Computer Reliability

Wargames is set in 1983, a year when computers and dial up internet were widespread, but still not fully understood by many of people, shown by the computer illiteracy of many characters in the movie. David Lightman and Dr. Falken are the only main characters that truly understand the power of computing, yet only Dr. Falken knows the true power of the Global Nuclear War Game that he designed and programmed. Despite this, it was never Dr. Falken's intention to make into a real war simulation. David Lightman thinks that the simulation is only a game when he breaks into NORAD network, and this leads to the nuclear escalation that almost results in World War 3. Software engineering is not just concerned with design of systems that preform their intended tasks, it is also about making software that has a clear purpose to its users [2]. When systems that people's lives are depended on are used by users who do not understand the consequences of their interaction with the program, the risks of disaster are pressing and grave.

WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), NORAD's supercomputer, is an advanced machine (for 1983). At the NORAD headquarters, the computer runs constantly, yet the employees and staff of NORAD don't particularly interact with it often, trusting it to do its intended job. Here is the first flaw in the system: the people who rely on the machine to provide them with data don't know how it works. Only Dr. Falken knows how it works, but he is not easy to reach and doesn't work at NORAD. As a result, the computer is virtual a "black box" that NORAD staff can't fix or understand.

When David Lightman gains access to WOPR's internal software, he is under the impression that he is playing a games. In this game, he simulates an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union. However, this is not a game, but there is no indication of the real purpose of the software when Lightman starts playing. This is the second flaw in the system: the most consequential user actions available in the software are not explained to the user or documented. When designed, the system was only intended to be used by Dr. Falken, the creator of the software. It would be clear to Dr. Falken what the consequences of playing Global Thermonuclear War are because he programmed the software and knows its inner workings. However, to a new user, like Lightman, it looks just like a game.

The real disastrous consequences from both major flaws in this system. Not only does Lightman not know that he started the countdown to nuclear war, the NORAD staff have no idea that the nuclear attack that they are seeing is just a simulation proposed by the WOPR computer. And on top of that, when one of system technicians announces that it's a simulation, they refuse to believe him because they have no idea how it works or who to trust about its functionality.