One of the most popular science-fiction novels of recent years is Ready Player One, a dystopian adventure story with an archetypal “hero from humble origins” protagonist named Wade Watts who, like most of the other people in his poverty-stricken and socially dysfunctional world, spends most of his waking hours in a ‘Matrix’-like virtual universe called the OASIS. Infinitely vast and incredibly rich in sensual details, the OASIS provides simulations or substitutions of almost every real life experience from K-12 education and white-collar work to recreation and travel, as well as facsimiles of physically impossible situations. For example, in one chapter Wade goes to a party where his avatar dances in midair before morphing into a blob of light! The mad genius who created this virtual universe has died and left his multibillion-dollar fortune, and ultimate control over the OASIS, to the first person who can solve a cryptic puzzle using clues hidden deep within the simulation. Wade is eager to solve this puzzle, but so is every other OASIS user, along with a telecommunications company which is seeking to gain control over the OASIS to monetize it. When Wade starts making progress solving the puzzle, he comes under pressure to give up his secrets and becomes a literal as well as a virtual target for assassination.
Besides presenting a variation of a very familiar narrative structure in a compelling way, Ready Player One also provides one of the most thoughtful descriptions of virtual reality I’ve ever encountered, going beyond the usual “do everything you’ve ever dreamed of” and “escaping from reality” tropes to describing in great detail how this simulated society works in terms of economics, culture, and real-world ramifications. For example, Wade is initially limited in making progress within the OASIS because he doesn’t have enough virtual money to be able to travel far within the simulation, which he needs to do in order to complete quests to earn money and raise the status of his avatar. The technology which people use to interact with the OASIS is also described in a fair amount of detail – from features of the virtual reality software which Wade uses to interact with the virtual universe and other avatars within it (e.g., chat rooms that are 3-D representations of real-life rooms with various objects inside that can be physically manipulated) to the physical hardware which people use to access the OASIS, which can be a basic set of goggles and haptic gloves to form-fitting immersion suits/cockpits and machines which produce detailed sounds and smells to go with the audio-visual and tactile sensations the user is experiencing inside the simulation.
Some of the virtual or augmented/mixed reality concepts described in this book are starting to be developed in real life! For example, several companies are releasing software/hardware packages designed to place the user in either a completely virtual environment (e.g., the Oculus Rift project, now owned by Facebook), or to place virtual objects that you can physically interact with in the real world (e.g., the Magic Leap project, funded by Google and several V.C. firms). With the rapid development over the past ten years or so of small, powerful electronic hardware used in smartphones – high-resolution and color-accurate displays, fast and efficient CPUs, and lighter, higher-density batteries – several of these projects can now develop products that can be used without requiring tethers or cords of any kind to provide data or electricity, and which produce audio-visual and tactile effects that cannot be easily distinguished from interactions with the real world. These virtual (V.R.) or augmented / mixed reality (A.R., M.R.) devices have great potential for use with a wide variety of applications, from fully immersive gaming and tourism to interactive worldwide news feeds and business transactions.
For example, imagine being able to play an advanced version of Pokémon Go where you can physically feel the Poké Ball you’re throwing at a given character, or be able to reach out and touch a Pokémon that you’ve captured! Using the appropriate sensory hardware, you could climb an active volcano and feel the heat of the magma inside it; or catch a live performance of your favorite band from the front row, and see and hear the musicians playing right in front of you! Customer representatives could take a simulated tour of a factory production line to witness in person how a product they are interested in buying is created; car shoppers could take virtual test drives of a vehicle they like at their favorite racetrack; and history teachers could take students to the Moon with the Apollo astronauts or invade the beaches of France with Allied troops in World War II!
Everyday life could be made more productive or interesting with digital representations of useful data or physical objects/experiences, too! For example, a version of Google Maps could be created to take advantage of someone wearing A.R. goggles to give them directions to a given location with virtual signs that appear while they’re physically walking or driving, instructing them to follow a particular route and informing them of their projected arrival times and potential disturbances from weather or traffic. Business presentations could involve data projections or physically interactive objects which each attendee could personally manipulate, and people could experience live news events firsthand with reporters around the world. The possibilities for information generation, sharing, and consumption are virtually endless, and many of these possibilities are explored in depth in Ready Player One.
Of course, as with any great technological developments, there are potential downsides, both in the novel and in reality. The possibility for the information generated by users of these platforms to be collected, analyzed, and used in various ways which could compromise those users’ privacy is both realistic and far more extensive in nature than what is typically done with tracking of Internet and smartphone usage. For example, when the identities of some of Wade’s friends – including their childhood and adolescent histories, personal habits, and geographical locations – are linked with their OASIS avatars, attempts are made on their lives. It is not hard to imagine many realistic scenarios where someone may not want their V.R. avatar(s) linked with their personal identity and activities. The medical, psychological, and cultural/societal effects which long-term usage of V.R./A.R./M.R. products have on the average person are also currently unknown; indeed, one of the major plot points of Ready Player One, albeit a plot point common to many pieces of V.R. fiction, is that many people would prefer to spend their time escaping from reality and indulging themselves in simulations of their fantasies instead of putting substantial effort into resolving their personal and societal problems. This is obviously hugely detrimental to their physical and mental health, and to the health of the environment and other people whom they share reality with. Finally, although preliminary versions of the software and hardware described in this blog post can currently be purchased, consumer-friendly goggles, gloves, and suits will probably not be available for another 5-10 years, as many of them are limited in scope and applications for reasons of cost, aesthetics, content and infrastructure limitations, or inadequately developed software or hardware interfaces.
Still, the appeal of virtual reality and the idea of experiencing many heretofore impractical or impossible activities or events with all of our senses in a way that makes us feel as though we’re really present there remains as bright as ever. With the technologies being developed today by many different companies, the possibility of making many of these concepts parts of our daily lives, and of them enriching us in many ways, seems more plausible than ever before. Indeed, in a final ironic twist, a film adaptation of Ready Player One is currently in development with Steven Spielberg at the helm; and not only has the studio invited people to create avatars of themselves for use as background characters in the film, but they are also considering developing a real version of the OASIS to be released alongside the film adaptation! We could very soon be following Wade in questing through an infinitude of worlds and experiences ourselves, and sharing these experiences with friends, family, and acquaintances in a deeper and more enriching way than ever before.
Sources:
Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. New York: Broadway Books, 2011. Print.
Kelly, Kevin. “Hypervision: Magic Leap and the Future of VR.” Wired May 2016: 74-87, 112.
Packwood, Lewis. “How Far Away is the Technology of Ready Player One?” Kotaku.co.uk. Future plc, 5 May 2016. Web. 6 Aug. 2016.
“Create a 3D avatar for the upcoming film Ready Player One.” Talenthouse.com. Warner Brothers, 19 May 2016. Web. 6 Aug. 2016.