Discussed in these episodes

  • Myke at the Movies cover art
    Myke at the Movies August 17, 2015 Protovision, I have you now.
    8 "WarGames"

    Shall we play a game? 1983’s Cold War thriller with a message—and lots of old computers—is in the spotlight.

  • The Incomparable Mothership cover art
    The Incomparable Mothership April 5, 2014 “WarGames.”
    189 Using Computers to Impress Girls

    Warm up your modem and turn your nuclear-launch key—it’s time to play Global Thermonuclear War! We discuss “WarGames,” the 1983 John Badham film starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, and Ally Sheedy. Is this the ultimate film for computer nerds like us? How do the film’s Cold War themes contrast with its anti-technology themes? Can a computer make moral decisions? Why is there so much nerd shaming and sexism? And why do they let tour buses into the heart of America’s nuclear command? So many questions, Professor Falken, and so few remote-controlled pterodactyls.