"Before long, billions of people around the world were working and playing in the OASIS every day. Some of them met, fell in love, and got married without ever setting foot on the same continent. The lines of distinction between a person's real identity and that of their avatar began to blur."
Today I want to talk about a super cool book that I read recently! Ready Player One had been patiently sitting in my Amazon wishlist for quite a few months, and when my favourite geekery you tuber Comicbookgirl19, mentioned this book at the end of one of her GOT review episodes, I decided to finally go for it. And am I glad I did!
Ready Player One tells the story of nerdy 18 year old, Wade Watts, living in the year 2045. The book describes a dystopian future where humans have been ignoring the planet for years, primarily because of an alternate reality called Oasis.
“If I was feeling depressed or frustrated about my lot in life, all I had to do was tap the Player One button, and my worries would instantly slip away as my mind focused itself on the relentless pixelated onslaught on the screen in front of me.”
Created by mega brain James Halliday, (a Steve Jobs/Bill Gates type) Oasis is a massively multiplayer online virtual reality simulation, kind of like World Of Warcraft, but much much bigger. The users have virtual reality glasses as well as gloves, so it really feels like they are there, hence the reason most people are totally absorbed in this online universe, rather than wanting to actually experience the real one. It's really an elaboration of the way that technology has taken over our own world in the present. As you read you are able to draw a lot of comparisons to Facebook and other social networking sites.
“Being human totally sucks most of the time. Videogames are the only thing that make life bearable.”
The book heavily references 80's pop culture, in fact, it is the central theme. There are so many 80"s references you are bound to recognise a few, but unless you are an expert on the era, the majority of them will probably go straight over your head! Being an 80's fan this was one of my favourite elements of the book. Some of my favourite films and songs are mentioned! And it feels like such a payoff when you 'get' one of the in jokes.
"We visited the planet Goondocks and finished the entire Goonies quest in just one day. Arty played through it as Martha Plimpton's character Stef, while I played as Mikey, Sean Astin's character. It was entirely too much fun."
Anywho, the promise of the book is that James Halliday, the creator, passes away. Having no heir to pass on his fortune to, he has developed an elaborate competition to determine who is worthy of his riches, in the event of his death. A cryptic riddle starts the game off and then the hunt is on for the hidden easter egg within the game. Those that participate are named Gunters (Egg hunters) It just so happens that our friend Wade is one of these Gunters, and we follow his journey unravelling the first clue and all those that follow.
Three hidden keys open three secret gates
Wherein the errant will be tested for worthy traits
And those with the skill to survive these traits
Will reach the end where the prize awaits.
I must say, I LOVED this book! If you are into your 80's pop culture or gaming in any way I would definitely recommend this book. As I was reading it I was thinking how awesome it would be if they made this into a movie. Well guess what? It turns out they are! It's in the very early stages at the moment but it looks like Zak Penn, known for being the writer for The Avengers movie, is likely to take on the adaptation. I just hope they do it justice!
I like to speculate about the actors that will play the characters when a book is adapted into a movie. Have you read this book? Who do you think they will cast?
“I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn't know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life, right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it's also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.”
Laura xXx
