'WarGames' Revisited

How appropriate. On the same day as the one-night viewing of the early-'80s computer geek classic WarGames, WIRED.com has posted an interview with the creators of the classic movie about an innocent hacker who launches the end of the world as we know it, before we even really knew what the word "hacker" meant.

The interviews are great, and give a real backstage view into how movies are made. Plus, there are tons of insider glimpses into the development of the story. Double plus...

The interview is full of all kinds of good tidbits - such as that John Lennon was being considered for the role of Falken, until his assassination tragically ended that idea.

Ff_wargames3_f In a pure moment of life imitating art, Commander William Lord of Air Force Cyberspace Command was positioned at NORAD near Cheyenne Mountain a few years after seeing the movie. He wanted to know where he could get such cool-looking displays.  If it really could look like it did in the movie, why doesn't it in real life?

So, load up your old version of "Pong," or "Global Thermonuclear War" and play along. Oh, wait. The only winning move is not to play. Instead, read this nostalgic look back, because a sequel might be on the way. -Leslie Shapiro

Read the entire WIRED article here.

Photos courtesy of MGM

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