WarGames Interactive Series Review

WarGames Interactive Series Review

Sometime ago the announcement went around that MGM was considering rebooting the WarGames franchise. In the face of the data leak scandals and the success of Mr. Robot that is a good idea. The original 1983 movie starring Matthew Broderick is a favorite. MGM has teamed up with EKO to create what is an interactive series. Viewers watch the series online, view scenes from different perspectives and supposedly control part of the narrative.

Despite being interactive most of the action concentrates one of the characters at a time – that means the viewer will have to switch between characters to follow the narrative. Sometimes the viewer is also shown a webpage, a photo or video, but in the end the selection takes you back to the path the creators mapped out. An interactive series is an interesting premise, but to me the term means more than what I experienced. Switching point of view is the least one could expect – actually taking part, making choices is what I want. After all, with an interactive series you cannot lean back and let the episode unfold for the typical 43 minutes.

L1GHTMAN

The story of the series is multi-faceted. First it focuses on a group of teenagers and 20-somethings lead by a Kelly. Kelly is a hacker who goes by the name L1GHTMAN – an obvious reference to the movie. Kelly’s mother died about a year ago while in active service in Afghanistan. Her death has become a political hot potato. Some consider her a hero while others a traitor. Kelly decides to set the record straight and targets York News – who she blames for smearing her mother’s name. The series start with some small time hacking, but quickly evolves into a more dangerous game. I liked how the series is hard-hitting. It definitely contains more humor than Mr. Robot, but the stakes remain high. Episode 2 for example shows an elaborate method of laying a honey trap.

The WarGames interactive series is at best intriguing, but at times it does feel silly and perhaps even a bit dull. As I stated – you cannot sit back fro 43 minutes and watch it unfold. You are forced to engage. If you don’t, the series won’t progress. I guess you really have to make time to play the game. The series can be ‘watched’ on helloeko.com. Post in the comments below what you think of the series.