As far as video games and film are concerned, the two haven’t always seen eye to eye. Whether it’s great movies making terrible games, terrible movies spawning from great games or even the refusal of one medium to accept the other as art; it just hasn’t been a good relationship. However, books have seemed to enjoy a happy medium between the two for years and may provide a great way to bring the together.
Ready Player One, is a book about gaming. Pure and simple, it is about the experience of being a gamer and the communities, lore, nostalgia etc. that go along with it. Attaching a director like Spielberg really pushes the idea that this won’t be a half-hearted attempt to cash-in on The New York Times’ best seller. That being said, the film will be handled by Warner Bros who have proven they are very willing to gut material of it’s more fantastical elements in favor of “grittiness” and “realism”. Thankfully Ready Player One is a science fiction piece set within a VR world which of course doesn’t usually get more fantastical than that.
For those who do not know, Ready Player One is set in the year 2044 where most people spend their time playing OASIS; a vast digital Utopia. The Plot centers around Wade Watts as he and many others attempt to find Easter Eggs in the many worlds within as clues left behind by the game’s creator. The fruits of this labor are a promise by OASIS’s creator to see the game and his estate owned given to the one who finds it.
Steven Curtesy of IMDB.com
Already holding the hallmark of a great mystery story along with many favorable story elements. The book made film promises to work on several levels for Spielberg if you look at his previous works. Given his affinity for spectacular sci-fi worlds and action adventure, Ready Player One seems to fit firmly in his realm of expertise.
Having already placed six-figures on securing the rights, Warner Bros’ acquisition of Spielberg could be seen as placing a security upon their investment. If nothing else, Ready Player One will either be a spectacular masterpiece or a beautifully crafted failure; something in-between doesn’t quite seem to be in the cards.
