WarGames
1983movie
People
Where to Watch
YouTube TVYouTube TVHis bedroom (complete with deeply nostalgic “piano key” style video player) seemed impossibly exotic in 1983, like the first steps towards the cyberpunk future popularised by writers like William Gibson – whose genre-defining debut novel Neuromancer would be released a year later – and Bruce Sterling.
WarGames offered one of the first popular depictions of hacking, sparking an interest in computers and programming among a generation. The protagonist, David Lightman, was an archetype for the curious young hacker, encouraging a sense of empowerment and discovery about technology’s potential. The movie contributed to the mystique around computing by showcasing advanced systems like the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) computer.
