'WarGames' Trailer: Shall We Play A Game?

The 1983 film WarGames gets an update for modern times with #WarGames, a new interactive series that will launch on mobile, HelloEko.com, Vudu.com and Steam later this month. Check out the new WarGames trailer below.

In the 1983 movie WarGames, high-schooler Matthew Broderick almost started a global thermonuclear war after hacking into a military supercomputer. Now, the story gets an update for the digital age. WarGames (or #WarGames, if you want to get technical) is an "interactive series" which will feature both a narrative story and a chance for viewers to play along. The story follows Kelly (Jess Nurse), "an ex-military brat turned hacker activist, as she and a team of international hackers band together in an attempt to bring about peace. As events escalate, they may have done more harm than good." The WarGames trailer is here.

As the six-episode season unfolds, you'll have a chance to influence the narrative by "switching between video feeds" allowing the series to "learn" from your choices. That actually sounds kind of terrifying, but that might just be the old man in me talking. The production value in that trailer isn't exactly what I'd call "inspired", but the concept of interacting with entertainment – especially entertainment that has a game built into its narrative – is kind of genius.

The series comes from creator Sam Barlow. Barlow previously provided some insight into how the new WarGames works:

"You'll have a bunch of windows on your screen. We're used to video chatting with our friends, having a big image, and smaller images of other people, things dropping in and out. So we decided to build the show around this concept. As the story's progressing, all these different characters are talking to each other over the internet, and all of their windows are up on the screen. There'll be additional video windows as well, so if they're hacking into CCTV cameras, you'll see that. If they're watching a live TV broadcast, you'll see that."

WarGames will launch on mobile, HelloEko.com, Vudu.com and Steam on March 14, 2018, with Xbox One coming soon.

#WarGames' brings together a cast of talented newcomers, gripping narrative and seamless interactivity, giving the audience a deep personal stake in the story as it unfolds," said Yoni Bloch, CEO of Eko. "The show 'watches' your actions, learns your preferences, and adapts intelligently. #WarGames is a perfect example of the types of stories Eko's technology makes possible, and we're thrilled to make the series available across multiple platforms so viewers can enjoy it wherever they are and at their own pace.