Using AI to Create Games: American Imperialism in the Pacific Theater Tactical Decision Game

The Experiment

In Spring 2026, I tried something new. It was early in the semester, and I was already losing my students’ attention. We were about to discuss the Filipino-American War, one that most students are unfamiliar with, but that is incredibly important. I asked Google Gemini, “I am supposed to lecture on American Imperialism in the late 19th century tomorrow, but I would like to find a more dynamic activity to make the questions about imperialism more engaging for my students. Any suggestions?” It recognized that I did not have much time to prep for the activity, so it gave me four quick options. They were generic and not exactly what I wanted, so I further prompted it to focus on the Asia/Pacific theater. It suggested a command decision game focusing on the Philippine Insurgency.

What Happened

I entered the classroom and projected a map of the Pacific Theater onto the screen. I informed them that it was “December 1898. The Spanish Fleet has been destroyed. Spain has ceded the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million. You are the theater commanders in Manila, and Washington has issued your strategic guidance.”

I then provided a handout with President William McKinley’s “Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation” from December 21, 1898. After they read the document, I asked them, “Based only on this document, what are your Rules of Engagement (ROE)?” They responded with a fairly restrictive set of options and focused on the concept of “winning hearts and minds.” This concluded phase one of the game.

The second phase moved into intelligence failure and the “Ground” reality. I projected a quote from General Arthur MacArthur II’s 1902 testimony to the U.S. Senate, with important phrases in bold. For example, “We have got the hatred and sullen submission of a subjugated people…There is not a man in these islands who is not conspiring against the Government.”

Based on that primary source, I asked two questions: 1. The Clausewitzian Problem: MacArthur identifies the “Center of Gravity” as the entire population. If your orders are to “win affection,” but the population is united against you, is the mission achievable? 2. Do you request new orders, or do you adapt your tactics?

This discussion moved us to phase 3: The Crisis and the Unlawful Order. I used Testimony from Major Littleton Waller in the Court-Martial of General Jacob Smith (1902), where Waller recounts Smith’s verbal orders: “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn; the more you kill and burn the better it will please me. I want all persons killed who are capable of bearing arms in actual hostilities against the United States.”

I asked my students three questions based on this speech: 1. Do you follow this order? 2. If you refuse, you risk insubordination in a combat zone. If you accept, you commit war crimes. What is the correct course of action for an officer? 3. How does Smith’s order (once leaked) affect McKinley’s original goal of “Benevolent Assimilation”?

This sparked tremendous debate among my students, with a wide variety of opinions shared. Some of these were not what I expected, including one cadet who basically condoned war crimes in the face of such a violent counterinsurgency.

I wrapped up the activity with a debrief in which we discussed the tactical vs. strategic concepts. While Smith’s brutality “pacified” Samar tactically, it was a strategic disaster that fueled the Anti-Imperialist League at home. I also tied this issue to Vietnam, especially the My Lai massacre, and the War on Terror of the early 21st century, showing how counterinsurgency strategy has developed over the last 100 years.

We finished with an “After Action Report” in which I explained the human cost, legal and disciplinary outcomes, strategic results, and lessons learned.

The Limits

• As a civilian teaching at a military college, I try to limit my use of military lingo because, as the kids say these days, it can be pretty “cringe”
• Not every cadet participated, so it was hard to judge whether they really got the material or not.
• It is very important that you verify sources and materials LLMs use in the creation of the games. I verified every quote and source before use.

Where I’m Taking This Next

• I am working on creating additional role-play games such as this using Google Gemini and Claude.
• I am revising all of my classes to include more active engagement such as this spread throughout the semester where it makes the most sense.
• I am experimenting with ways of evaluating participation and how well students absorb the material using this method.