Connections Conference - How the Nature of a Discipline Impacts its Craft and Whether it Matters

Is the wargaming discipline, as currently practiced by the professional wargaming community, considered an art or a science? The original research encapsulated by this thesis uses metrics derived from artistic research and pragmatic, business processes to measure the extent to which the wargaming discipline is art or science. It finds most characteristics of the field align with those of traditional arts. The implications of this project include a renewed call for wargame designers and researchers to embody the true nature of their field, and important lessons for wargame sponsors about uses and expectations for the games they request.