Ready Player One

[R.M.]

Will Ready Player One become as influential as Neuromancer and Snow Crash?

Ready Player One is getting closer to a movie adaptation. The movie could come out at a time when Virtual Reality gaming technology has finally matured enough to become a reality. FB's purchase of Oculus, and the fact that the book is required reading for Oculus employees is ironic considering the big-bad corporate monopoly that Oasis becomes in the book. Sony seems to be the only console company taking a risk on this technology, but I think the industry will really take off if this movie is successful at the box office.

[Aaron]

If it is I will be that old man who cringes every time someone brings up how revolutionary the whole concept is when it's not...it's really not.

[Alicja]

I think Ready Player One won't be as influential because it will be dated quickly. You have to be familiar with the 80s, and specifically the Geek culture of the 80s to understand much of its references.

As far as the technology, the way it is presented in the book is actually scary. With much of the world removed from reality, the implications are explored in it wonderfully. I guess I'm glad Oculus employees read it hopefully as a cautionary tale (and not as a model for the company because then it just means they're trying to take over the world).

And let's not forget the ultimate in VR gaming and training that we've been exposed to through Star Trek. These concepts have been around, have been explored some. And as much fun as Ready Player One was to read, its not a timeless or extraordinary piece of gripping literature. It'll fade in time.

[Chris]

I think it has the potential to be incredibly influential. It's a great book in almost every way, and for those of us who get all the cultural references, it's outstanding nostalgia as well.

[Chris]

Oh it's a great book; as intrigued as I am for the concept of the movie, I'm not sure how influential or impacting it will be on society at large. I think it will end up more like the Scott Pilgrim movie--entertaining, very entertaining, and very colorful, but ultimately enjoyed and moved quickly on from.

The book, steeped in culture as it is, summons up a lot of nostalgia for people, and presented a pretty gritty future for us actually that stokes some room for thought, but I have to agree with Alicja here, as potent as its name is now, its grandeur will fade with time. I don't see it having a lasting impact, but it is solid entertainment.

[Lara Amber]

I'm not sure how Ready Player One could be condensed into a 2-3 hour movie without sacrificing most of the story and references. A mini-series maybe.

[Sparrowlicious]

Lara Amber wrote: "I'm not sure how Ready Player One could be condensed into a 2-3 hour movie without sacrificing most of the story and references. A mini-series maybe."

Same. I mean, the protagonist EXPLAINS every reference. Which is nice, since I was born in '88 and therefore grew up in the 90s and ... 00s (or whatever you call it).
They would probably end up making yet another movie about a male power fantasy. Boooring.