Ready Player One Essay Questions

How does Ernest Cline find a balance between the future and the past in Ready Player One?

Ready Player One is a contemporary science fiction novel, set in the year 2045. The future is one of extreme technological progress and realistic, immersive virtual reality, but also one rooted in the past. The society that Cline describes is obsessed with the 1980s. This has interesting implications for understanding life in 2045, as well as for remembering life in the 1980s.

Will Wade Watts press the Exit Button?

This is a question that has been intentionally left unanswered. Either decision would hold a multitude of implications for the future of the world. To destroy the OASIS would be to reinvest human interest into the real world, but it would also damage the economy and leave millions unemployed. To keep the OASIS would mean to ignore the threat it poses to humankind. Wade loves the OASIS but has also witnessed firsthand its power to separate humans from their own humanity.

Is Aech’s identity reveal explored enough?

When Aech reveals the truth of her identity to Wade, Wade proclaims: "But it really doesn’t matter […] you’re my best friend" (319), and the matter is soon dropped as irrelevant in the face of their emotional bond. Wade doesn't think too much longer about how even in the OASIS, a white male avatar was afforded more respect than a black woman. This implies that racism carried over into the OASIS, that Aech's experience, and that of other black women in the OASIS, is not entirely similar to Wade's own.

What would a fair society look like within the OASIS?

The nature of the game caused a number of social concerns that did not exist before its creation. When Wade and Art3mis win the game, they decide to spend their money changing the world for the better. What initiatives would they have to take to combat inequality? How about to regulate the IOI?

Analyze each of the keys and gates.

For example, the First Key was gained by following the directions to an old Dungeons & Dragons module. D&D is an important game to Halliday because it is the formula of D&D that inspires him to create a universe with multiple worlds and avatars. This gate emphasized Wade's skill and knowledge over his physical power and gave him the resources he would need for the rest of the game. Wade showed that he was a skilled and brave player, but also that he was willing to help out a complete stranger and competitor and give her a hint about how to beat the game. Also interesting is the fact that Wade wins by playing as Player Two. What might this mean in reference to the title?