WarGames is a 1983 Cold WAr science-fiction thriller written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes. The film stars Matthew Broderick as David Lightman, a highly intelligent but unmotivated young computer hacker. The film opens with an apparent nuclear war (revealed to be a readiness test), from the perspective of the silo crews. The senior officer, along with 22% of the other missile commanders nationwide, refuse to launch. This dangerous result prompts the USAF to remove the human crews from the silos, replaced with computer relays controleld by a central learning computer, WOPR (War Operation Plan Response). The computer is now in command of the American nuclear arsenal.
Meanwhile, David is only passing high school by manipulating hsi grades on the school’s computer. Over dinner one night, he reads in a magazine about the next generation of computer games and resolves to get access to them from the company’s computer. He sets his system to dial every number in Sunnyvale where the company is located. When one computer doesn’t identify itself, and responds to a request of “list games” with titles such as Checkers, Chess, Theaterwide Biotoxic and Chemical Warfare and Global Thermonuclear War, he believes he has foudn the games company, not realizing he has actually connected to the WOPR.
He tracks down a backdoor password to the system and begins playing Global Thermonuclear WAr to impress his friend Jennifer, playing as the Russians and targeting Las Vegas and Seattle. WOPR, believing this to be an authentic simulation, displays information about the missile launches in the NORAD control room, prompting a full-scale emergency response and (almost) a retaliatory strike, which is prevented when the simulation ends as David has to clean up the garbage.
WOPR, however, continues the simulation and intends to launch the missiles, not understanding the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction of futility. David and Jennifer have to track down the WOPR’s creator, Professor Steven Falken, and get his help in stopping the computer. Meanwhile, WOPR is generating false reports of Soviet military activity to get the US more and more alarmed. David, Jennifer and Professor Falken arrive at the control room shortly after NORAD reaches DEFCON 1 and is prepared for a full nuclear strike. They persuade General Barringer, the commander to ride out the “attack.” WOPR however attempts to brute-force the launch codes and carry out the launch. David and Falken get it to play tic tac toe against itself in order to teach it futility. WOPR begins simulating endless nuclear war scenarios, every one ending with the result “WINNER: NONE.” Eventually the WOPR comes to the film’s famous conclusion about nuclear war: “THe only winning move is not to play.”
THe film has won universal acclaim, with aaggregate site Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 92% score. Even renowned harsh film critic Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars, calling it “an amazingly entertaining thriller” and “one of the best films so far this year.”
WarGames Pictures & Wallpapers
Here are some great WarGames pictures and WarGames desktop wallpapers. You can download any of these images to your computer by right-clicking on the picture you want and choosing "save image as". Once you've downloaded one of these WarGames images you can use it as your wallpaper etc.
