WarGames Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WarGames - Essay Example His latest goal is to discover how to get into the computers at a gaming company to play their latest big game before it comes out, but he unwittingly ends up inside WOPR, the top defense computer the Pentagon has at its disposal. Presented with a list of games to play, David is especially intrigued by one entitled, "Global Thermonuclear War", a simulation of US vs. Russia nuclear war scenarios. Alas, what started out as a game seems all too real, as WOPR takes over the systems at the NORAD project, and the folks there aren't sure if it is all a game or if the Russian missiles that appear to be poised to wipe out the US means World War III is imminent. Although WarGames is mostly considered a juvenile sci-fi adventure today, it was taken very seriously at the time of its release, thanks to the prevailing fear of nuclear war, in addition to the vast majority of the public not knowing of how such things as modems and computer actually work.