War Games.

Computer Simulation, Sovereignty, and the Military mecs Workshop, Feb 2014
Lightman: [typing] What is the primary goal? Joshua: You should know, Professor. You programmed me. Lightman: Oh, come on. [typing] What is the primary goal? Joshua: To win the game. (War Games, USA 1983, R: John Badham) The media history of computer simulations is closely related to the history of military technology. Analog computers were essential hardware for scenario simulations in WWII War Rooms; digital computers became central for the think tanks of the Cold War, with their computer facilitated scenarios, creativity games and Synthetic Histories (Claus Pias). Todays command and control centers employ simulation techniques for planning and conducting networked operations involving drones, special forces and ordinary troops. Simulations are also used in re-enactments of historical battles, as artificial battlegrounds for urban warfare, and in game-like virtual training software like American Army. Computer simulation plays a key role not only in the immersive environments of tank and flight simulators, but also in stress simulations in artificial social environments. Last but not least, testing the viability of counterinsurgency strategies for specific populations sometimes entails computer simulations employing paradigms derived from social networks. Thus, military simulations have had an essential role in shaping the development of digital media. At the same time, certain developments signal the increasingly close relationship between computer simulation and sovereignty: for instance, the USAs push for a worldwide atomic test ban during the mid-1990s indicated its confidence in the superiority of simulations. A states independence and authority depend, on the one hand, on its mastery of simulation hard- and software, and, on the other, on its promotion of a diverse culture of simulations. Our workshop investigates the media history of computer simulations along three axes of inquiry. Firstly, we aim to investigate the genealogies of military simulations, producing a historicized and systematic mapping of a heterogeneous field that distinguishes between pure computer simulation in the development of weaponry and mixed uses in tactical and strategic plannin. These must in turn be differentiated from analysis of big data and graphs with the goal of obtaining knowledge about (potential) enemies and from training software. Secondly, we are interested in the history and nature of the relationship between computer simulation and military-dependent sovereignty, especially with respect to historical continuities and ruptures. Finally, we seek to learn about the way in which computer simulations from outside the military realm relate to those within it. The workshops approach is transdisciplinary. We invite proposals from scholars of all fields, including media studies, history of science, political science, science and technology studies, and cultural studies. Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words together with a short CV before November 25, 2013 to mecs@leuphana.de Keynote speakers will include Claus Pias & James DerDerian (solicited). Organized by Christoph Engemann & Sebastian Vehlken