WarGames: America, Communism, and the Threat of Nuclear War

A frequently recurring theme in WarGames is America’s attitude towards the threat of nuclear war. WarGames was written and released while Ronald Reagan held the office of the President of the United States. This is particularly significant because Reagan pledged to “restore America’s defenses” after a reduction in weaponry during the Carter Administration (Faragher 592). Reagan’s proposed pl

an of “peace through strength” began with heavy promotion of increased defense spending and brought the threat of nuclear war back into the minds of Americans (Faragher 592). This is evidenced in the movie when, after breaking into NORAD’s computer system, David is prompted to select from a lengthy list of military games. Just as a teenager today might choose “Biotoxic and Chemical Warfare”, David, a teenager in 1983, was intrigued by the inclusion of “Global Thermonuclear War”. The fact that he chose a game centering on nuclear war from a list of nearly twenty games gives us a glimpse into the minds of teenagers in 1983.

Another recurring theme touched upon by WarGames is society’s fear of the communist party in general. In an intriguing scene the Lightman’s family dog, named Bo, tips over the trash can and starts sifting through it. While referred to as Bo in the film, dog’s full name is listed as “Bolsh” in the credits. This appears to be an attempt to link the dog to the ruling party in the Soviet Union: the Bolsheviks. At one point his Mom tells him to “put that lid on real tight because Bo gets into everything.” The Lightman’s dog is a small but symbolic character that illustrates the public’s general fear that communists are not only within their midst, but that they could also be observing their every move. Each scene in which Bo plays a part shows the dog either casually following one of the Lightmans around or rummaging through their belongings while their backs are turned. This coincides well with speeches Reagan was giving a

Some topics in this essay:
Red Scare, Soviet Union, United States’, Thermonuclear War”, Bolsheviks Mom, Command NORAD, World War, David Lightman, Evil Empire…, Thermonuclear War, nuclear war, threat nuclear, faragher 594, soviet union, computer system, threat nuclear war, “global thermonuclear, norad’s computer, “global thermonuclear war”, system david, war wargames, world war, increased defense spending, nuclear war wargames, norad’s computer system,