Military Simulations Using Virtual Worlds

The military has always worked to fight their battles in a synthetic or artificial environment before fighting them in the real world. There are so many variables that getting everything right is extremely difficult. Planning and rehearsal are primary tools for accomplishing this. Sand tables with wooden and stone markers that allowed commanders to explain their plan to dozens of soldiers were some of the earliest virtual worlds. Board wargames replaced the sand with paper and added rules so a player could actually do some predictions in a crude virtual space. New technologies like movies, electronics, hydraulics, computers, and networks have all changed the face and usefulness of these military tools.