(/j Because I Can't) - Blog Posts

WarGames (1983)

We are introduced to computer-savvy techno-brat David as he works to game the system by changing his grades in the school district’s report card database.  This presupposes a world where teachers keep no written records of grades, or at the very least that data in a computer would be trusted over the word of a professional educator.  That’s pretty stupid, right?  Well, this movie does seem to think that cutting from an exterior shot of the Seattle waterfront to a high school clearly named ‘Snohomish High’ makes any sense at all.  Geographic hilarity aside, this sense of blind faith in computers encapsulates the very core of WarGames’ larger conflict—the race to stop WOPR from sparking nuclear war.  The computer system’s LED display ‘face’ may look sinister, but it’s just carrying out a program.  Is automation the answer in war—have we so dehumanized ourselves that we need to come up with something even more empathy-free in order to ensure our future destruction?  

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says ‘launch’ or ‘missile’.

WOPR appears onscreen.

David does something unethical on a computer.

A phone starts ringing.

Falken is mentioned.

BIG DRINK

Someone says ‘Global Thermonuclear War’.

A new nerd archetype appears onscreen.

Bo is a good boye.

The DEFCON rating changes or is mentioned.

Confidence is high.