisfaction and confidence in working through prevention-based strategic problem solving scenarios.

Full Disclosure: The Terrorism Prevention courses were developed by Teleologic Learning Company who I worked with during the course design, development and deployment phases.

We are failing economically, politically and with no civil defense, we are nothing more than an unprepared nation of self-serving leadership at the local, state and national level impressed with the power we have “entrusted” to these incestuous folks who choose to turn their cheek to a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles and government by the people and for the people.

At least in my local communities, as a result of political corruption and legal extortion at least from my perspective as Mr. & Mrs. Joe Citizen, first responders, the dedicated police officer, the firefighter, the EMT trained to save Life are being laid off and hours cut extending response times and jeopardizing Life….

Christopher Tingus
64 Whidah drive
Harwich, MA 02645 USA
chris.tingus@gmail.com

This was a great post that points to what will hopefully be a merger in the near future. All the “serious games” listed cover what are pretty much distinct response/public safety disciplines.

What would be fantastic is an online game, in the Second Life or World of Warcraft model, that is always running disaster drills where a full range of actors can participate. So not just EMS and fire, but also police, emergency managers, and even politicians.

While perhaps not as effective a real life drill (though I’ve witnessed more than one drill where the participants seemed to be simply going through the motions), after the development and (comparably) minimal running costs such a program would be much cheaper in the long run than running various full-scale exercises all over the country.

A good simulation probably occupies the middle ground between the sterility of basic content presentation and the full-sensory experience of a real-world simulation, both in terms of its ability to affect behavior and its cost to produce.

And as web-based media improves, users in all contexts are increasingly demanding a richer experience. That’s a rising tide that’ll eventually lift all boats.

A couple more examples of the homeland security simulations with which I’m familiar: courses on prevention from the Institute for Preventive Strategies and courses on disaster response from US Army North.