Core Wars n.
A game between `assembler' programs in a machine or machine
simulator, where the objective is to kill your opponent's program
by overwriting it. Popularized in the 1980s by A. K. Dewdney's
column in "Scientific American" magazine, but described in
"Software Practice And Experience" a decade earlier. The game was
actually devised and played by Victor Vyssotsky, Robert Morris
Sr., and Doug McIlroy in the early 1960s (Dennis Ritchie is
sometimes incorrectly cited as a co-author, but was not
involved). Their original game was called `Darwin' and ran on a
IBM 7090 at Bell Labs. See core. For
information on the modern game, do a web search for the
`rec.games.corewar FAQ' or surf to the King Of The Hill site.