Ready Player One: Virtual Reality gets slapped with reality

In ready player one, it's a story that touches a lot on the concept of virtual reality. Its set in a dystopian world that is almost, if not, consumed by virtual reality. In the real world new outbreaks of diseases and low resources is effecting the world as it is slowly deteriorating. As a result of this, virtual reality is a way to escape reality. This virtual world is called the Oasis. It's more like a usual gaming world. You make an avatar and give yourself a gamer tag. Everything in this world the player can experience it in full effect. All five senses is used in this gaming world. When reading this it amazed me on how advance the technology was. Honestly I kind've excited for the future of virutal reality and how far it could go. Back to the story, here comes the main protaganist Wade who is one of the top gamers. He meets other gamers and most teens like him like going into the oasis to escape the real world as well. On a series note just like in the real world, people still use this platform to hide there identity.



Although virtual reality is a revolutionary way to get connected to games, it is also a gateway for people to go under false identities. This reminded me of a show called "catfish", which plays on MTV. What they is help those who want to know whether or not the person they reach out to on a social media platform is real.  This show represents how powerful it can be to hold an identity and to make it relate to you in real life or someone you think you should be. Power like that obviously in the catfish show seems to land in the wrong hands. It seems like a rarity on the show to actual find someone who actually is the person they say they are. It kindve scary too because when finding love on social is that ever really a good idea? In addition when speaking about virtual reality, this is similar because your character can have any elements that you want to add on to it.

For instance, if someone is within the gaming community considers themselves as transsexual, they have the capability to be who they see themselves as in a game. This actually gives them a sense of freedom, but honesty should come in to play. Its great to see gamers wanting to escape reality, on the other hand misleading others is when there should be limits set. If the person is afraid, they should not be at fault. A lot pros and cons can come into play. Other factors like being afraid to be judged based on skin color or sex correlates to identities being hidden. In the book one of the gamers who portrays herself as a white male and is one of the best gamers. Even the main character, Wade, is a white male who seems to have the power of privilege more likely than others. We should be able to build a safe world where no one should be judged and be who they want to be. It all stops when it gets in the wrong hands. To me I support anyone who want to be true to themselves no matter what. Overall, I liked the book and I think this should stay in the interactive fiction lesson. There is so much gamers and non-gamers can learn about the virtual world, sometimes reality always catches up.