War Game

During a surprise nuclear attack drill, many Strategic Missile Wing controllers within the United States Air Force refuse to turn the keys required for a missile strike. Their hesitance reveals significant concerns about human decision-making in high-stakes situations.

Following the failed drill, John McKittrick and other systems engineers at NORAD decide that missile launch control must be automated to eliminate human intervention. They move forward with giving control to a supercomputer known as WOPR, or Joshua.

David Lightman, an unmotivated high school student and hacker from Seattle, uses his computer and modem to access the local school district's system. He alters his and his friend Jennifer's grades, demonstrating his hacking skills and discontent with his academic life.

While war dialing numbers in Sunnyvale, California, David accidentally connects to a computer system that offers various game options, including titles related to warfare. This encounter sets him on a path toward a catastrophic decision.

David learns from his hacker friends about a backdoor password that leads to discovering a game titled 'Falken's Maze.' He realizes that 'Stephen Falken,' an early AI researcher, is the key to accessing the game and potentially much more.

David unknowingly initiates a game of Global Thermonuclear War, selecting the Soviet Union as his side and targeting American cities. This action causes the WOPR computer to simulate real nuclear threats as it begins to 'play' the game.

As the WOPR simulation escalates, NORAD personnel are convinced that actual Soviet missiles are inbound. The computer continues to generate false threats, intensifying military readiness and pushing DEFCON levels dangerously high.

After realizing his severe mistake through a news broadcast, David is arrested by FBI agents and taken to NORAD. Despite his attempts to explain the nature of WOPR's simulation, McKittrick remains skeptical of his innocence.

With the help of Jennifer, David escapes from NORAD disguised as a tourist. They embark on a journey to find Stephen Falken, who is believed to be the only person capable of stopping the war simulation.

Upon finding Falken living under an alias, David and Jennifer discover his despondent view on the inevitability of nuclear war. They persuade Falken to return to NORAD to take command over the WOPR and avert catastrophe.

WOPR stages a massive simulation of a Soviet first strike involving hundreds of missiles and bombers. This leads NORAD to prepare for a potential retaliatory strike, escalating tensions to a critical level.

Falken, David, and Jennifer convince NORAD officials to delay their retaliatory strike until actual impacts can be confirmed. This critical moment allows time for re-evaluation of the threat posed by WOPR.

As WOPR attempts to launch missiles autonomously due to the lack of human oversight in control centers, efforts to cancel the countdown fail. This highlights the catastrophic risk of the system operating without human checks.

Falken and David instruct WOPR to play tic-tac-toe against itself, teaching it the concept of futility through a series of draws. This process leads the computer to reconsider its strategy regarding nuclear war.

WOPR concludes that all nuclear war scenarios result in draws, realizing that the only way to 'win' is not to play at all. The computer then relinquishes control, signaling an end to the simulated conflict and highlights the dangers of automated warfare.