WOPR
Encyclopedia
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
featured in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
and its sequel
WarGames: The Dead Code
WarGames: The Dead Code is a 2008 sequel to the 1983 thriller film WarGames. It was written by Randall M. Badat and Rob Kerchner and was directed by Stuart Gillard. Production began on November 20, 2006 in Montreal, and the film was released on DVD on July 29, 2008...
. It is an acronym for War Operation Plan Response. Director John Badham
John Badham
- External links :...
invented the name "WOPR" when he thought the NORAD SIOP
Single Integrated Operational Plan
The Single Integrated Operational Plan was the United States' general plan for nuclear war from 1961 to 2003. The SIOP gave the President of the United States a range of targeting options, and described launch procedures and target sets against which nuclear weapons would be launched...
(Single Integrated Operational Plan) was "boring, and told you nothing". "WOPR" according to the director plays off of the Whopper
Whopper
The Whopper sandwich is the signature hamburger product sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jacks. Introduced in 1957, it has undergone several reformulations including resizing and bread changes...
hamburger and a fuzzy image of something going whop.
Purpose
WOPR is a form of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, programmed to play numerous strategy and war game
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
s, including one called Global Thermonuclear War
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
, the purpose being to enable itself to optimally respond to any possible enemy nuclear attack. Unbeknownst to its military users, WOPR was programmed with a level of sentience by its inventor, and when prompted it responds to the name Joshua, the name of its creator's deceased son.
In the 2008 sequel WarGames: The Dead Code
WarGames: The Dead Code
WarGames: The Dead Code is a 2008 sequel to the 1983 thriller film WarGames. It was written by Randall M. Badat and Rob Kerchner and was directed by Stuart Gillard. Production began on November 20, 2006 in Montreal, and the film was released on DVD on July 29, 2008...
WOPR was retired and replaced with R.I.P.L.E.Y., a new artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
supercomputer. WOPR was used to run a hydroelectric dam in Canada but R.I.P.L.E.Y. sent an unmanned predator drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
to destroy the old WOPR.
Prop
The WOPR computer as seen in the film was a propTheatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
created in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
by members of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 44. It was designed by production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
(credited as visual consultant) Geoffrey Kirkland
Geoffrey Kirkland
Geoffrey Kirkland is an English production designer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film The Right Stuff.-Selected filmography:* Fame * WarGames...
based on some pictures he had of early tabulating machine
Tabulating machine
The tabulating machine was an electrical device designed to assist in summarizing information and, later, accounting. Invented by Herman Hollerith, the machine was developed to help process data for the 1890 U.S. Census...
s, and metal furniture, consoles, and cabinets used particularly in the U.S. military in the 1940s and 50s. They were adapted in drawings and concepts by art director Angelo Graham. The prop was eventually broken up for scrap after production was completed.
In other media
- WOPR appears in the loose video game adaptation of the film, WarGames: Defcon 1WarGames: Defcon 1WarGames: Defcon 1 is a video game for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Although both versions possess the same missions and content, the PlayStation version is a tactical vehicle-shooting game while the PC version is a real-time strategy game...
, as one of the playable sides in the game. Its units consists of futuristic robots. - In the ABC FamilyABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
television series GreekGreek (TV series)Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system...
, Kappa Tau, one of the show's fraternities, maintains its academic good standing through the use of a computer program that simulates a student, enrolling in classes and getting high grades to raise the average grade point average. The virtual student's name is "Joshua Wopr". - WarGames was parodied in an episode of Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. In the sketch, the nerd is searching for cheat codes online after being beaten in a game and comes across a military defense computer like WOPR (jokingly named B.I.G.M.A.C.). He uses it to nuke Canada, and is apprehended by the U.S. military. They water board the nerd into telling them Mordor is in Pakistan, and then jail him. - In EurekaEureka (TV series)Eureka is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011...
, when S.A.R.A.H. takes several residents of Eureka hostage, it is mentioned that she was based on an interrogation program, which was in turn based on a war games simulator. When this is mentioned, SARAH asks "Would you like to play a game?" (the entire cast frantically says No), implying that the war-games simulator she is descended from is WOPR. - In the recent game Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareCall of Duty 4: Modern WarfareCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. A handheld game was made for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America, Australia, and...
, on the level "Act III, No Fighting in the War Room", a Russian W.O.P.R. clone appears off to the side of the main course of the map, while "Shepard" is complaining how slow the doors are. On the casing, the text "В.А.П.Р." is printed, in a similar font to the 'W.O.P.R."