Hacker is a card game (not a trading card game) made by Steve Jackson Games (SJG). Published in 1992, the players impersonate hackers fighting for the control of computer networks. It is based primarily on interlocking access to different computer systems in the web. Players are not set directly towards each other, and several players can share access to a system. It is superficially similar (modulo terminology) to the game Illuminati. Hacker is currently out of print.
Contents
History
In 1990, SJG was raided by the United States Secret Service as part of a nationwide investigation of data piracy. The agents took computers, printers, hard drives, at least one pocket calculator, over 300 floppy disks, and an entire BBS server. It turns out that another game in development by SJG, GURPS Cyberpunk was considered by investigating agents of the Secret Service to be "a handbook for computer crime" and that justified their actions against SJG. In 1992, SJG made a game out of this fiasco, and Hacker was born.
Expansions
In 1993 Hacker II: The Dark Side was released. Hacker II is a supplement to Hacker adding new rules, and new cards to the gameplay.
Awards
Hacker won the 1992 Origins Award for Best Modern-Day Boardgame and Hacker II won the 1993 Origins Award for Best Modern-Day Boardgame.