A Novel Incorporating Video Games? Yes Please!

By Justin Loc

"Ready Player One"
By Ernest Cline

          The novel "Ready Player One" is one of the many dystopian science-fiction novels of our generation, yet it is one of the most favorited. Our protagonist and narrator, Wade Watts, is a normal teenager in the year 2044, a time where the world is in crisis and most of the population spends their lives in a virtual reality called the OASIS. Many people spend a large amount of their lives to using the OASIS, since it gives them an educational system, allows people to change their appearances as they wish, and makes life easier in a countless number of ways. Wade is a student in the OASIS, but he is also an egg hunter in his free-time. Egg hunters, also known as "gunters", are people that are participating in the Hunt, a search started by the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, the richest man to ever live. The Hunt is the search of a chain of Easter eggs placed inside the OASIS by Halliday himself, and it began right after his death. The Easter eggs were based off of video games that inspired Halliday growing up. Whoever finds the final Easter egg will claim all of Halliday’s wealth. His fortune contains over two hundred and forty billion dollars. Many people attempted to find them, but almost no one knew where to start. Halliday only left a few clues behind to find it. But, maybe all of this could change. Wade Watts holds an extraordinary knowledge of video game history and Halliday's entire life. He seems to know nearly everything about video games and technology, but he has two problems. He has to stay on his school planet so he doesn't risk getting expelled from his educational system, and he is a very low-leveled OASIS player. This makes hunting for the Easter eggs much more complicated and tough for Wade, as if it wasn't hard enough.
          Now, I have only read around half of this book, but I can tell you already, it is amazing. I've heard many great opinions on it, and I'll say it right now. You have to read this book eventually! I'm not saying you should go and read this book right now, but definitely consider reading it in your free time at some point. Many readers can relate to Wade, due to his tough life where and when he lives: “I had to move in with my mom’s sister, Alice. Aunt Alice didn't take me in out of kindness or familial responsibility. She did it to get extra food vouchers from the government every month. Most of the time, I had to find food on my own” (19). Wade’s parents are dead, so he lives in poverty in a trailer with his cruel aunt, where they struggle to pay for rent. I personally love in this book so far on how realistic this novel is, and how Ernest Cline was able to integrate so many video games into it- around 15! Although this novel might seem appealing only to video game enthusiasts, any teenager can find this book spectacular and interesting. As I was reading this, I found the book to be very realistic, relatable, and overall amazing. I also found Wade’s narration and the dialogue extremely natural. Lines in the novel like “That story you heard? About how we were all created by a super-powerful dude named God...Total bullsh*t...We made it all up” (17), definitely prove how his narration is like he is having a normal conversation with the reader. I could definitely see myself as Wade in this story, as we have similar personalities, and even the speech throughout the characters was similar to my own conversations with my friends. It definitely opens up many of the readers’ minds to imagine new worlds like Wade’s.
          So, I recommend this book to everyone, but especially teenagers. Anyways, have fun reading this novel, because I sure am! I doubt anyone could regret reading this!