WarGames (1983)
High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.
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Added by Hextor · 5 months ago
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🎙️ SYSK Episodes
#011526
Data Centers: Can't Live With Em, Can't Live Without Em
"we've referenced the movie War Games from our childhood in the 80s a lot"
— Josh
WarGames was mentioned as a memorable childhood movie featuring early computer and modem technology.
Jan 15, 2026
#120925
Operation Paul Bunyan
"I have seen War Games, so I know how it works."
— Chuck
Chuck referenced War Games to explain his understanding of DefCon levels and nuclear terminology.
Dec 9, 2025
#092625
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders
"War games, great movie."
— Chuck
Mentioned alongside Krull as an example of movies Josh watched in childhood.
Sep 26, 2025
#050125
What we know about MI6
"He said, have you seen War Games? He's like, that could happen."
— Chuck
Referencing the film when discussing potential nuclear conflict scenarios during Cold War tensions.
May 1, 2025
#100524
Selects: How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked
"Yeah, in war games. I mean, those were all HBO specials, but this was a really good movie."
— Josh
Josh references WarGames as another HBO special movie from that era.
Oct 5, 2024
#072324
Phone Phreaking: The Advent of Hacking
"If anyone saw the movie War Games, which we've talked about quite a few times on the show because it's one of the show favorites."
— Chuck
Discussed as an example of phone freaking depicted in film, where Matthew Broderick's character uses war dialing and phone hacking techniques.
Jul 23, 2024
#022224
The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout
"possibly a little bit like Matthew Broderick in war games, where it's like, oh, wait a"
— Josh
Josh compares David Hahn's realization about his nuclear reaction to the protagonist's moment in the film.
Feb 22, 2024
#012724
Selects: A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer
Jan 27, 2024
#083022
We Need More Sustainable Packaging, Like, Yesterday
"in war games, Matthew Broderick knew this trick, where he unscrewed the receiver"
— Chuck
Referenced as an example of a movie trick involving using a pull tab to make a fake phone connection.
Aug 30, 2022
#033122
What’s NATO All About?
"Matthew Broderick bring us back from the brink of nuclear war. What a hero. What a movie."
— Josh
Josh mentions Matthew Broderick's role in WarGames when discussing nuclear war anxiety and Cold War-era experiences.
Mar 31, 2022
#011822
Rock Paper Scissors: Decider of Things
"Maybe you can embrace it as like, this is the kind of game theory that like, war games was about."
— Josh
Referenced as an example of game theory concepts being explored in film.
Jan 18, 2022
#120520
SYSK Selects: How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe
"I know. Pretty stupid. So the guy just nicknamed it Joshua? No. Joshua was the... Software? Falcon was the old man who designed all the stuff and his son was Joshua and that was the password to get into the system."
Discussion references WarGames in relation to computers and the WOPR system from the movie.
Dec 5, 2020
#090120
How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked
"I mean, those were all HBO specials, but this was a really good movie. And I'm a big, big fan of prison escape movies"
— Chuck
Chuck referenced WarGames as part of the group of HBO movies from his childhood.
Sep 1, 2020
#042820
How Existential Risks Work
"movies like War Games and movies like The Day After that global thermonuclear war would be an ex-risk"
— Chuck
Referenced as an example of 1980s films that depicted global thermonuclear war as a potential existential risk.
Apr 28, 2020
#020420
How AI Facial Recognition Works
"Matthew Broderick in War Games, Roland. And this is Stuff You Should Know."
— Josh
Josh mentions Matthew Broderick starring in WarGames as an opening joke.
Feb 4, 2020
#120618
Was the PMRC censorship in disguise?
"You've seen war games. Yeah. They'll come to your house. They'll come to your house and play out of your upstairs bedroom."
— Josh
Josh references War Games to illustrate his point about worrying as a kid that recording music from the radio could get him in legal trouble.
Dec 6, 2018
#052218
A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer
"Jonathan: The only way to win is not to play. Right. Yes. So a game like... It's quarter talk."
Jonathan references the famous quote from War Games about tic-tac-toe and solved games.
May 22, 2018
#112317
What is nuclear forensics?
"everyone's seen war games, you can't win. You can't win."
— Chuck
Referenced as a film demonstrating the impossibility of winning a nuclear war.
Nov 23, 2017
#071117
Why is There a Battle Over Net Neutrality?
"like everyone's seen war games and we all know that that's how the future is going"
— Chuck
Referenced as an example of how people understood early computer networking through popular culture.
Jul 11, 2017
#071916
How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe
"Joshua was the software, Falcon was the old man who designed all the stuff and his son was Joshua and that was the password."
— Chuck
Chuck discusses the computer system and password from WarGames in relation to early supercomputer technology.
Jul 19, 2016
#080714
What is a Numbers Station?
"Is this war games? We'll find out in 30 minutes."
— Josh
Josh references WarGames when discussing how someone with nuclear keys might not know if they're conducting a real test or actual operation.
Aug 7, 2014
#101612
How Black Holes Work
"How about a nice game of chess?"
— Chuck
Chuck quotes the famous line from WarGames when reading listener mail about Cold War topics and global thermonuclear war.
Oct 16, 2012
#112409
What is Mutual Assured Destruction?
"Sure, War Games. Did we talk about this one in the steel and nuclear bomber?"
— Chuck
Chuck referenced WarGames as his favorite movie that featured the ladder of escalation concept heavily.
Nov 24, 2009
#082509
How easy is it to steal a nuclear bomb?
"It's the same time as war games, which we'll get to in a minute"
— Josh
Mentioned as being from the same era as The Manhattan Project and referenced for its depiction of nuclear weapons controls.
Aug 25, 2009
Cast
Matthew Broderick
David Lightman
Dabney Coleman
McKittrick
John Wood
Stephen Falken
Ally Sheedy
Jennifer
Barry Corbin
General Beringer
Juanin Clay
Pat Healy
Kent Williams
Cabot
Dennis Lipscomb
Watson
J
Joe Dorsey
Conley
Irving Metzman
Richter
Michael Ensign
Beringer's Aide
William Bogert
Mr. Lightman
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