spiel n.

1825 as a type of organ-stop 1834 as a musical instrument consisting of small bells or metal bars struck by hammers, from German Glockenspiel, literally "play of bells," from plural of Glocke "bell" (see clock (n.1)) + Spiel "a play" (see spiel).

war games played on maps with blocks representing bodies of soldiers, 1873 (once, from 1811, as a German word in English), from German Kriegsspiel, literally "war game," from Krieg "war," from Middle High German kriec, "combat," mostly "exertion, effort; opposition, enmity, resistance," from Old High German chreg "stubbornness, defiance, obstinacy," from Proto-Germanic *krig-, which is perhaps from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy" or cognate with Greek hybris "violence" (see hubris; also see war (n.)). For second element, see spiel (n.). Introduced 1870s as officer training in British army.