“Do you want to play a game?”
On June 3rd, 1983, the techno-thriller film “WarGames”, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, was released in the United States. The film told the story of a high-school student (played by Broderick), who accidentally hacks into a government computer and almost begins nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The film was a success, grossing $125 million on a $12 million budget. The film’s NORAD set was, at the time, the most expensive set ever made, costing a whopping $1 million! “WarGames” is often credited with popularizing the concepts of computer hacking and cybersecurity. The film famously scared President Ronald Reagan, who led Congress to create the first Presidential directive on computer security.