5 Amazing Ways WARGAMES Changed the World

Source: WarGames

In 1983, a low-budget movie widely considered a simple teenage sci-fi thriller hit the screens. That movie was WarGames, about a teenager who accidentally hacks into NORAD and almost triggers World War III. The movie was a smash hit, and also had far-reaching effects on Hollywood and the world. Over twenty-five years later, it’s still considered the benchmark of computer-related movies, and its message of the dangers of technology and advanced warfare are even more relevant. Here’s a small sample of five ways this little movie had a big impact.

1. The Hacking Community – The initial impact of the movie was to give a huge boost to the phenomenon of hacking. Whereas most people saw WarGames as a nightmarish scenario, a certain segment of the population thought, “Cool, how can I do that?” Before 1983, hacking was mainly an underground hobby. But according to Bruce Sterling, the hacking scene exploded after the movie’s release. Numerous real-life hackers, including such high-profile figures as Shooting Shark and Erik Bloodaxe have admitted that the movie inspired them to pursue hacking. A big hacker conference is called DEF CON in an homage to WarGames.

NORAD, Source: WarGames

2. NORAD – WarGames wasn’t allowed to film or even photograph the real NORAD command center, so the producers created their own version of what they thought it might look like. It became the most expensive set ever built at the time, costing over one million dollars. Sadly, what they created was far cooler and more interesting than the real thing. In reality, NORAD’s computer systems dated back to the 1950’s. None of the monitors even had color. After the release of the movie, so many people who toured NORAD kept asking to see the “real” computers that they upgraded the entire system.

3. DEFCON – WarGames also publicized the DEFCON system, which most Americans had never heard of before the movie. DEFCON is the alert status issued for various branches of the military to indicate their combat readiness. After WarGames, no movie about impending nuclear war like Watchmen or Independence Day would be complete without someone announcing the DEFCON status.

US Congress, Source: Wikimedia

4. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act – Before WarGames, most people had never even heard of computer hacking, let alone tried to stop it. But the movie so terrified the world that the U.S. government was motivated to try to stop it. Six different anti-hacking bills sprang up in 1983, and a clip from WarGames was shown in Congress as a “realistic representation” of the dangers of hacking. Within a year, President Reagan signed a bill into law with the sole purpose of criminalizing penetrating government mainframes like NORAD. Since its inception, the CFAA has been broadened to cover everything from terrorism to violating MySpace’s terms of service.

President Ronald Reagan, Source: Wikimedia

5. Ronald Reagan – If that wasn’t enough, WarGames reportedly changed U.S. foreign policy. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan’s aides were trying to convince him to support arms control, but Reagan ignored all the detailed notes they gave him. Yet the Saturday before a big meeting with Democratic congressmen, Reagan saw WarGames at Camp David, and its anti-nuke message completely sold him on the idea of limiting nuclear proliferation.

What do you think of WarGames? What impact did WarGames have on you?

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