Strategy game

A strategy game is a type of game where a player's own decisions are the most important factor.

In these games, the outcome is determined by uncoerced and autonomous decision-making. This means players make their own choices without being forced by outside factors. Most strategy games require high situational awareness. Players must also use decision tree-style thinking. This involves looking at different paths of action and their possible results. While many games are based on war, the term refers to a much broader group of activities.

To understand how these games work, we must look at their complexity and scale. Strategy is defined by how complex the rules are and the scale of the actions taken. For example, in the Total War video game series, a player might make a single placement that affects a large area. This scale of action is a core part of the strategic experience. Some games focus on a single moment, while others focus on long-term planning. The way a player interacts with the game's systems determines the depth of the strategy required.

There are several distinct types of strategy games. Abstract strategy games are loosely tied to any real-world theme. Their rules follow an internal logic rather than trying to simulate reality. Pure abstract games, like Chess or Go, have no random elements or hidden information. However, some games like Backgammon are often called abstract even though they include chance. Other games, such as Stratego, include hidden information without using randomness.

Other categories include Eurogames and simulations. Eurogames, often called German-style board games, sit between abstract and simulation games. They usually have simple rules and short playing times. These games often focus on economic themes rather than military conflict. They also tend to have indirect player interaction. Simulation games try to mimic real-world processes. The rules are chosen to reflect the consequences of a player's actions in real life. Games exist on a continuum from pure abstraction, like Abalone, to pure simulation, like Strat-o-Matic Baseball.

Strategy games have a very long history. Turn-based strategy games were played in ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, the Levant, and India. The Greek game of polis appeared in literature around 450 BCE. The Chinese game of weiqi, or Go, was mentioned in the Analects of Confucius around 470 to 280 BCE. The Royal Game of Ur dates back to approximately 2500 BCE. While it was likely a luck-based race game, it may have had strategy elements. Some suggest Mancala is the oldest strategy game because of artifacts from 5000 BCE, but this is disputed.

Chess is one of the most famous examples of a strategy game. It likely originated in India around the sixth century CE. As it spread west through trade, it gained high social status. Chess is a game of intense skill and tactics. Players must often think two or three moves ahead of their opponent to succeed.

Other players enjoy team strategy, such as in the card game contract bridge. In contract bridge, two teams of two players work together. Some argue that playing these games helps people automate strategic awareness for use in business.

Wargames are a specific type of simulation focused on military battles or campaigns. Players act like leaders in historical battles. Traditionally, these are played using miniatures or boards with cardboard counters on hex maps.

H. G. Wells once noted that miniature warfare was much better than the real thing. In video games, strategy is often divided into real-time strategy (RTS) and turn-based strategy (TBS). In RTS games, the action is continuous. In TBS games, players move during discrete phases. Computers use artificial intelligence to emulate human-like thinking or to manage small units that would be too tedious for a person to control manually.