Editing WarGames

{{Short description|1983 science-fiction film directed by John Badham}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{About|the 1983 film|the 2002 short film|War Game (film)|the 1966 television film|The War Game|other uses|War game (disambiguation){{!}}War game}}
{{Redirect|WOPR|the radio station|Old Paths Radio Network}}
}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = WarGames
| image          = wargames.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Badham]]
| producer       = [[Harold Schneider]]<ref name=afi>{{Cite web |title=WarGames |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/67139 |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=AFI Catalog}}</ref>
| writer         = {{plainlist|
* [[Lawrence Lasker]]
* [[Walter F. Parkes]]
  }}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Matthew Broderick]]
* [[Dabney Coleman]]
* [[John Wood (English actor)|John Wood]]
* [[Ally Sheedy]]
  }}
| music          = [[Arthur B. Rubinstein]]
| cinematography = [[William A. Fraker]]
| editing        = [[Tom Rolf]]
| studio         = {{Unbulleted list|[[United Artists]]|Sherwood Productions}}
| distributor    = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM/UA Entertainment Company]] (United States)<br />[[United International Pictures]] (international)
| released       = {{film date|1983|05|07|[[1983 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|1983|06|03|United States}}
| runtime        = 114 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $12&nbsp;million
| gross          = $124.6&nbsp;million
}}

'''''WarGames''''' is a 1983 American [[techno-thriller]] film<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cyber Threats and Opportunities|url=https://ghc.fiu.edu/_assets/docs/3.1045-alex-crowther-cyber-threats-to-medical-community.pdf}}</ref> directed by [[John Badham]], written by [[Lawrence Lasker]] and [[Walter F. Parkes]], and starring [[Matthew Broderick]], [[Dabney Coleman]], [[John Wood (English actor)|John Wood]] and [[Ally Sheedy]]. Broderick plays David Lightman, a young [[Security hacker|computer hacker]] who unwittingly accesses a United States military [[supercomputer]] programmed to simulate, predict and execute [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]] against the [[Soviet Union]], triggering a [[false alarm]] that threatens to start [[World War III]].

The film premiered at the [[1983 Cannes Film Festival]], and was released by [[MGM/UA Communications Co.|MGM/UA Entertainment]] on June 3, 1983. It was a widespread critical and commercial success, grossing $125&nbsp;million worldwide against a $12&nbsp;million budget. At the [[56th Academy Awards]], the film was nominated for three [[Academy Awards|Oscars]], including [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]]. It also won a [[BAFTA Award]] for [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]].

''WarGames'' is credited with popularizing concepts of [[computer hacking]], [[information technology]], and [[cybersecurity]] in wider American society.<ref name="wired" /><ref name="wargames" /><ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Schulte |first1=Stephanie |date=November 2008 |title=The WarGames Scenario: Regulating Teenagers and Teenaged Technology |journal=Television and New Media |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=487–513 |doi=10.1177/1527476408323345 |s2cid=146669305}}</ref> It spawned several video games, a [[WarGames: The Dead Code|2008 sequel film]], and a [[WarGames (interactive media)|2018 interactive series]].

== Plot ==
During a surprise nuclear attack drill, many [[United States Air Force]] Strategic Missile Wing controllers prove unwilling to turn the keys required to launch a missile strike. Such refusals convince John McKittrick and other [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] (NORAD) systems engineers that missile launch control centers must be [[Doomsday device|automated, without human intervention]]. Control is given to a NORAD supercomputer known as WOPR (War Operation Plan Response, pronounced "whopper"), or Joshua, programmed to continuously run war simulations and learn over time.

David Lightman, a bright but unmotivated [[Seattle]] high school student and hacker, uses his [[IMSAI 8080]] computer and [[modem]] to access the school district's computer system and change the grades for himself and his friend and classmate, Jennifer Mack. Later, while [[war dialing]] numbers in [[Sunnyvale, California]], to find a computer game company, he connects with a system that does not identify itself. Asking for games, he finds a list including [[chess]], [[checkers]], [[backgammon]] and [[poker]], along with titles such as "Theaterwide Biotoxic and Chemical Warfare" and "Global Thermonuclear War", but cannot proceed further. Two hacker friends explain the concept of a [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]] password and suggest tracking down the Falken referenced in "Falken's Maze", the first game listed. David discovers that Stephen Falken was an early [[Artificial intelligence|artificial-intelligence]] researcher, and guesses correctly that the name of Falken's deceased son (Joshua) is the password.

Unaware that the Sunnyvale phone number connects to WOPR at the [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]], David initiates a game of Global Thermonuclear War, playing as the [[Soviet Union]] while targeting American cities. The computer starts a simulation that briefly convinces NORAD military personnel that actual Soviet nuclear missiles are inbound. While they defuse the situation, WOPR nonetheless continues the simulation to trigger the scenario and win the game, as it does not understand the difference between reality and simulation. It continuously feeds false data such as Soviet bomber incursions and submarine deployments to NORAD, pushing them to increase the [[DEFCON]] level toward a retaliation that will start [[World War III]].

David learns the true nature of his actions from a news broadcast, and [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[special agent]]s arrest him and take him to NORAD. He realizes that WOPR is behind the NORAD alerts, but he fails to convince McKittrick (who believes David is working for the Soviets) and is charged with espionage. David escapes NORAD by joining a tourist group and, with Jennifer's help, travels to the [[Oregon]] island where Falken lives under the alias "Robert Hume". David and Jennifer find that Falken has become despondent, believing that nuclear war is inevitable and as futile as a game of [[tic-tac-toe]] between two experienced players. The teenagers convince Falken that he should return to NORAD to stop WOPR.

WOPR stages a massive Soviet [[First strike (nuclear strategy)|first strike]] with hundreds of missiles, submarines, and bombers. Believing the attack to be genuine, NORAD prepares to retaliate. Falken, David, and Jennifer convince military officials to delay the [[second strike]] and ride out the supposed attack until actual weapons impacts are confirmed. When the targeted American bases ([[Elmendorf Air Force Base]], [[Grand Forks Air Force Base]], and [[Loring Air Force Base]]) report back unharmed, NORAD prepares to cancel the retaliatory second strike. However, WOPR tries to launch the missiles on its own using a [[brute-force attack]] to obtain the launch codes. Without humans in the control centers as a safeguard using the [[two-man rule]], the computer will trigger a mass launch. All attempts to log in and order WOPR to cancel the countdown fail. Disconnecting the computer is discussed and dismissed, as a [[fail-deadly]] mechanism will launch all weapons if the computer is disabled.

Falken and David direct the computer to play tic-tac-toe against itself. This results in a long string of draws, forcing the computer to learn the concept of futility and no-win scenarios. WOPR obtains the launch codes, but before launching, it cycles through all the nuclear war scenarios it has devised, finding that they all result in draws as well. Having discovered the concept of [[mutual assured destruction]] ("WINNER: NONE"), the computer tells Falken it has concluded that nuclear war is "a strange game" in which "the only winning move is not to play." WOPR relinquishes control of NORAD and the missiles and offers to play "a nice game of chess".

== Cast ==
{{cast listing|
* [[Matthew Broderick]] as David Lightman
* [[Dabney Coleman]] as Dr. John McKittrick
* [[John Wood (English actor)|John Wood]] as Dr. Stephen Falken / WOPR (voice)
* [[Ally Sheedy]] as Jennifer Mack
* [[Barry Corbin]] as Gen. Jack Beringer
* [[Juanin Clay]] as Patricia Healy
* [[Dennis Lipscomb]] as Lyle Watson
* [[Kent Williams (actor)|Kent Williams]] as Arthur Cabot
* Joe Dorsey as Col. Joe Conley
* [[Michael Ensign]] as Beringer's Aide
* [[William Bogert]] as Mr. Lightman, David's father
* Susan Davis as Mrs. Lightman, David's mother
* Irving Metzman as Paul Richter
* [[John Spencer (actor)|John Spencer]] as Cpt. Jerry Lawson
* [[Michael Madsen]] as Lt. Steve Phelps
* [[Alan Blumenfeld]] as Mr. Liggett
* [[James Tolkan]] as Mr. Wigan
* [[Drew Snyder]] as Ayers
* [[Maury Chaykin]] as Jim Sting
* [[Eddie Deezen]] as Malvin
* [[Jason Bernard]] as Cpt. Newton
* [[Jesse D. Goins]] as Sgt. Lennon
* [[Stephen Lee (actor)|Stephen Lee]] as Sgt. Schneider
* [[Art LaFleur]] as NORAD Guard
}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
Development on ''WarGames'' began in 1979, when writers Walter F. Parkes and [[Lawrence Lasker]] developed an idea for a script called ''The Genius'', about "a dying scientist and the only person in the world who understands him—a rebellious kid who's too smart for his own good". Lasker was inspired by a television special presented by [[Peter Ustinov]] on several geniuses, including [[Stephen Hawking]]. Lasker said, "I found the predicament Hawking was in fascinating&nbsp;— that he might one day figure out the [[unified field theory]] and not be able to tell anyone, because of his progressive [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|ALS]]. So there was this idea that he'd need a successor. And who would that be? Maybe this kid, a juvenile delinquent whose problem was that nobody realized he was too smart for his environment." The concept of computers and hacking as part of the film was not yet present.<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-08/ff_wargames?currentPage=all |title=WarGames: A Look Back at the Film That Turned Geeks and Phreaks Into Stars |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Brown, Scott |date=July 21, 2008 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712221432/http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-08/ff_wargames?currentPage=all |archive-date=July 12, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''The Genius'' began its transformation into ''WarGames'' when Parkes and Lasker met [[Peter Schwartz (futurist)|Peter Schwartz]] from the [[SRI International|Stanford Research Institute]]. "There was a new subculture of extremely bright kids developing into what would become known as hackers," said Schwartz. Schwartz made the connection between youth, computers, gaming, and the military.{{r|wired}} Parkes and Lasker also met with computer-security expert [[Willis Ware]] of [[RAND Corporation]], who assured them that even a secure military computer might have remote access enabling [[remote work]] on weekends, encouraging the screenwriters to continue with the project.<ref name="kaplan20160221">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/movies/wargames-and-cybersecuritys-debt-to-a-hollywood-hack.html | title=Cybersecurity's Debt to a Hollywood Hack | work=The New York Times | date=February 21, 2016 | access-date=February 28, 2016 | author=Kaplan, Fred | pages=AR24}}</ref>

Parkes and Lasker came up with several military-themed plotlines before the final story. One version of the script had an early version of the WOPR named "Uncle Ollie", or Omnipresent Laser Interceptor (OLI), a space-based defensive laser run by an intelligent program, but this idea was discarded because it was too speculative.<ref name="wired" /> Director [[John Badham]] coined the name "WOPR", feeling that the name of NORAD's [[Single Integrated Operational Plan]]  was "boring, and told you nothing".<ref name="wargames">[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] "WarGames 25th Anniversary Edition DVD"</ref> The name "WOPR" played off the [[Whopper]] hamburger, and a general sense of something going "whop".<ref name="wargames" />

David Lightman was modeled on David Scott Lewis, a hacking enthusiast Parkes and Lasker met.<ref name="wired" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/a-qa-that-is-25-years-late-david-scott-lewis-the-inspiration-behind-the-film-war-games/ |title=A Q&A that is 25 years late: David Scott Lewis, the mystery hacker who inspired the film "War Games" |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Takahashi, Dean |date=August 12, 2008 |work=VentureBeat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602035734/http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/a-qa-that-is-25-years-late-david-scott-lewis-the-inspiration-behind-the-film-war-games/ |archive-date=June 2, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Falken was inspired by and named after [[Stephen Hawking]]; [[John Lennon]] was interested in playing the role, but [[murder of John Lennon|was murdered in New York]] while the script was in development. General Beringer was based on General [[James V. Hartinger]] ([[United States Air Force|USAF]]), the then-[[commander-in-chief]] of NORAD, whom Parkes and Lasker met while visiting the base, and who, like Beringer, favored keeping humans in the [[Decision cycle|decision loop]].<ref name="wired" />

=== Filming ===
[[Martin Brest]] was originally hired as the director, but was dismissed after 12 days of shooting because of a disagreement with the producers,<ref name="Erickson, Hal">{{cite web |url = https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-brest-82954/bio |title = Martin Brest: Biography |access-date = March 15, 2009 |author = Erickson, Hal |publisher = Allmovie}}</ref><ref name="Erickson, Hal2">{{cite web |author=Erickson, Hal |title=Martin Brest: Biography |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-brest-82954/bio |access-date=March 15, 2009 |publisher=Allmovie}}</ref> and replaced with [[John Badham]]. Several of the scenes shot by Brest remain in the final film. Badham said that Brest had "taken a somewhat dark approach to the story and the way it was shot. It was like [Broderick and Sheedy] were doing some [[Nazism|Nazi]] undercover thing, so it was my job to make it seem like they were having fun, and that it was exciting." According to Badham, Broderick and Sheedy were "stiff as boards" when they came onto the sound stage, having both Brest's dark vision and the idea that they would soon be fired. Badham did 12 to 14 takes of the first shot to loosen the actors up. At one point, Badham decided to race with the two actors around the sound stage, with the one who came last having to sing a song to the crew. Badham lost and sang "[[The Happy Wanderer]]", the silliest song he could think of.<ref name="thi">{{cite web|url=http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/08/john-badham-hollywood-interview.html |title=John Badham: The Hollywood Interview |access-date=May 1, 2009 |author=Simon, Alex |date=August 2, 2008 |publisher=The Hollywood Interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708070846/http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2008/08/john-badham-hollywood-interview.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He invited what ''Wired'' described as "a small army of computer whizzes on set" to advise on accuracy.{{r|wired}}

[[Tom Mankiewicz]] says he wrote some additional scenes during shooting that were used.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tom|last=Mankiewicz|title=My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider's Journey Through Hollywood|others=with Robert Crane|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=2012|pages=253–254}}</ref> [[Walon Green]] was also an uncredited [[script doctor]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kehr |first=Dave |date=October 26, 1985 |title=WarGames |url=http://chicagoreader.com/film/wargames-2/ |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=Chicago Reader |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Design ===
The WOPR computer, as seen in the film, was a [[Theatrical property|prop]] created in [[Culver City, California]], by members of the [[International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees]] Local 44.<ref name="prop">{{cite web |author=Mike Fink |date=March 5, 2006 |title=What happened to the WOPR? |url=https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm#WOPR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103025355/https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm#WOPR |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |access-date=March 27, 2009 |work=The Wargames IMSAI}}</ref> It was designed by [[production designer]] (credited as a visual consultant) [[Geoffrey Kirkland]] on the basis of some pictures he had of early [[tabulating machine]]s, and metal furniture, consoles, and cabinets used particularly in the U.S. military in the 1940s and 1950s. Art director [[Angelo P. Graham]] adapted them in drawings and concepts. The WOPR was operated by a crewmember sitting inside the computer, entering commands into an [[Apple II]] at the director's instruction.<ref name="prop" /> The prop was broken up for scrap after production was completed. A replica was built for a 2006 AT&T commercial.<ref>{{cite web |title=wargames2 |url=https://www.imsai.net/wargames2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920195124/https://www.imsai.net/wargames2/ |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=September 20, 2020 |work=imsai.net}}</ref>

== Release ==
''WarGames'' did well at the box office, grossing $79,567,667, the fifth-highest of 1983 in the United States and Canada.<ref name="wired"/><ref>{{cite web |title = WarGames (1983) |url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl846759425/weekend/ |work = [[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher = [[IMDb|Internet Movie Database]] |access-date = December 22, 2010}}</ref> It grossed $45 million internationally for a worldwide total of $124.6 million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 11, 1995|page=92|title=UIP's $25M-Plus Club}}</ref>

The film was screened out of competition at the [[1983 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1374/year/1983.html |title=Festival de Cannes: WarGames |access-date=June 22, 2009 |work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>

== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''WarGames'' received an approval rating of 94% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Part delightfully tense techno-thriller, part refreshingly unpatronizing teen drama, ''WarGames'' is one of the more inventive—and genuinely suspenseful—Cold War movies of the 1980s."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wargames/ |title=WarGames (War Games) (1983) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=August 21, 2023}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] score of 77 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/wargames |title=WarGames Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=May 6, 2018}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] gave ''WarGames'' four out of four stars, calling it "an amazingly entertaining thriller" and "one of the best films so far this year", with a "wonderful" ending.<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |title=WarGames review |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wargames-1983 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=June 3, 1983 |access-date=December 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701054930/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19830603%2FREVIEWS%2F306030301%2F1023 |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Leonard Maltin]] gave it a mixed review calling it "''[[Fail Safe (1964 film)|Fail Safe]]'' for the [[Pac-Man]] Generation" and "Entertaining to a point". He concluded, "Incidentally, it's easy to see why this was so popular with kids: most of the adults in the film are boobs."<ref>{{cite web |first=Leonard |last=Maltin |author-link=Leonard Maltin |title=23. WarGames (1983) |url=http://maltinsworstratings.blogspot.com/2012/11/23-wargames-1983.html |website=Leonard Maltin's Worst Ratings |access-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref>

''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' stated that "''Wargames'' is plausible enough to intrigue and terrifying enough to excite&nbsp;... [it] makes one think, as well as feel, all the way", raised several moral questions about technology and society, and recommended the film to "Computer hobbyists of all kinds".<ref name="wilson19830708">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=2&id=11 | title=Movie Micro Review / "WarGames" | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=Jul–Aug 1983 | access-date=July 6, 2014 | author=Wilson, Dr. Johnny L. | page=43}}</ref> ''[[Softalk|Softline]]'' described the film as being "completely original"; unlike other computer-related films like ''[[Tron]]'' that "could (and do) exist in substantially the same form with some other plot", ''WarGames'' "could not exist if the microcomputer did not exist&nbsp;... It takes the micro and telecommunications as a given—part of the middle-class American landscape". The magazine praised the film as "Very funny, excruciatingly suspenseful, and endlessly inventive, this movie is right on the mark; authentic even when highly improbable".<ref name="softline19830708">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=12 | title=Games at War | work=Softline | date=Jul–Aug 1983 | access-date=July 28, 2014 | pages=31–32}}</ref> Christopher John in ''[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]]'' commented that "The movie cloaked itself in a standard message, but then set out to take something we have seen many times before and retell it in a new, interesting fashion. ''War Games'' is highly entertaining, fast-moving, colorful, and mentally stimulating".<ref name="Ares">{{cite journal | last=John | first=Christopher | title=Film | journal=[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]] | publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] | date=Fall 1983| issue=15 | pages=11–12}}</ref> [[Colin Greenland]] in ''[[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]]'' stated that "''Wargames'' is a tense, tight film, sharply acted, funny, sane, and with a plot twist for every chilling sub-routine in WOPR's scenarios for World War III".<ref name="Imagine8">{{cite journal | last = Greenland|first = Colin |author-link=Colin Greenland| title =Film Review | type = review | journal = [[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 8| pages =19 | publisher = TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. |date=November 1983}}</ref>

=== Accolades ===
''WarGames'' was nominated for three [[Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] ([[William A. Fraker]]), [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Sound]] ([[Michael J. Kohut]], [[Carlos Delarios]], [[Aaron Rochin]], [[Willie D. Burton]]), and [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen]] (Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes).<ref name="wired" /><ref name="Oscars1984">{{cite web |title=The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1984 |access-date=October 9, 2011 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> The company that provided the large [[video wall]] used to display the tactical situations seen in the NORAD set employed a new design that was super-bright, enabling the displays to be filmed live. (The set was more visually impressive than the actual NORAD facilities at the time.)<ref name="wired" /> The animations seen on the NORAD displays, produced by [[Colin Cantwell]], were created using Hewlett Packard [[HP 9845C]] computers driving monochrome HP 1345A vector displays, which were still-filmed through successive color-filters. Each frame took approximately one minute to produce, and 50,000 feet of negatives were produced over seven months. The animations were projected "live" onto the screens from behind using [[16 mm film]], so they were visible to the actors and no post-production work was needed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Screen Art: War Games |url=https://www.hp9845.net/9845/software/screenart/wargames/ |work=hp9845.net}}</ref>

==== List of awards and nominations ====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Year
!Category
! Nominee
! Result
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]
| rowspan="3" |[[56th Academy Awards|1984]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]]
|[[Lawrence Lasker]], [[Walter F. Parkes]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
|[[William A. Fraker]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
|[[Michael J. Kohut]], [[Carlos Delarios]], [[Aaron Rochin]], [[Willie D. Burton]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[American Cinema Editors|American Cinema Editors Award]]
|1984
|[[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic]]
|[[Tom Rolf]]
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]]
| rowspan="3" |[[37th British Academy Film Awards|1984]]
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
|[[Angelo P. Graham]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Special Visual Effects]]
|[[Michael L. Fink]], Joe Digaetano, Jack Cooperman, Don Hansard, [[Colin Cantwell]], [[William A. Fraker]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
|Michael J. Kohut, Willie D. Burton, [[William Manger]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Hugo Award]]
|1984
|[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]]
|John Badham, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="6" |[[Saturn Awards|Saturn Award]]
| rowspan="6" |[[11th Saturn Awards|1984]]
|[[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]]
|''WarGames''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|[[John Badham]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
|Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|[[Matthew Broderick]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|[[Ally Sheedy]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|[[John Wood (English actor)|John Wood]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Award]]
|[[36th Writers Guild of America Awards|1984]]
|[[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
|Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Young Artist Award]]
| rowspan="2" |[[6th Youth in Film Awards|1984]]
|Best Family Feature Motion Picture
|''WarGames''
|{{nom}}
|-
|Best Young Motion Picture Actress in a Feature Film
|Ally Sheedy
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Influence ===
''WarGames'' was the first mass-consumed, visual media with the central theme of remote computing as well as hacking, and it served as both an amplifier vehicle and framework for America's earliest discussion of [[information technology]].{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} <ref name="chin19830905">{{Cite magazine |last=Chin |first=Kathy |date=September 5, 1983 |title=Los Alamos computer system break-in |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sC8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false |access-date=April 30, 2025 |magazine=InfoWorld |pages=1,4 |volume=5 |issue=36}}</ref> News media described [[The 414s]]' penetration of systems at [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] as "the 'WarGames' case",<ref name="chin19830905">{{Cite magazine |last=Chin |first=Kathy |date=September 5, 1983 |title=Los Alamos computer system break-in |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sC8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false |access-date=April 30, 2025 |magazine=InfoWorld |pages=1,4 |volume=5 |issue=36}}</ref> and focused on the potential for film's scenario" to exist in reality. This contributed to the creation of the first U.S. federal internet policy, the [[Computer Fraud and Abuse Act]] of 1986.<ref name=":0" />

[[Bulletin board system]] (BBS) operators reported an unusual rise in activity in 1984, which at least one [[sysop]] attributed to ''WarGames'' introducing viewers to modems.<ref name="yakal198411">{{cite news |author=Yakal, Kathy |date=November 1984 |title=Bulletin Board Fever |page=16 |work=Compute!'s Gazette |url=https://archive.org/stream/1984-11-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_17_1984_Nov#page/n17/mode/2up |access-date=July 6, 2014}}</ref> The scenes showing Lightman's computer dialing every number in Sunnyvale led to the term "[[War dialing]]" (earlier known as "[[demon dialing]]"), a technique of using a modem to scan a list of telephone numbers in search of unknown computers, and indirectly to the newer term "[[wardriving]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ryan |first=Patrick S. |date=Summer 2004 |title=War, Peace, or Stalemate: Wargames, Wardialing, Wardriving, and the Emerging Market for Hacker Ethics |journal=[[Virginia Journal of Law & Technology]] |volume=9 |ssrn=585867 |number=7}}</ref>

President [[Ronald Reagan]], a family friend of Lasker's, watched the film and discussed the plot with members of Congress,<ref name="wired" /> his advisers, and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. Reagan's interest in the film is credited with leading to the enactment 18 months later of [[National security directive|NSDD-145]], the first [[Presidential directive]] on computer security.{{r|kaplan20160221}}

== Related media ==
===Novelization===
A novelization of the film was written by [[David Bischoff]].

=== Sequel ===
{{main|WarGames: The Dead Code}}
In November 2006, pre-production began on a sequel, titled ''WarGames: The Dead Code''. It was directed by Stuart Gillard, and starred [[Matt Lanter]] as a hacker named Will Farmer facing off with a government supercomputer called RIPLEY.<ref>{{cite web |title=WarGames 2 Casting |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/09/war-games-2-casting |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725210139/http://movies.ign.com/articles/744/744962p1.html |archive-date=July 25, 2012 |access-date=November 9, 2006 |work=Stax |publisher=IGN}}</ref> MGM released the sequel directly to DVD on July 29, 2008, along with the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of ''WarGames''. To promote the sequel, the original film returned to selected theaters as a one-night-only 25th-anniversary event on July 24, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 24, 2008 |title=WarGames 25th Anniversary |url=https://www.fathomevents.com/sci-fiandhorror/event/war_games_25th.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103235619/http://www.fathomevents.com/about/ |archive-date=November 3, 2010 |access-date=December 22, 2010 |publisher=NCM Fathom}}</ref>

=== Video games ===
A video game, ''[[WarGames (video game)|WarGames]]'', was released for the [[ColecoVision]] in 1983 and ported to the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] and [[Commodore 64]] in 1984. It played similarly to the NORAD side of the "Global Thermonuclear War" game, where the United States had to be defended from a Soviet strike by placing bases and weapons at strategic points. ''[[WarGames: Defcon 1]]'', a real-time strategy game only loosely related to the film, was released for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and PC in 1998.

A game inspired by the film, called "Computer War" from [[Thorn EMI]], in which the player must track and shoot down [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s, as well as crack a computer code, was released for the Atari 8-bit, [[TI-99/4A]], and [[VIC-20]] in 1984. The same year, Australian developer Gameworx released ''Thermonuclear Wargames'', an illustrated text adventure in which the player must stop a NORDAD computer called M.A.S.T.A. from initiating World War III.

The film also inspired the [[Introversion Software|Introversion]] game [[DEFCON (video game)|''DEFCON'']] (2006).<ref>{{cite web |author=Delay, Chris |title=Detonating Introversion's Defcon |url=https://www.introversion.co.uk//exposure/interview_gamedev_2.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630234814/http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/exposure/interview_gamedev_2.jpg |archive-date=June 30, 2010 |access-date=June 2, 2009 |publisher=Game Developer Magazine}}</ref>

[[Be-Rad Entertainment]] released a [[tile-matching video game]], "WarGames: WOPR", for [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=WarGames: WOPR for iOS |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wargames-wopr/id528382306 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620003934/http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wargames-wopr/id528382306 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 20, 2012 |website=[[iTunes]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WarGames: WOPR for Android |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.berad.wargames}}</ref>

=== Interactive series ===
{{main|WarGames (interactive media)}}
An [[interactive media]] reboot of ''WarGames'' was announced by MGM in 2015, with [[Interlude (interactive video)|Interlude]] serving as its co-production company. The project was described as an "audience-driven story experience", with anticipated launch in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=October 13, 2015 |title=MGM Rebooting 'WarGames' as Interactive Video Experience (Exclusive) |newspaper=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/wargames-interactive-video-mgm-interlude-1201616666/}}</ref> In March 2016, [[Sam Barlow (game designer)|Sam Barlow]] announced he had joined Interlude and would be serving as a creative lead in the series, on the basis of his work from his video game, "[[Her Story (video game)|Her Story]]", which required the player to piece together a mystery based on a series of video clips.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martens |first=Todd |date=March 15, 2016 |title='Her Story' creator to tackle interactive reboot of 'WarGames' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-her-story-creator-tackle-interactive-reboot-of-war-games-20160315-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Interlude rebranded itself as Eko in December 2016, and the six-episode series was released in March 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=December 6, 2017 |title='WarGames' Interactive Series from Sam Barlow Sets Early 2018 Release Date |url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/wargames-interactive-sam-barlow-eko-mgm-release-date-1202631934/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 9, 2018 |title=WarGames gets rebooted as an interactive hacking TV show |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/9/16992840/wargames-interactive-tv-show-sam-barlow}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The film's music was composed and conducted by [[Arthur B. Rubinstein]] and performed by the [[Hollywood Studio Symphony]]. A soundtrack album including songs and dialogue excerpts was released by [[Polydor Records]]. [[Intrada Records]] issued an expanded release in 2008 with the complete score, with expanded horn sections and without the film dialogue. In 2018, Quartet Records issued a 35th anniversary expanded 2-CD edition containing the score as presented in the film, and the 1983 Polydor album on disc 2.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://quartetrecords.com/wargames-2-cd.html |title=WarGames (2-CD) |website=QuartetRecords.com |access-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225223547/http://www.quartetrecords.com/wargames-2-cd.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Discography list
 | Type           = soundtrack
 | Name           = WarGames (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)<ref name="Soundtrack Discogs">{{Cite AV media notes |title=WarGames (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |others=Artist |year=1983 |url=http://www.discogs.com/Arthur-B-Rubinstein-Wargames-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/release/2592328 |first=Arthur B. |last=Rubinstein |page=2 |type=Album notes |publisher=[[United Artists]] / [[Polydor Records]] |id=422-815 005-1 Y-1 |location=Los Angeles and New York |access-date=May 29, 2015}}</ref>
 | Other info     = [[The Beepers]] ("Video Fever" and "History Lesson"): Brian Banks, [[Anthony Marinelli]], Cynthia Morrow and [[Arthur B. Rubinstein]]
 | from Album     = <!-- ONLY FOR EP/SINGLE: added after Name -->
 | Released       = 1983
 | Format         = Vinyl/LP/Album/Cassette
 | Label          = [[United Artists]] / [[Polydor Records]] – 422–815 005-1 Y-1
 | Writer         = [[Arthur B. Rubinstein]]
 | Writers        = <!-- Use if there are multiple writers, comma if many -->
 | Producer       = Ron Eyre, George Craig
 | Director       = <!-- "Director name" or "[[Director name]]" for music videos -->
 | Chart position = <!-- "No. 1 U.S." or "No. 12 UK" or such -->
 | Sales          = <!-- "3&nbsp;million sold as of 2005" or such -->
 | Certification  = <!-- "Gold" or such -->
 | Tracks         = [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young|Crosby, Stills & Nash]] rendition of "WarGames" released on [[Allies (Crosby, Stills & Nash album)|''Allies'']] (1983)
 | Bonus tracks   = <!-- "Four" (Japan edition) -->
 | Singles        = <!-- " "Single", "Other Single" ", etc. -->
}}

{{Discography list
 | Type           = soundtrack
 | Name           = WarGames<ref name="Filmtracks Review">{{cite web|author1=Editorial Review|title=WarGames|url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/wargames.html|publisher=FilmTracks|access-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529025236/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/wargames.html|archive-date=May 29, 2015|date=2008|quote=Overall, WarGames is among Rubenstein's most respected career works, and given its highly disparate components, it's likely best that you preview the music in the context of the highly entertaining movie before exploring the Intrada album blindly.}}</ref>
 | Other info     =  Special Collection release limited to 2500 copies. Expanded brass including extra trumpets, trombones, and baritone horns.<ref name="Intrada WarGames">{{cite web|title=WarGames|url=http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.5797/.f|publisher=[[Intrada Records]]|access-date=May 29, 2015}}</ref>
 | from Album     = <!-- ONLY FOR EP/SINGLE: added after Name -->
 | Released       = 1983 (2008)<ref name="Filmtracks Review"/>
 | Format         = LP/2 disk CD
 | Label          = Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 65
 | Writer         = [[Arthur B. Rubinstein]]
 | Writers        =
 | Producer       =
 | Director       = <!-- "Director name" or "[[Director name]]" for music videos -->
 | Chart position = <!-- "No. 1 U.S." or "No. 12 UK" or such -->
 | Sales          = <!-- "3&nbsp;million sold as of 2005" or such -->
 | Certification  = <!-- "Gold" or such -->
 | Tracks         =
 | Bonus tracks   = "Two" Bonus Track Time = 3:39 – Total Score Time = 65:49 – Total Time: 69:18
 | Singles        = <!-- " "Single", "Other Single" ", etc. -->
}}

== Legacy ==
Critics have cited the film as an influence on [[Mamoru Hosoda]]'s 2000 short film ''[[Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!]]'', with critic Geoffrey G. Thew, writing in ''Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation,'' noting that both films share a title and a plot of "a rogue AI hijacking the Internet to spread chaos and potentially destroy the world, only to be stopped by some kids on their computers."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stuckmann |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFxZDwAAQBAJ |title=Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation |date=May 15, 2018 |publisher=Mango Media |isbn=978-1-63353-733-0 |language=en}}</ref> Hosoda later stated that ''Our War Game'' "kind of started my idea for [his 2009 film] ''[[Summer Wars]]''," noting that ''Summer Wars'' "became the feature-length version of that idea" and allowed him to explore material he was unable to in ''Our War Game'''s 40 minute runtime.

== See also ==
* [[1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident]], which occurred a few months after the release

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote|WarGames}}
* {{Official website}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* {{mojo title}}
* [http://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm The IMSAI computer used in the film] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301180145/http://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm |date=March 1, 2009}})

{{WarGames}}
{{John Badham}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wargames}}
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