Virtual Individualism

In a world suffering from war, crime, and poverty, a virtual reality with

limitless opportunities seems like the perfect escape. The OASIS, in Ernest Clines

novel, Ready Player One, is the virtual world that proves to be this escape where

dreams can become a reality. This is especially true when the quest designed by the

creator of OASIS to win his wealth left in his will becomes available for everyone to

solve. The individual can be immensely successful and celebrated in the virtual

world, since virtual reality enables people to fulfill their individual needs while

reality usually cannot. But is virtual individualism enough when the substance and

reality of the world is completely ignored in this type of individualistic pursuit?

When Ready Player One, is analyzed through a perspective that critiques how

individualism shapes cultures and the behaviors of people in society, from the book

The Myth of Individualism: How Social Forces Shape Our Lives, by Peter Callero, ideal

individualism and the limitations of its societal influence can be critiqued.

Individualist success and freedom is achievable and praised in the virtual world of

OASIS, yet individualism in OASIS masks the real problems of the world more than

ever, with the virtual world overshadowing the real one.

The novel, Ready Player One, promotes the idea that people should be able to

make their own destinies in the novels virtual world of OASIS, with the freedom to

be whoever they desire and pursue wealth and success that arent achievable in

reality. Virtual reality in the novel relates to individualism as explained by Peter

Callero who emphasizes individualist ideals, like self-reliance and self-motivation.

For instance, he notes, [o]ur literature, music, film, and television praise and
celebrate those who succeed as individuals, especially if they go at it alone against all

odds (20-21). These ideals are especially evident in the quest the creator of OASIS,

James Halliday, created for anyone committed enough to decipher his clues and win

his wealth. In the story, Wade, the main character, faces an evil corporation, IOI, with

limitless resources and also millions of other users while he is alone solving the

quest. The individualist characteristics of resolve and self-reliance involved in

pursuing the quest are highlighted in the novel when Wade explains how he single

handedly hacked into IOIs database in order to obtain information to protect

himself, his friends, and the integrity of the quest. Wade states:

From there, I was able to use a series of back doors and system

exploits left by the original programmers to tunnel through the network and

hack directly into the Sixers private database.

Shoto looked at me in awe. You did that? All by yourself? (305)

Here, Wade is celebrated for single-handedly obtaining classified information from

the Sixers, IOI employees. He feels that only he could infiltrate the Sixers database if

he is able to execute his insane plan, which he formulated by himself. He is met with

praise for being successful and even more praise for doing so alone. Shoto, another

experienced gamer also trying to solve the quest, and the admiring reader respect

Wade for his achievement in the face of unbelievable odds. This idealized display of

individualism is premised on the faith that an extraordinary individual will succeed.

Finding success as an individual is celebrated as the ultimate achievement in

the novel. OASIS makes success possible within its virtual world. Wade goes from a

penniless avatar who couldnt even afford to pay for transportation to the winner of
Hallidays contest. At the end of the novel Hallidays avatar appears before Wades

avatar, Parzival, and declares:

Im entrusting the care of OASIS to you now, Parzival, Halliday said.

Your avatar is immortal and all-powerful. Whatever you want, all you have to

do is wish for it. Pretty sweet, eh? he leaned toward me and lowered his

voice. Do me a favor. Try to use you powers only for good. Ok? (363)

When Wade wins the contest, the reader is excited that the underdog is successful in

his endeavors. The reader is invested in Wade, the underdogs, story; as he has gone

from a socially awkward teenager from a poverty stricken community with two

parents that died, to someone who finally finds extraordinary success in Hallidays

quest. As is mentioned in Calleros book, all [underdog stories] have the same effect

of affirming individual self-reliance, determination, and hard work against all social

barriers (21). Through Wades wit and determination he is able to rise above

barriers in his path. He defeats IOI, which had unlimited resources, because he is

more clever and personally committed to succeeding. This scene shows him winning

the contest and everything the Halliday and OASIS has to offer. The transformation of

his avatar to immortal and all-powerful is the ultimate underdog success story.

This result reaffirms the way that individualism shapes the outcome of the novel.

Outcome in a novel, as a result of an individualistically favorable protagonist, will

likely be largely influenced by the actions of that single character.

It is also important to note, that a great portion of the population in the novel

live in a similar poverty-stricken reality as Wade before he wins the contest, so they

too escape to OASIS where they can express individualism. Poverty, hunger, broken
families, war, and disaster are a constant fear for most, which is why OASIS is so

appealing to them. Like Wade, many people seek out an escape to find individualistic

happiness and success on their own terms. The novel states that, [t]hey only used

the OASIS for entertainment, business, shopping, and hanging out with friends (50).

The majority of users in OASIS dont partake in the gaming aspect of the system, as

Wade does, but even though they dont display the heroic individualism that Wade

does in the quest, they are pursuing a different aspect of individualism, freedom.

Callero explains this aspect of individualism when he mentions that, [m]ost of us

think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we desire without the interference of

someone else (31). In this way, individualist qualities are fulfilled when personal

freedoms are achieved. OASIS enables people to attain these freedoms that they

believe an individual deserves. The people in the novel are willing to escape and

ignore the world in order to find freedom from the barriers the problems of the

world pose.

Although Wade and the users of Oasis have success in their individualist

pursuits, is individualist action the solution to the world populations problems in

the novel? In Wades world, [p]lants and animals are dying off in record numbers,

and lots of people are starving and homeless Wade continues to explain that,

[theyre] still fighting wars with each other, mostly over the few resources [they]

have left (17). The world has been left in a state of neglect due to people pursuing

an immediate and easy remedy for their problems. This takes the form of OASIS,

which as the novel mentions, [is] like having an escape hatch into a better reality

(18). In OASIS, limitless opportunities are available, so people are able to seek out
freedom and success that promote individualism in OASIS. They are caught up in

Hallidays quest, the ability to escape reality, and their denial of problems since

OASIS appears to be the solution. This population that is actually in a reality of

neglect may have, as Callero states, an individualist perspective [that] hinders the

identification of structural solutions (33). They immerse themselves in OASIS in

order to benefit themselves and turn away from real problems. For the time being,

their individual needs and freedoms are met, but they are avoiding finding solutions

to the decaying real world. They would rather not find the root of the problem

because their individual needs are satisfied, so society and the world around them

suffers due to this idealized individualism that blinds them.

Ideal individualism in the virtual world has its limitations, so something

along the lines of cooperative individualism may be more influential in the real

world of Ready Player One. If the characters thought more as an individual in a real

society rather than an individual escaping and fending for oneself in a virtual society,

then maybe people would reach out to one another beyond just the virtual world.

Maybe individuals would care more about the real world if they believed that their

society in reality could support them as individuals. If people work as cooperative

individuals, idealized individualism and the mask that is virtual reality may lose

their hold, and people may find that individualism in reality will solve their

problems more so than a fabricated worlds offer of individualism.

 Works Cited

Callero, Peter L. The Myth of Individualism: How Social Forces Shape Our Lives.

Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Print.

Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Broadway Books, 2011. Print.