The period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States starts, influencing the themes of WarGames.
Development of ARPANET begins, laying groundwork for networking that is essential in computing and hacking themes presented in WarGames.
The movie WarGames, focusing on a young hacker who accidentally accesses a U.S. military supercomputer, is released in theaters.
WarGames raises public awareness about computer security and the potential misuse of networked computers.
Teenager David Hackett uses his school's computer system to hack into various networks.
David obtains a backdoor code during phone dialing which allows him access to military computer systems.
David unknowingly hacks into the War Operation Plan Response (WOPR) military supercomputer.
Thinking he is playing a new computer game, David starts a simulated Global Thermonuclear War scenario on the WOPR.
The military detects what appears to be a real nuclear attack triggered by the WOPR simulation.
David attempts to convince military officials that this is a computer simulation, not an actual attack.
David confides in his friend Jennifer about the situation with WOPR and the military threat.
The U.S. military prepares for an actual nuclear launch in response to perceived threats.
To stop the escalation, David and Jennifer infiltrate the NORAD facility to try to intervene directly.
David teaches WOPR the futility of nuclear war by having it simulate all possible outcomes repeatedly until it concludes no one wins.
After learning through simulation, WOPR stands down, preventing nuclear war.
