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Valens War Games

Valens War Games

Application Deadline: October 1, 2020 at 11:59pm  |  Applications are closed.

AGS will host a refereed simulation from October 8-10, run by the private firm Valens Global, that helps participants think deeply about the far-reaching political implications -- both domestic and international -- of the COVID pandemic.

Participants will be cast in the role of a number of governmental and non-governmental actors, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, U.S Intelligence Community, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Republic of Germany, and Google's Jigsaw. Teams will be immersed in a fast-paced, engaging world that makes them address, in a tactile way, such pressing challenges as the messy information environment, the growing threat of white supremacist terrorism, and state instability wrought by the pandemic. Teams will strategize, negotiate, and navigate their way through these challenges and more.

The simulation will take place over a period of three days, but time commitment is flexible. It will feature both fixed and variable elements: there will be two full-group Zoom sessions to introduce and conclude the simulation, and there are move submission deadlines. But teams can conduct their meetings whenever works best for them, with the only stipulation being that they must submit their moves by the simulation deadlines. Teams will receive environment updates prior to their window to meet. It is expected that each group meeting will take no more than one hour.

Prospective schedule:

  • Thursday Evening, 10/8 (~6:30 p.m.): Kickoff session and first team meetings. Moves submitted by end of team meetings.
  • Friday 10/9: Second team meetings, moves submitted by 9 p.m.
  • Saturday morning 10/10: Third team meetings, moves submitted by 11:30 a.m.
  • Saturday afternoon 10/10: Concluding session, 2 to 4 p.m.

Interested students should fill out an application here.  Students need to make the commitment to participate on all days and for all sessions. Application deadline is October 1 at 11:59pm.