---
title: "Corewar"
type: "article"
slug: "coreware"
url: "http://localhost/article/coreware/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/coreware.md"
published_at: "2026-01-19T20:59:18+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-01-20T00:46:36+00:00"
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excerpt: "In May 1984 issue of Scientific American, A. K. Dewdney in his Computer Recreations column describes a game called Core War. The game is run by a monitor program called MARS (Memory Array Redcode Simulator). Essentially what the program does is to control two other programs written in an assembly-like language called REDCODE. The two…"
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model:
  - name: "Sinclair QL"
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indiv:
  - name: "Tim Swenson"
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publication_r:
  id: 35941
  title: "CATS Newsletter"
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  - name: "Tim Swenson"
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volume: "6"
issue: "9-10"
issues_articles:
  - id: 38885
    title: "CATS v6 n9/10"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/cats-v6-n9-10/"
pages: "20"
pubdate: "February/March 1989"
archive_link: false
---

# Corewar

In May 1984 issue of Scientific American, A. K. Dewdney in his Computer Recreations column describes a game called Core War. The game is run by a monitor program called MARS (Memory Array Redcode Simulator). Essentially what the program does is to control two other programs written in an assembly-like language called REDCODE. The two programs are designed to try to destroy each other. They do this by somehow stopping the other program from running. They can put bad data in the middle of the program, take over control of the program, etc.