War Game (Philip K. Dick short story)
Encyclopedia
War Game is a 1959 short story written by Philip K. Dick
. It was first published in the magazine Galaxy Science Fiction
, in 1959, and has since been re-published in two anthologies and at least twenty-four collections
are considering war with Terra
, and the plot centres around a group of toy safety inspectors, who are charged with inspecting three new toys to discover if they should be allowed to be imported. They inspect three games - a toy soldier game where twelve toy soldiers attack a citadel, a virtual reality suit, and "Syndrome", a Solar System
monopoly
-based game where the object is to lose all your money and assets.
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
. It was first published in the magazine Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
, in 1959, and has since been re-published in two anthologies and at least twenty-four collections
Plot Summary
The GanymedansGanymede
Ganymede most often refers to:*Ganymede , Trojan prince in Greek mythology* Ganymede , Jupiter's largest moon, named after the mythological characterGanymede, Ganymed or Ganymedes may also refer to:...
are considering war with Terra
Terra
- Astronomy :* Earth* Terra , a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite* Terrae as extensive land masses found on various solar system bodies** List of terrae on Mars** List of terrae on Venus** Terrae, a highland on the Moon- Latin :...
, and the plot centres around a group of toy safety inspectors, who are charged with inspecting three new toys to discover if they should be allowed to be imported. They inspect three games - a toy soldier game where twelve toy soldiers attack a citadel, a virtual reality suit, and "Syndrome", a Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
-based game where the object is to lose all your money and assets.