Virtual Reality In Mr. James Halliday's Ready Player One

Your body shakes and rumbles getting tossed inside the Humvee as you make your way through the streets of Afghanistan, driving along roads that are surrounded by nothing but dessert. Suddenly, a landmine erupts and your first reaction is to go relieve your comrades from the wreckage of the car in front of you. Panic ensues, but your team gathers itself to begin the rescue process. As bodies are slowly retrieved, it becomes clear that there are no survivors.
As Chelsea Conaboy writes, “For someone who has never lived it, experiencing this scene from the War in Afghanistan via VR is unnerving. For those who have, it just might be healing. Increasingly, therapists are using VR systems in conjunction with a form of talk therapy to treat veterans
Virtual Reality (VR) has been omnipresent throughout modern literature, film, etc, and Ernest Cline’s novel, Ready Player One, epitomizes the controversial nature of VR. The story explores the successes of, Mr. James Halliday, one of the greatest games creators of all time. During his career, Halliday created a VR world, called OASIS, which serves as an immersive alternate educational experience for high school students. In the wake of Halliday’s recent passing, it becomes evident that his fortune has been left behind, hidden within the OASIS to be discovered via treasure hunt. The novel follows the story of Wade Watts, as he works to find Halliday’s fortune while simultaneously fulfilling his secondary education all within the OASIS. Ultimately, the consequential effect that Halliday’s OASIS imposes upon people has both positive and negative influences, however, the novel presents extreme positives and extreme negatives. Yet, in taking a more in depth look at the real world effects that VR might have on society, such as the use of VR for veterans, the advancement of the book’s plot do not necessarily align with the potentials of the VR, proving that VR is a crucial innovation that must be withstood by