The next crop of nuclear security scientists are getting their training in a new, modern way, with a first-of-its-kind wargame developed partly by two Energy Department laboratories.
First launched last year as a board game, Signal offers players an opportunity to make strategic decisions using current political, economic and military tools. The game will provide researchers with a better understanding of how new gaming techniques play a role in conflict escalation and the potential implications of new weapon types and technologies, Sandia National Laboratories said.
The online game will allow researchers to track players’ every move and their communications through chat logs. That will help researchers understand the extent to which signaling -- or diplomacy -- affects the escalation and de-escalation they see.
The new game is a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, and Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national labs, and gets its funding from Carnegie Corp.