This 'WarGames' reboot rethinks Cold War-era sci-fi as a YA take on 'Homeland'
The classic line "Would you like to play a game?" takes on a whole new meaning in a WarGames reboot conceived by Sam Barlow.
The Her Story creator describes the reboot -- officially titled #WarGames -- as an "experimental interactive series." He's developing it with the blessing of rights-holder MGM Studios for Eko, a video storytelling platform that gives viewers a measure of control in shaping the stories they sit down to watch.
Barlow's experience with Her Story makes him a great fit for this kind of concept. The 2015 mobile game invites players to investigate a mystery by searching through a police database of live-action interview clips.
You play by entering search terms -- under a strict set of limitations -- into a user interface that resembles a clunky PC desktop from the '90s. A story starts to take shape as you uncover an increasing array of clips, using the information gleaned from each one to inform subsequent searches.
Notably, Her Story doesn't have an explicit "all is revealed" moment. There's a way to "complete" the game, but even then, the answers aren't ever spelled out for you. The mystery at the heart of the story is somewhat open to interpretation; as with most things in life, there's no clean wrap-up.
All of which is to say: It's exciting to see Barlow's name connected to an "experimental interactive series" based on a sci-fi classic from the late days of the Cold War. The creative force that shaped Her Story could do great things with a concept like "WarGames, but for the era of Trump."
The series will launch on Eko sometime in 2018, and the debut trailer (above) makes it clear that this story will hinge in some way on real world events. There are many questions still to be answered, but Barlow offered a sense of what to expect in a Twitter thread announcing the news.
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For those who might need a quick refresher: WarGames is a 1983 film starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays a young hacker who inadvertently breaks into a U.S. military supercomputer that predicts the outcome of nuclear war scenarios.
Broderick's David Lightman, thinking he's found a computer game, tries to play by running a simulation. Unfortunately for him, the supercomputer misinterprets the scenario as an actual nuclear threat and acts to mobilize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
It's probably safe to assume the story will change somewhat for #WarGames, especially given Barlow's "YA Homeland" and "Teen Blacklist" characterizations.
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
