ABSTRACT
Experience lies at the core of most adult learning models, but experiential learning frequently involves learning from mistakes. Since soldiers’ first mistakes in combat may well be their last, military education faces the challenge of moving learning from the battlefield into the classroom. Games create venues that allow students to learn from mistakes, building experience without the cost of combat.When used in a structured process of self-and mentored critique to ensure lessons are identified and discussed, games create a powerful learning environment. At the U.S. Army’s Command & General Staff College (CGSC), we deliver decisionmaking experiences to students using commercial wargames. Our underlying criteria for selecting games for use in the college are echelon specificity, selective fidelity, and causality. The following pages examine the game requirement at CGSC, the concepts behind our selection criteria, and how these games are used successfully at CGSC.
