We Read

[Bucknerd]

I apologize for being so late in replying. I've had a hell week at work so far so when I get home I slowly melt into a puddle.

 

When I read a book where the characters are well-developed you can predict how each of them will react in a certain situation because they have a well-structured backstory and have shown how they have reacted in previous situations throughout the book but with Parzival it is like things happen around him and he is just there to have them happen to (if that makes sense). As we are only about a quarter of the way through the book, though, I am perhaps judging this too harshly and will reserve judgment on this until later. Perhaps Ernest Cline did this on purpose so that the real star of the book can come to the fore - the 1980's.

 

I have to agree on your assessment though I also believe it's too soon to judge him considering he just stumbled across this adventure. When stakes are undoubtedly raised and when he interacts with Art3mis more I undoubtedly think he'll find his voice... hopefully.

 

"– even if it did mean having to live through Margaret Thatcher’s government."

 

I'm so so sorry.

 

Bonus Thoughts

Anyone else see a plot twist coming with Aech?  He's too good of a friend it seems.  I'm thinking there is definitely something there.  Maybe he's a sixer spy, or it's something simple like he's a she or... something, I have no idea, but I see some kind of twist coming there.  Can't wait to find out, but I'm guessing something like this will come much deeper into the book.

 

Also, I totally called that he would run into Art3mis.  After the first time he mentions her it seemed like she just had to show up in the book later.

 

I think something is up with Aech as well. Considering that Art3mis is in the mix now I wouldn't be surprised if he jealously acts out or something. I'd be surprised if he had been a spy for the entire time.

 

Now to answer my own prompts!

 

What are your thoughts on the book?

I'm surprised how much I like Ready Player One considering I'm a huge book snob. On the cover it described it as a Willy Wonka-esque adventure and, while I can understand that comparison, it scared me off from reading it originally. I was afraid it'd be too childish.

 

Did this book make you care more about the eighties?

I was conceived in Reagan and born in Bush (cue snare drum) so the eighties have always been close to my heart though I was only a baby during the decade. In all honestly, most of 80s pop culture trivia comes both being a whippersnapper in the early nineties and from watching the I Love the 80s program that used to be on VH1.

 

How does this narrative make you feel about Occulus/VR?

While I doubt we'll ever reach the capabilities of OASIS I am hopeful for what VR can be used for outside of video games. It would be fantastic to virtually visit foreign cities as they are in reality and it would be fantastic to give elderly people a way to feel mobile again. In the very least they could also "travel." The same could be said for long term inpatients that are stuck in hospitals.

 

Have you ever played Joust? (It's hard as balls)

I've played Joust on an arcade cabinet. I immediately died. Fucking ostriches.

 

And for those of you who haven't had the pleasure:

 

What retro game and movie would you have guarding your gates?

Game: Missile Command

Movie: The Princess Bride

 

Why do you think the creator of OASIS was obsessed, not only with the eighties, but also recreating his own childhood home?

I suppose I meant to focus this question more on why do you think a kid who had a "miserable" childhood would be fixated on recreating his hometown and childhood home?

 

I think it has something more to do with the combined fact that not only were those his best years but also Earth's prime. Perhaps he's trying to preserve what was. By requiring 80s geek to find his egg perhaps he wanted the world to return to what it once was? I would say a society forced to stay grounded in reality would put better focus on "saving" the Earth or coming up with innovative technologies. Or maybe it's more basic than that? Perhaps he's reaching out towards a time when he had contact with his friends? In turn he wants the rest of society to make that connection just like people did in the 80s... outside of OASIS.

 

Below is a slight spoiler for the next assigned reading chapters because I simply can't help myself. Sorry. Please do not comment on it. Just read it if you've caught up already and stew on it. We can talk about it next week and I'll include this in my prompt for next week in some regard.

To add on to my last point: since he might trying to force connections to be made in a fashion similar to his own experience perhaps Wade, Aech, and Art3mis are set up to follow down the path of Halliday, Morrow, and Kira to some extent? Or perhaps the author was just trying to mirror the Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak angle?

 

Like you guys I have also finished the required reading for next week.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Bucknerd

[Scratchy172]

Wow, I'm really late on this one.

 

• What are your thoughts on the book?

So far I'm loving this book.

• Did this book make you care more about the eighties?

Not really, I was born in 93 so I missed the 80's. Granted I do know some if not most of the references I don't feel a very deep connection to its homage to the decade.

• How does this narrative make you feel about Occulus/VR?

The VR aspect is where it really hits home for me. Way back in I believe 2007 I was able to compete in a competition called the Future Cities Competition. For those who have never heard of it, it is a competition for  people in middle school to create what they believe a city 50 years in the future may look like. In our city, we had a concept for school which was just like the school system in OASIS. The main difference is that they would be a location for students to go to for certain classes like gym, where you need that physical aspect. Outside of that OASIS reminds me a lot of when I first watched SOA. Seeing that was the point where I felt like that was where VR needed to go for me to get into it (not the dying part of course.) So far looking at Oculus, ps vr, and the others there isn't anything there I have seen that I have cared for. But if I could play something like FFXIV and actually feel like I'm really in that world then to me that would be the reason to get into VR.

• Have you ever played Joust? (It's hard as balls)

Nope, never even heard of it. But just played it online. Had no real idea what to do

• What retro game and movie would you have guarding your gates?

Personally, I think I would have the area to be like a zone in Ocarina of Time, with the game to beat the boss being either Eternal Champion or Primal Rage, I loved playing those when I was younger.

• Why do you think the creator of OASIS was obsessed, not only with the eighties but also recreating his own childhood home?

His home probably was very special and felt like a safe place for him. I know personally If I could spend some time back in my childhood I would.

[Bucknerd]

But if I could play something like FFXIV and actually feel like I'm really in that world then to me that would be the reason to get into VR.

 

I agree with this. Because goobue. Then again Titan Extreme would be scary as hell. This is why I always like being the Healer - if a "trapped in an MMO" situation ever happened ain't no way I'm gonna die. Not with my White Mage AoE Heals. Er... what were we talking about? Ah, yes....

 

WEEK TWO (we can finally talk, Jesus Christ, last week was looooong!)

 

I'll start off with my impatient spoiler from last week:

"...since he (Halliday) might be trying to force connections to be made in a fashion similar to his own experience perhaps Wade, Aech, and Art3mis are set up to follow down the path of Halliday, Morrow, and Kira to some extent? Or perhaps the author was just trying to mirror the Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak angle?" What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Aech secretly likes Art3mis? Do you think he's mad/sad over "losing" his best friend for awhile? Do you think he might betray Wade? What other significance lies behind letting us know the Halliday/Morrow relationship? Is Cline just trying to make a nod to Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak? Do you think Morrow has a bigger role to play? He's a smart man - he had to have known inviting the "high five" to his party would have been risky.

 

Speaking of Art3mis... why do you think she is so insistent on not meeting Wade? It's obvious she has feelings for him.

 

Let's not forget about Shoto and Daito. I love the fact Japanese gamers have shown up on the leaderboards. It makes you wonder where the European players are.

 

What do you think are the true intentions of the Sixers aside from evil corporation wanting to charge money? Blowing up Wade's home suggests they have more up their sleeve than wanting to price gouge.

 

Considering the Sixers aren't afraid to act how do you think Halliday kept safe from them? He had to have known his easter egg hunt would have turned violent with them in play. What do you think is the ultimate purpose of the easter egg hunt?

 

What are your theories surrounding the Jade Key? We already have Captain Crunch down. Which nostalgic food from your childhood would you use?

 

These questions are just the first ones off the top of my head that I'm sneaking to type while at work. Please look at my questions more as a jumping off point for discussion than a template. Please ask questions that you want others to answer! I'll answer my own questions with the ones ya'll come up with after the discussion gets started a bit.

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Bucknerd

[Ruliya]

I've been busy this past week lol, and had to read chapters 14-19 this morning just finished in fact. 

 

• I'm not sure about Aech, he seems to have faded from view in these past chapters, and it focused more on Parzival and Art3mis. 

 

• Speaking of, I think I know why. But it's linked to a spoiler I ran into a while back (my post is top 4 when I ran into it lol) Now I may not be correct here, but from what the comment said - and it didn't mention names, but I'll spoiler it below if you want to see it:

It's because Art3mis is a guy IRL. The spoiler mentioned above, was on a Funhaus Dudesoup podcast. They were talking about VR and they mentioned the film Surrogates, where a female character ends up being male IRL - I haven't seen the movie in a looong time tho - But, another member said "Yeah, it's just like in Ready, Player One".  

 

• Japan has always been a huge gaming culture though I think, so it's no surprise the author put a duo Japanese team in the top 5. Where are the Europeans indeed?

 

• I think it's just price gouging. They only want to make money, and in a world that's falling to hell (or fallen) blowing someone up isn't that bad, in their terms. When potential billions are up for grabs, and the ability to make billions more, which evil corporation wouldn't do whatever they wanted? Think of the worst F2P model and times it by a thousand though, that's what they want to do. 

 

• The Sixers didn't exist until after Halliday had died though, they came about as a corporate way to win the contest. He might have known something like this would happen, but I get the feeling he was more aloof and maybe a little naive and hoped it would be done fairly as he wanted it. The true purpose is probably as plain as he laid it out. Find the egg, get his fortune.

 

• As to theories? I have no idea I don't know the 80's that well

I have no current questions of my own. Really enjoying it though ^^

[StrickenBiged]

I'm going to have to be careful this week, as I've already read the book and I can remember some details which might spoil some things... If I don't talk about certain things this week it's because I don't want to spoil anything for the rest of you.

 

Do you think Morrow has a bigger role to play? He's a smart man - he had to have known inviting the "high five" to his party would have been risky.

 

Morrow will definitely play a bigger role, IMO. He knew Halliday better than anyone, and is interested in the gunters and their competition, as is obvious from the interview he gave shortly after Percy and Art3mis cleared the first gate. He's also anti-IOI and the Sixers, as we know from the invitation to the party and his wrath when they crashed it. A man with all that money and power inside the OASIS, who cares about the competition, OASIS and his friend Halliday's legacy, is going to inject himself somehow. However, I also think he cares about the terms and intention of Halliday's will and testament, so I would imagine any assistance he offers will be in accordance with the spirit of the competition. 

 

At the moment, he's probably keeping a very close eye on the High Five, although I'd bet that he doesn't want to make it obvious that he is doing so. Maybe inviting them to the party was a double-bluff... He might be thinking "Well, I'm keeping the fact that I'm watching these guys secret, but if I don't interact with them at all then people will become suspicious about my lack of interest, so I'll invite them to the party so that I appear to be as interested as would be appropriate, but no more."

 

Speaking of Art3mis... why do you think she is so insistent on not meeting Wade? It's obvious she has feelings for him.

 

She keeps telling Percy that he has no way of knowing who or what she is IRL. The obvious conclusion would be that she's got something major that she thinks will make her unattractive to Percy. I think that's too obvious though. She probably has some very minor ailment/condition/scar which she is very insecure about but which Percy, the "IRL Percy" won't even care about when they do eventually meet.

 

Let's not forget about Shoto and Daito. I love the fact Japanese gamers have shown up on the leaderboards. It makes you wonder where the European players are.

 

The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if Europe has disappeared up its own arse by the year 2048 (or whenever the book is set). 

 

But no, seriously, how do we know that any of the characters we've met aren't in Europe? Aech, Art3mis, etc, they could all be lying to Percy and he (and we) wouldn't know. 

 

What do you think are the true intentions of the Sixers aside from evil corporation wanting to charge money? Blowing up Wade's home suggests they have more up their sleeve than wanting to price gouge.

 

At this stage, I think IOI is just greedy. Sure, some of the Sixers may be nuts - you'd imagine that becoming a sixer would be appealing to a particular type of player... - but I don't think they've got any ulterior motive than $$$$.

 

Well, I suppose that gaining control of OASIS would, in a way, make you god of the virtual space. OASIS seems to be the most valuable economy and "space" on Earth in the period in which the book is set. But they only seem to want to become this "god" to make $. 

 

Considering the Sixers aren't afraid to act how do you think Halliday kept safe from them? He had to have known his easter egg hunt would have turned violent with them in play. What do you think is the ultimate purpose of the easter egg hunt?

 

Halliday didn't have to worry though. When he was alive the Sixers didn't exist. They only formed after he died and the competition was established. Before he died, I guess everyone assumed that he would choose his heir and hand over control in the way that most, normal people do.

 

What are your theories surrounding the Jade Key? We already have Captain Crunch down. Which nostalgic food from your childhood would you use?

 

I seriously have no idea. But going by how Percy seems to be quite distracted at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if someone beats him to the Jade key and the Second Gate. 

 

Ok, theories... erm... The thing to do with trophies sounds important. The Copper Key was rewarded after winning a game of Joust. Is there an '80s video game that had something to do with collecting trophies? Maybe Percy will have to brave a fully VR version of that game (if I'm right) or might have to play it somewhere in the OASIS?

 

As for what food would I use? My favourite cereal was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. We didn't get it out in the part of the Middle East where I grew up, but I loved it whenever I visited my family in the States.

 

Would you buy an UberBetty or UberBobby?

 

At the end of the day, it's just a masterbatory aid, so I wouldn't have a problem with someone for owning one. Whether I'd get one for myself... Well, with a wife in the frame, it's kinda like saying "I prefer to have sex with this doll"... So I probably wouldn't because I wouldn't want to offend her. 

 

If I were single, it would depend on how easy it is to keep the thing clean! 

 

 

 

There was also that weird "glitch" in the Basement when the High Five met. Reading the Harry Potter books has taught me that these small occurrences, which the characters brush off at the time, are the most important. Percy even thought that someone invisible was in the room, but Aech brushed it off as being impossible in his private chatroom. Maybe they've been hacked?

Edited January 18, 2016 by StrickenBiged

[Edunstar84]

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Aech secretly likes Art3mis? Do you think he's mad/sad over "losing" his best friend for awhile? Do you think he might betray Wade? What other significance lies behind letting us know the Halliday/Morrow relationship? Is Cline just trying to make a nod to Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak? Do you think Morrow has a bigger role to play? He's a smart man - he had to have known inviting the "high five" to his party would have been risky. 

 

Well, hmm....let's see I don't think Aech secretly likes Arty. I just think he might be a bit salty for losing his best friend. He might betray Wade. He even might be helping the Sixers. I guess we'll see. I definitely get the Jobs/Wozniak thing, but I was also thinking about how there business in general. There's always one half that's more business/financial-wise, and the other is more creative/artsy. I think Morrow may have a bigger role in the end. I just don't know how. Also, it seems that Morrow is very powerful, and he thought he could protect the clubbers from any damage. AND I didn't think that he thought that the Sixers were crazy enough to crash his party on his planet.

 

Speaking of Art3mis... why do you think she is so insistent on not meeting Wade? It's obvious she has feelings for him. 

Like anyone who wants to protect their physical persona, I think she just wants to hide her true self to Wade.

 

Let's not forget about Shoto and Daito. I love the fact Japanese gamers have shown up on the leaderboards. It makes you wonder where the European players are.

You know, it's funny I never thought of that. But StrickenBiged has a point, you know, about the possible downfall of Europe. Or maybe when Cline was writing the book all he had to draw from was his experience, which may be an American and Japanese viewpoint. Does anyone here know what Europe/UK was like during the 80s?

 

What do you think are the true intentions of the Sixers aside from evil corporation wanting to charge money? Blowing up Wade's home suggests they have more up their sleeve than wanting to price gouge.

I think they just want control of OASIS and win the contest. We're talking about billions!! We do have several instances of big corporations doing the same or worse now, so it's really nothing new.

 

Considering the Sixers aren't afraid to act how do you think Halliday kept safe from them? He had to have known his easter egg hunt would have turned violent with them in play. What do you think is the ultimate purpose of the easter egg hunt?

I think Halliday was a little naive. He just wanted the best person (who knew 80s culture through and through) to own OASIS. Maybe someone like him?

 

What are your theories surrounding the Jade Key? We already have Captain Crunch down. Which nostalgic food from your childhood would you use?

Captain Crunch was so awesome!!! Maybe I'd choose Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger, or Honey Nut Cheerios with that bee. I really missed finding the treat at the bottom of the box. I can't remember anything else. Although I do have a very mental image of an ice cream pop with a clown face (I think), with a bubble gum nose. I loved it, or maybe a clue inside those small bubble gum that either included temporary tattoos or a small comic strip.

 

Would you buy an UberBetty or UberBobby?

Don't know, to be honest. I mean, nothing beats the real thing, right?

 

New Questions? I can't think of any, but I will definitely come back to ask once I've thought of one.

[Kishnabe]

Great book, I used the Audio Book version while playing some grind intensive games.

[StrickenBiged]

Anyone think IOI is supposed to be a comment on some, current, real life games publishers? Halliday seemed content with giving OASIS to the world in order to make enough money to make himself ridiculously rich but without nickel and diming every OASIS user. I can't remember everything that Percy said about them in the early chapters, but I recall that they wanted to start charging users a subscription for access at the very least. 

 

OASIS seems to be doing very well for GG based off of charging corporates for virtual worlds and users for transport fees. 

 

Not saying that they need to be an allegory for any one company or other in particular, but we all know which publishers today only seem to be content with making all the money as opposed to just enough money.

 

Maybe thinking about this would de-rail the thread...

 

Also, was it just me or was Ogden's avatar ridiculously powerful during the party crash?

 

I suppose we weren't told the level of the invading Sixers, but he was described as simply vapourising them with spells which didn't harm other guests, whereas Percy and Arty - both of whom are max-level 99 avatars - had to actually engage in combat and, at least in Percy's case, took damage to his body armour and HP. Maybe Ogden's just been playing long enough that he's found very high level items in OASIS, but his avatar does appear to be "unbalanced" compared to other avatars. 

[Edunstar84]

Anyone think IOI is supposed to be a comment on some, current, real life games publishers? Halliday seemed content with giving OASIS to the world in order to make enough money to make himself ridiculously rich but without nickel and diming every OASIS user. I can't remember everything that Percy said about them in the early chapters, but I recall that they wanted to start charging users a subscription for access at the very least. 

 

OASIS seems to be doing very well for GG based off of charging corporates for virtual worlds and users for transport fees. 

 

Not saying that they need to be an allegory for any one company or other in particular, but we all know which publishers today only seem to be content with making all the money as opposed to just enough money.

 

Maybe thinking about this would de-rail the thread...

 

Also, was it just me or was Ogden's avatar ridiculously powerful during the party crash?

 

I suppose we weren't told the level of the invading Sixers, but he was described as simply vapourising them with spells which didn't harm other guests, whereas Percy and Arty - both of whom are max-level 99 avatars - had to actually engage in combat and, at least in Percy's case, took damage to his body armour and HP. Maybe Ogden's just been playing long enough that he's found very high level items in OASIS, but his avatar does appear to be "unbalanced" compared to other avatars. 

 

 

I was thinking that as well. Og's really powerful. I think the Sixers are max level in addition to having all the resources at their disposal. So they have, most likely, the best magic spells, top-grade equipment and weaponry.

[Ruliya]

Og is also one of the creators I don't doubt he has uber admin privileges and tricks.

Would I buy a sex doll? nope.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Ruliya

[StrickenBiged]

How's everyone getting on? I read up to the end of 0027 last night, and waiting until next week before carrying on to the epic conclusion is going to be a tall order... 

 

If everyone else is getting on well, I'm wondering if we could bump the schedule forward? I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop myself reading after just 2 more chapters this week.

[Hemiak]

I would be happy with this plan. ^^

[Edunstar84]

I agree! I've been reading the past chapters so many times, just to stay "fresh".

 

 

EDIT: Has anyone watched the Kinda Funny Games on VR: 

 

 

They're talking about VR's future in gaming. I really, really wanted to comment. They should really read this book.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Edunstar84

[Scratchy172]

I agree with this. Because goobue. Then again Titan Extreme would be scary as hell. This is why I always like being the Healer - if a "trapped in an MMO" situation ever happened ain't no way I'm gonna die. Not with my White Mage AoE Heals. Er... what were we talking about? Ah, yes....

 

 

 

Scary yes, but still really awesome. I look at it like a rollercoaster, sure it looks bad, but you know it's gonna be fun.

 

 

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Aech secretly likes Art3mis? Do you think he's mad/sad over "losing" his best friend for awhile? Do you think he might betray Wade? What other significance lies behind letting us know the Halliday/Morrow relationship? Is Cline just trying to make a nod to Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak? Do you think Morrow has a bigger role to play? He's a smart man - he had to have known inviting the "high five" to his party would have been risky.

Aech may have feelings for Art3mis but I don't see it as being as much as Wade does. But I wouldn't be surprised if he has some ill feelings for Wade over the fact that he was just pushed to the side because of Art3mis. However, I don't think it would be enough to betray Wade. If anything, Aech may betray Wade over winning the contest, but not over Art3mas.

 

Speaking of Art3mis... why do you think she is so insistent on not meeting Wade? It's obvious she has feelings for him. 

It could have to do with having either self-esteem issues, or just not wanting to be in a relationship with someone. In particular due to the fact they are competing against each other.

 

Let's not forget about Shoto and Daito. I love the fact Japanese gamers have shown up on the leaderboards. It makes you wonder where the European players are.

The book hasn't necessarily said that there aren't European players. Being that the High Five is only 5 people and 2 of them are teammates there're only a few slots to get high enough in the leaderboards for it to really matter. I'm sure there are plenty of Gunters from Europe but do to the nature of how the Sixers are running their business its much harder to get on the board now.

 

What do you think are the true intentions of the Sixers aside from evil corporation wanting to charge money? Blowing up Wade's home suggests they have more up their sleeve than wanting to price gouge.

I don't find blowing up the house to be that surprising. The contest is more than just becoming the owner of a game studio, there is a ton of money on the line plus ownership of what has become not only a massive game but what has essentially become a basic necessity. It would almost be like having a company own the entire internet. There is so much power that IOI can get that it's worth it to them to blow up some stack of homes in a place no one cares about.

 

Considering the Sixers aren't afraid to act how do you think Halliday kept safe from them? He had to have known his easter egg hunt would have turned violent with them in play. What do you think is the ultimate purpose of the easter egg hunt?

I see it as a connection to what it says on the cover about being a story like willy Wonka. I would guess that Halliday felt that the only people who could figure out the riddles would be the ones who are truly like him.

What are your theories surrounding the Jade Key? We already have Captain Crunch down. Which nostalgic food from your childhood would you use?

One of my favorites, when I was young, is King Vitamin, I could only rarely find it but it was great, the cover also has a character that is a lot like how I picture Halliday's avatar in OASIS

 

Would you buy an UberBetty or UberBobby?

I found that chapter to probably be the most interesting chapter in the book. It doesn't really progress the story but it shows one of the major problems with this game. IT has become something where the outside world no longer matters. It makes me wonder if people use OASIS because the world has become so horrible, or if the world is so horrible because everybody only cares about the OASIS and not trying to fix their one world. As for the UberBetty/Bobby, I find it funny that with the rise of current VR like Oculus things like them are already being created.

[StrickenBiged]

Would you buy an UberBetty or UberBobby?

I found that chapter to probably be the most interesting chapter in the book. It doesn't really progress the story but it shows one of the major problems with this game. IT has become something where the outside world no longer matters. It makes me wonder if people use OASIS because the world has become so horrible, or if the world is so horrible because everybody only cares about the OASIS and not trying to fix their one world. As for the UberBetty/Bobby, I find it funny that with the rise of current VR like Oculus things like them are already being created.

 

I had mixed feelings about that chapter. I loved the world-building, and found it really interesting to consider all the things that you'd need to put in place in a world where everyone has basically moved online full time. I just felt that Cline dumped a lot of this in one place, whereas he could have interspersed it into the story a bit more. But, then again, this was a lull in the plot before the tempo ramps up for the second key and the rest, so I suppose it made sense to stick it in here. 

[KayoAye]

Sorry I'm coming in at the tail end of discussion this week, busy week with school/homework.

 

Halliday and Og

 

I'm not sure how for the Jobs/Woz parallel is supposed to go. It's definitely there, but I think it's just a small part of their story. Og has shown up several times already, in that interview and for his party, and had his name tossed around an awful lot for him to just be set dressing. I think he'll make another appearance before the end.

 

The High Five

 

The romance that's starting between Z and Art3mis dominates this section of book. I could see how Aech would totally be upset and sad over losing his best friend, especially since it's clear that Z is the one messing things up. I don't think Aech has feelings for Art3mis, the whole scene in The Basement when he starts giving Z shit just didn't seem like a jealousy thing. As for Art3mis herself, I think her reasoning for not wanting to get too close to Z is the same as when they first met in the Tomb of Horrors. The money from Halliday's will has the potential to do tremendous good, but not if it goes to the sux0rs or someone as pessimistic as Z (go live in space because Earth isn't worth it? really?). Art3mis has made it her life's work to win this contest; for however long it lasts, her personal happiness is secondary. Shoto and Daito are pretty cool, but we didn't get to see a lot of them in this section.

 

IOI

 

I really like the turn this section takes, we get a chance to actually see some of the dystopia that Z has been assuring us the world has turned into. When Sorrento blew up the stack he thought Z was in IOI went from kinda underhanded and slimy to really sinister. The book starts to feel cyberpunky, maybe cyberpunk-lite. I'm not entirely sure the exact standards for cyberpunk, but we got a dark, corporate-run, dystopian future with incredible technology. I think Sorrento makes a great bad guy, giving a face to the evil corporate bad guys. I think Halliday guessed something like this would happen, someone trying to pervert his game and make a power grab, which is why the puzzles are so hard and obscure. I doubt he thought it would spill over into the real world the way it did though, making it actually dangerous to be successful in the hunt.

 

The second half of the book really ramps up the excitement and I'm really excited for it. Can't wait for next week's (tomorrow's) discussion.

 

[Edunstar84]

So are we all finished with the book, then? I just wished that the final fight with Sorrento was more epic.

[Hemiak]

I'm done.

I had to return it to the library.

On another note, both the newest Brandon Sanderson Miatborn novel, and Jim Butcher's new series novel were in for me. Huzzah for new material.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Hemiak

[Edunstar84]

I'm done.

I had to return it to the library.

On another note, both the newest Brandon Sanderson Miatborn novel, and Jim Butcher's new series novel were in for me. Huzzah for new material.

 

I bought the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy from Amazon last week. Can't wait for the next book.

[StrickenBiged]

I'm nearly at the end but, like I said, I've already read it, so feel free to discuss stuff!

[kittyxiii]

Sorry for my tardiness, guys - life enjoys keeping me busy   I managed to find some time to complete the book yesterday though, but I'll talk about it after I answer the discussion points from a few weeks ago (and trying to keep it to my opinions from that section of the book, so I apologise ahead of time in case I accidentally spoil anything  ):
 

"...since he (Halliday) might be trying to force connections to be made in a fashion similar to his own experience perhaps Wade, Aech, and Art3mis are set up to follow down the path of Halliday, Morrow, and Kira to some extent? Or perhaps the author was just trying to mirror the Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak angle?" What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Aech secretly likes Art3mis? Do you think he's mad/sad over "losing" his best friend for awhile? Do you think he might betray Wade? What other significance lies behind letting us know the Halliday/Morrow relationship? Is Cline just trying to make a nod to Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak? Do you think Morrow has a bigger role to play? He's a smart man - he had to have known inviting the "high five" to his party would have been risky.
As of that point, I was convinced that Aech, being mad at Wade for not hanging out with him as much as he had in the past or something, had agreed to the deal that IOI had offered to Wade and was working as an inside man of sorts hoping to get some info from Wade/Art3mis/Shoto/Daito, but I never once thought that he had a crush on Art3mis. As for Halliday/Marrow, I thought that it would become a contrast between Aech/Wade and that they would have a big falling out that would lead to Aech becoming the real big bad guy of the series. I thought that the invite was a case of "these guys made it to the leaderboard, let's see what they're like" and I never thought to look anymore further than that 
 
Speaking of Art3mis... why do you think she is so insistent on not meeting Wade? It's obvious she has feelings for him.
Yeah it was pretty obvious, I thought that it was because in the past someone had met her online and fallen for her only to meet her IRL and it just completely fell apart.
 
Let's not forget about Shoto and Daito. I love the fact Japanese gamers have shown up on the leaderboards. It makes you wonder where the European players are.
That was awesome. Hopefully there'll be a sequel wherein we can come across a wide variety of lead characters from around the world (although I wonder how many stereotypes would appear, that's always the part I least look forward to  )
 
What do you think are the true intentions of the Sixers aside from evil corporation wanting to charge money? Blowing up Wade's home suggests they have more up their sleeve than wanting to price gouge.
I thought that as OASIS is essentially where you could have the most amount of people across the world appear in the same place (or, well, same software) they could basically control the area like a dictatorship of sorts. It would start off, as Sorrento said, with paying a fee and would increase to gaining extra credits by joining the Oology department/becoming a Sixer, maybe asking certain players to assassinate rebels that would appear in the game, getting a hold of the personal data of all the players and using it to further control the population. There's probably worse things they could do, but it's not coming to me 
 
Considering the Sixers aren't afraid to act how do you think Halliday kept safe from them? He had to have known his easter egg hunt would have turned violent with them in play. What do you think is the ultimate purpose of the easter egg hunt?
The Sixers only appeared after he died, right? Like I thought they were created post-will for the task of finding Halilday's easter egg. Or I could be making that up, but I'm sure that he had to have known that a subgroup of people would play the game unfairly, I'd like to think there was some sort of measure against this. I think the purpose is Willy Wonka-esque, Halliday was probably watching the original movie and thinking about his will/the future of OASIS and decided turning it into a golden ticket-like contest where the most fitting contestant would win overall was the best fit instead of relinquishing to a third-party like Morrow who wouldn't have been interested or someone else who would have given the rights to IOI the minute it was in their hands.
 
What are your theories surrounding the Jade Key? We already have Captain Crunch down. Which nostalgic food from your childhood would you use?
I had absolutely no clue about the Jade key aside from the Captain Crunch thing, but even then that was a complete shot in the dark   keeping with the cereal theme, I'd probably use this Scooby-Doo cereal that was around when I was young and then completely disappeared. I was going to put an image of it under a spoiler but it's so small it doesn't even need one 

 

As for the book as a whole (so be prepared for major spoilers):

 

Okay. So I knew that there was going to be a huge battle of sorts, I did not expect for basically everyone to die. I read that sentence, re-read it a few more times just to make sure that that was what was printed, took a moment to realise every one was fucked and that everyone would need to start over again and breathed a sigh of relief when the coin worked it's magic. Everyone coming against the Sixers was awesome and was well worth the wait.

 

Anyway, I enjoyed the final gate and all the different sections of it (fuck yes Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, it's one of my favourite movies!). I couldn't help but picture the robes that were transferred to Wade as Yen Sid's outfit from Kingdom Hearts which made me laugh a bit. I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but I couldn't help but feel like it was a bit rushed towards the end - I remember looking at the amount of pages left when he was playing Tempest and wondering what could happen in such a short amount of time. I suppose that it leaves it open for a sequel but even a chapter at the end set a few months into the future would've felt like more of an ending and it would have been nice to see how the world and game changed after Wade's win.

I also had a bit of a problem with the suddenness of his being taken by IOI for debt, like I knew that it was to get info on the third gate but it felt a bit too convenient that this new element involving being taken directly into the headquarters and harbouring passcodes for months on end, both things that I don't think were ever mentioned previously in the book, coincidentally came together to give him the edge. I think it would have worked better if they were mentioned earlier in the book, even if it was just a sentence talking about how he came across the passcodes on the auction site or how IOI are capable of taking people.

 

Other thoughts I had after I closed the book:

-Aech = Helen was my biggest shock of the whole series and I loved it.

-I kept on picturing Sorrento as this guy which made my impression of him even worse (to clarify: nothing against the actor, but Sorrento reminded me of his character in Happy Gilmore and my god he is like the personification of how you feel when you stub your toe)
-Like I predicted most of the references flew over my head, but they were explained well enough that it wasn't tough to read - I'll probably end up looking into most of the items mentioned, most of which I had never heard of or had little to no interest of investigating before this book which is awesome

-Wade saying he didn't like "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by WHAM! made my heart hurt because that song is A+

-Wade's monologues post-Art3mis fight and pre-Jade key were way too sad and I hope he's okay now

-I really hope the movie does this book justice... and that they can get the rights to everything that was mentioned, even though it would be hilarious to see the knock-off titles that would be used in their place

 

Overall, I really enjoyed Ready Player One and I'm so excited to see how it will be adapted into the movie. Despite the minor annoyances that I mentioned earlier, this was a really good read and definitely something you would enjoy if you're into the 80's or pop culture in general.

 

How did you guys find the book? Do you think it'll hold up as time goes on or will it be forgotten about after Spielberg does his thing? If there are movies/books/games mentioned in the series that you had never discovered previous to RPO will you be looking into them?

 

Looking forward to seeing what everyone thought and what the next book will be!

[Bucknerd]

Hello all,

 

I want to apologize for disappearing.

 

In short, I fell ill.  It took multiple doctor visits for them to determine what was wrong but with medication I am getting to feeling like myself again. I am sorry for dropping the ball but I still hope you finished Ready Player One. I have yet to finish it or do much of anything but I plan on completing it soon.

 

It is nice to start to return to normal.

 

Happy reading and gaming, PSNP.

 

Love,

Bucknerd

Edited February 23, 2016 by Bucknerd

[StrickenBiged]

I hope you feel better Bucknerd. Sorry to hear you were unwell.

 

I'm happy to wait for you to finish reading. You always took the lead at coming up with the discussion questions too, so... there is that. 

[Hemiak]

Really sorry to hear that man. Hopefully your recovery happens smoothly and quickly. The book was terrific, I'm glad I read it snd appreciate the effort involved in setting this thing up 

[DetectiveCJ]

About the UberBetty/Bobby thing, I haven't read the book but from what someone said, they are virtual versions of blow-up dolls; virtual beings which you can have sex with. If that were me, I'd probably "go" for that thing if I felt the urge to sleep with someone, but to be fair, if you look at today's Japanese society, people have already starting having relationships with virtual people(aka dating sim games in Japan are the most popular games and hotel chains have even started catering love suites to single men who play those games - there was news of a Japanese man who even married his virtual lover!) so it wouldn't be long before the West gets this sort of thing and, with VR becoming more of a reality, we would probably have "lonely men" buying VR sets and dating sim games for them.

 

Would I go and marry a fictional character? No, because if I have a girlfriend(which will never happen lolz), I want to help the human race continue to exist by making my girlfriend pregnant in the future and virtual women giving you virtual babies would be artificial and the virtual babies won't become real human beings. That's why the average life expectancy of Japan is so low now - less and less women are marrying and fewer and fewer people have children because men are marrying fake women. Just my two cents.

 

Just my two cents.