WOPR

For the American FM radio station, see WOPR-FM.

WOPR Computer, taken from WarGames

WOPR (pronounced "Whopper") is a fictional military supercomputer featured in the movie WarGames and its sequel. It is an acronym for War Operation Plan Response. Director John Badham invented the name "WOPR" when he thought the NORAD SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan) was "boring, and told you nothing". "WOPR" according to the director plays off of the Whopper hamburger and a fuzzy image of something going whop.

Purpose

WOPR is a form of artificial intelligence, programmed to play numerous strategy and war games, including one called Global Thermonuclear War, 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 WOPR was retired and replaced with R.I.P.L.E.Y., a new artificial intelligence supercomputer. WOPR was used to run a hydroelectric dam in Canada but R.I.P.L.E.Y. sent an unmanned predator drone to destroy the old WOPR.

Prop

The WOPR computer as seen in the film was a prop created in Culver City, California by members of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 44. It was designed by production designer (credited as visual consultant) Geoffrey Kirkland based on some pictures he had of early tabulating machines, 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 1, as one of the playable sides in the game. Its units consists of futuristic robots.
• In the ABC Family television series Greek, 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 Chicken. 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 Eureka, 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 Warfare, 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."

See also

• List of fictional computers

External links

• WOPR production information