Needs for decision training – benefits with games

This report is produced within a project studying game-based training in the Swedish Armed Forces' Research and Technology Development field of Modelling and Simulation. The objective is to highlight the need for decision training within the Swedish Armed Forces and how this training can be enhanced using simpler games as a complement to other training and exercises. Simpler games are understood as training can be performed where the duration of each training occasion is short, requires few preparations, train few persons at a time and involve a minimum of instructors and other resources. The results covers present situation, needs and opportunities for decision training as well as perspectives of game based training relevant for decision making, and is mainly based on interviews with key personnel in command training. There is a general need for more decision training in the Swedish Armed Forces. A number of factors that define the decision makers' situation and also affect training of decision-making are identified, along with factors important for an effective training. A number of examples of situations where simpler games could be used in order to improve decision-making are discussed. We propose that simpler games can be used to provide effective training in decision-making. Our work is a step in an effort to increase the proportion of game-based decision training in the Swedish Armed Forces.