That scene from War Games
Why Hacker News recommends it
Mostly used as a joking or nostalgic reference in threads about nuclear war, AI and security exploits.
What it is
The climactic lesson scene from the 1983 film WarGames, in which the computer learns that the only winning move in nuclear war is not to play. It includes the character entering zero players and the famous closing line.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2010 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec carapace · 2018-06 · on “AI Nationalism”
I found the scene on youtube: [this video] I'm bawling my eyes out right now. "The only winning move is not to play."
Cites antman · 2020-06 · on “'Quake III Arena' Bots Decide to Stop Fighting After 4-Year Match (2013)”
“The only move is not to play” is from the 1983 movie “War games” whose theme is a kid hacks into a government computer that controls nuclear weapons, the computer almost starts a nuclear war but stops short after running simulated scenarios which all lead to total annihilation. [this video] it’s on the monitor at 3:40