{"id":32058,"date":"2026-08-08T07:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32058"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:40:29","slug":"when-video-games-make-the-horrors-of-nuclear-war-seem-real-readers-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32058","title":{"rendered":"When video games make the horrors of nuclear war seem real &#8211; Reader&#8217;s Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307660786-bd9a.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29326456\" alt=\"Fallout 4 screenshot of main character and dog\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Fallout 4 \u2013 war never changes (Bethesda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A reader looks back at how nuclear war has been portrayed in <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">video games<\/a>, from Missile Command in 1980 to the modern <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/fallout\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Fallout<\/a> titles.<\/p>\n<p>On the list of things that might ruin your day, nuclear war is probably right up there. I doubt anyone could argue that nuclear weapons aren\u2019t mankind\u2019s worst invention and it defies all logic that any country would keep a nuclear arsenal, let alone use it. However, I am drawn to the subject of nuclear weapons and nuclear war in fictional scenarios. Whenever nukes are involved in a story, tension and drama can be ratcheted up to unparallelled levels because the risk to humanity\u2019s continued existence is understandably severe.<\/p>\n<p>As demonstrated in the 1983 movie War Games, nuclear weapons and the pastime of computer gaming can sometimes overlap to generate an entertaining form of fusion. If asked specifically about the most effective use of nukes in games, almost certainly I\u2019d mention the Fallout franchise. In my opinion Fallout 3 was a way better game, but with respect to a single unsettling moment that\u2019s lodged itself in my memory, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2015\/11\/09\/fallout-4-review-war-really-doesnt-change-5488951\/\">Fallout 4<\/a> certainly deserves a prize.<\/p>\n<p>After a brief history lesson and a slick montage, Fallout 4 places you in front of a bathroom mirror with your wife\/husband standing by your side. The year is 2077 and we\u2019re in retro futuristic America and life seems fairly idyllic. You are one of the parents of a newborn baby. You live in a nice house that\u2019s situated in what appears to be a nice suburb. It\u2019s a bright and sunny day outside. There\u2019s a knock on the front door, and so you go and answer it. A representative from Vault-Tec has an offer for you. In the event of a crisis, you and your family can enjoy shelter and residency in Vault 111.<\/p>\n<p>The ensuing conversation gives you a chance to define your game character\u2019s attributes via a registration form. The Vault Tec rep leaves and what follows is a precious family moment, with you and your spouse in your baby son\u2019s bedroom. Plans to visit the park are made. Today could be a great day, if fate doesn\u2019t have other plans. The mood distinctly changes when you\u2019re called back into the living room by your multi-armed hovering robot, Codsworth.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a troubling newsflash on the TV. Portentous music starts in the background. Confirmed reports come in of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. An early warning siren begins to wail outside, and the next moment the three of you are on the move. You run through chaos and mass distress playing out on the street outside. Guided by soldiers, your tight family unit flees down a path and up to a gate through which only a privileged few are allowed. Quick, quick, onwards and onto that large circular platform. \u2018We\u2019re going to be okay\u2019, says your partner. Famous last words.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fallout 4 Opening Scene Entering the Vault\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sbmZN12drqo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>There\u2019s a brilliant flash, and then you see it. A dreadful mushroom cloud, huge and all powerful and terrifying. The platform that you cower on lowers you and your small family into the ground just as the blast wave hits. You look up as the lift shaft above you closes. Pray for all of those poor souls who are left behind on the surface, because surely everyone who isn\u2019t lucky enough to be a vault dweller is now dead.<\/p>\n<p>Another game that\u2019s strongly associated with nuclear war is Missile Command. This eighties arcade cabinet was fairly iconic. The game asked you to protect cities by shooting down incoming missiles. For me one of the defining characteristics of Missile Command was the trackball that you used to move your crosshair around the screen. The other memorable aspect of the game were the bright flashes that appeared whenever impacts happened.<\/p>\n<p>Missile Command was designed by Dave Theurer for Atari, at the height of the Cold War between America and Russia, and as such was undoubtedly influenced by the tensions of that time. The game\u2019s iconic status was further guaranteed when John Connor was seen playing it in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Incidentally, director <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/james-cameron\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">James Cameron<\/a>\u2019s classic 1991 film has what is almost certainly one of the most effective cinematic depictions of what a nuclear blast might do to a city and its residents. In Missile Command, once all of your cities suffer the same fate, a rather gloomy final message appears on screen: THE END.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a rather good licensed version of Missile Command that you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkadium.com\/games\/atari-missile-command\">play via your browser<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Arcade Longplay [621] Missile Command\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nokIGklnBGY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Missile Command: Recharged is also available from the usual digital game outlets. Recharged is an updated version of the game with flashy visuals and catchy music. Missile Command: Recharged is fun, if fun is the right word to use when you\u2019re trying to save cities and their residents from being vapourised by incoming ballistic missiles. On the downside, I do think that the visual makeover of Recharged has taken away an important aspect of Missile Command.<\/p>\n<p>The explosions in the reinvented game are now black voids, and so they don\u2019t resemble nuclear flashes at all. I don\u2019t know why this decision was made. Maybe nuclear war and atomic explosions were considered too upsetting or unpalatable for a modern audience. But the game does play well, even without a trackball. There are various modifiers that you can apply that quite effectively tweak the core experience of arcade mode, and there\u2019s a missions mode to try out also.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, I watched the film War Games again before writing this feature. Despite a rather corny score, the 1983 hacker thriller still holds up well. The wall screen representations of nuclear threats and strikes that feature in War Games are effectively realised and timeless, and the film\u2019s story is worryingly prescient today, given the rise and mass adoption of artificial intelligence. Still, you\u2019ve got to focus on the positives. Putting AI in charge of nuclear weapons might save some cash-strapped government a fair chunk of money. I mean, what\u2019s the worst that could happen?<\/p>\n<p><strong>By reader Michael Veal (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/msv858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@msv858<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307660834-481b.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29326454\" alt=\"Fallout 4 screenshot of Vault 111 door\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Vault 111 is not much of a sanctuary (Bethesda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>The reader\u2019s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>Just contact us at <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/08\/video-games-make-horrors-nuclear-war-seem-real-readers-feature-29326407\/mailto:gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a> or use our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page<\/a> and you won\u2019t need to send an email.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/08\/sony-can-soften-blow-a-digital-only-future-readers-feature-29326118\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">How Sony can soften the blow of a digital-only future \u2013 Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/01\/nobody-like-racing-video-games-anymore-readers-feature-29270818\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Why does nobody like racing video games anymore? \u2013 Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/01\/ps5-going-last-console-sony-know-readers-feature-29270115\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The PS5 is going to be the last console and Sony know it &#8211; Reader&#8217;s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fallout 4 \u2013 war never changes (Bethesda) A reader looks back at how nuclear war has been portrayed in video games, from Missile Command in 1980 to the modern Fallout titles. On the list of things that might ruin your day, nuclear war is probably right up there. I doubt anyone could argue that nuclear&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307660786-bd9a_1786144415.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}