The Realities of “Ready Player One”

“Ready Player One,” directed by Steven Spielberg, is a science fiction film based on the 2011 novel by the same name by Ernest Cline. The story follows a couple of players through the virtual video game world of the Oasis in search of an Easter egg left by the game’s creator before his death in the near future. The film is filled with action as the main cast of characters traverse the different areas of the Oasis on their egg hunt.   Though watching the film is like an Easter egg hunt itself, for the various references and inclusions of video games and other pop-culture details, it is enjoyable as a popcorn flick regardless whether or not the audience is knowledgeable of all the games and characters. Oh, did i mention that there is a strong message that is conveyed to the audience through the story yet?

“Reality is the only thing that is real!”

“Reality is the only thing that is real,” states main character Wade Watts (played by Tye Sheridan) toward the film’s end. Maybe this serves to criticize the intensity some gamers have shown towards games and virtual reality in general. Or it could be a cautionary message for the addicts who are similar to some characters in the film that view the virtual world as everything, and ignore their physical reality. It could also be directed towards those who use video games as a method to escape real life, because they’re not fond of their actual lives. Lets face it: video games are getting more and more advanced as time goes on. We already have virtual reality tech, though not as advanced as anything shown in the film, but I doubt that concepts like the Oasis are going to remain merely celebrated ideas for much longer.  Maybe Spielberg wanted to use “Ready Player One” as a medium to remind gamers about reality.

I personally perceive the message from “Ready Player One” as a life lesson to gamers, that no matter how much time and effort they expend on video games, in the end they are nothing but programs and binary coding. Reality, on the other hand, has people and events that you can actually interact with. The message might be similar to those preached by your parents in an attempt to limit your gaming time, but it feels more acceptable since the the film itself appeals to the mindset of gamers. The fact that the same message is sent from the mouth of a character who is more relatable to gamers instead of a bossy adult also helps to get it across. It’s a brilliant move if that was one of Spielberg’s goals. Who knows, maybe what the players are getting ready for is not a culmination of video game awesomeness to win a war which will determine the future of video games, but rather reality, “the only thing that is real”.