This Is Why Leaders Send Men And Women In War, To Die.
Explained by principles of micro-economics
There have been enough debates around nuclear weapons. In 2014, a study was conducted with 141 random college students. Half of them read articles about Nuclear weapons and the other half played Defcon, a nuclear-war simulation game.
The study found that the group that played Defcon, stood more strongly against nuclear weapons than the group that just read about the war. The Defcon group also believed that the probability of a nuclear war was low. Because they thought nobody would be crazy enough to start a nuclear war in real life. But they also believed, that in the event of a nuclear war, they were not going to survive.
Defcon led to more disturbing discoveries, one that would probably help us understand Why leaders send men and women to war to die?.
What’s Defcon?
Defcon is a term used by the US Air Force as an indicator to Combat readiness. Defcon 5 means totally chill. And Defcon1 is shit we’re gonna get nuked, so why not nuke first? The US has never been on Defcon 1. Defcon 2 was supposedly active during the Cuban missle crisis- When the US found out the USSR had their missiles in the US’s backyard.
This game, Defcon which is available on steam, is a real-time war simulation game. But, it’s unlike Call of Duty or other such games. For starters, its main screen looks like this: An outlined map of the world on a blue/black background, not a battlefield.
Defcon Game Mechanics
This game doesn’t begin or proceed with resource collection. It begins from Defcon 5, where players strategically place their radars, naval fleets, and missile silos in their territory.
Defcon 3 is where conventional fighting begins. Small naval fleets exchange fire and, bombers destroy enemy radars. Defcon 2 is mechanically the same as Defcon 3, but it feels different. Because you know what’s coming next, Defcon 1.
Defcon 1 unlocks nuclear weapons, for everyone. The effort here is to induce maximum casualty. And Defcon has maintained that mentality very well, by scoring each player by the number of casualties induced.
There’s only so much effort you can put into stopping missiles at your territory. Ultimately, players begin to destroy their opponents, before they get destroyed. Consequently, the calm, blue/black Defcon map lights up in flames and, everybody dies (as the game’s tagline says).
What makes Defcon different from other games?
As I said, Defcon is no Call of Duty. The blue/black outlined map of the world removes us from the boots-on-ground feeling. There’s no bloodshed, no destroyed cities, no dust clouds in the sky; there’s just a number, a projectile on the screen, and a dot on the map.
London hit: 8.6M dead.
On the contrary, if you’re playing PUBG or Call of Duty, there is a certain risk to your character. You might get shot, and lose. So, you play accordingly. You know when to go out and shoot, and when to hide, for your safety.
But, Defcon promotes a bunker-mentality, a feeling of immortality. You won’t find yourself scared for your character while playing Defcon. Because, no matter what you do, you’re safe.
Bunker mentality & the Principal-agent problem
“If you want it done, then go. If not, then send.”
— Julius Caesar
Fundamentally, the principal-agent problem is a conflict of interests. If you’re the principal, you care. Your agent doesn’t. Agents optimize for themselves, not for the principal.
You can say there’s a sense of disconnect between a principal and an agent. This disconnect brings down job satisfaction in large companies. And this type of disconnect brings down soldiers, in a war.
This disconnect is also essentially a feeling of immortality. And most Defcon players, who were interviewed, reported it accordingly.
What’s scary is, this is exactly how it would be, if nuclear war was to play out. The leaders of the free world, safe from their bunkers, dictating a global catastrophe.
It is this sheer absence from the horrors on the ground, that has & will make our leaders send our brave men and women in war, to die.
I thought of this Principle-agent problem in war while reading research based on the Defcon game. I put my thoughts and learnings out on Twitter threads and blogs like these. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
My stories you may want to read:
Or else, if you’re looking for something inspirational…
You don’t wanna miss out on my free and concise E-book, on Ikigai.
What this book will give you:
- You’ll understand what Logotherapy is and how it can help you cope up with anxiety.
- You’ll understand why some people are so driven about what they do.
- You’ll have the knowledge and awareness it takes to find your own purpose.
