Science fiction narratives bring to the fore realities that are not actively present but have the tendency to become real. For instance, George Orwell’s 1984 presented a society where mass surveillance was the norm. Published in 1948, the novel was seen as a fallacy but the truth behind the fiction is evident in our world today. Similarly, the 2011 science fiction novel, Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, is set in a dystopia. The protagonist, Wade Owen Watts lives in 2045 at a time when fossil fuels are nearly consumed and the world is facing an energy crisis. Wade, along with a plethora of other residents, is using the virtual reality simulator OASIS. They live in an alternate digital reality and experience life through their avatars. Ready Player One projects a world that is nearly similar to ours today. Despite the advancements in technology, humans are not happy with the presence of so many ills enveloping society. With overpopulation and the reduction of natural habitat to make way for a concrete jungle, humans are continuing with their plans to pollute the Earth in more than one way.
Akin to how Wade used the OASIS to take out his frustration, we, in today’s world, enter the world of social media, immersive gaming, and online entertainment to escape the realities of our lives. OASIS, as shown in Ready Player One, is akin to social media. All users were represented through their avatars. They lived life the way they wanted and not how they were in real life.
“Whenever I saw the sun, I reminded myself that I was looking at a star. One of over a hundred billion in our galaxy. A galaxy that was just one of billions of other galaxies in the observable universe. This helped me keep things in perspective.”
Ernest Cline, Ready Player One
The world shown in Ready Player One is a blend of dystopia and utopia, as Justin Nordstrom wrote in the abstract of his paper, “A Pleasant Place for the World to Hide”: Exploring Themes of Utopian Plan in Ready Player One. Looking at Ready Player One’s society from our viewpoint, we see some similarities. First, environmental decay is at its peak. Second, a corporation is trying to exercise its will over the population. Nolan Sorrento, in this case, the antagonist in the novel, threatens to kill Wade if he doesn’t tell him the location of the First Gate. We may see some reflection of Sorrento in some people or organizations of the world.
Third, the references to games in Ready Player One are from the 1980s, which makes the novel an interesting read. This is especially true for those readers who were in their childhood or teens during the 1980s. This can be referred to our fondness for the 1980s and the 1990s and how we crave to re-live those times that were simple and tech-free. If you are in your 30s or 40s today, put your hand on your head and ask yourself if you do not want to return to the 1980s or 90s. If the answer is a ‘yes’, then you are one of us!
Scifiers explores science fiction narratives that enliven our imagination and compel us to think about the “what-ifs” of creative world-building. It is on a mission to discuss ideas about sci-fi in its various forms that keep the genre in a state of continuous expansion.
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