Ready Player One discussion

1. Favorite character? Favorite scene/chapter?

2. Which character needs the most therapy?

3. Halliday has an extremely powerful role in the events of the book, even though he does not appear himself (alive, anyway). Why do you think Halliday wanted someone to win who was basically a copy of himself? How did the rules of Halliday’s game help him determine the type of player who would likely win? What sort of god is Halliday, creator of the OASIS universe?

4. Wade’s OASIS pass phrase is: “No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful.” What does this philosophy mean to him at that point in his life?

5. There is a shift in Wade’s view on the game and his stakes. When does Wade become willing to “die trying”?

6. Why are all the main gunters teenagers? Did you find this appealing or off-putting?

7. Explore the question of identity raised in the novel. What do the characters’ avatars tell us about their desires and their insecurities? In reality, does our physical appearance give false clues about who we really are? How does Parzival, transformed into a celebrity gunter, become Wade’s true self?

8. What are the benefits to living in a world like the Oasis? What are the drawbacks? Would you want to have the option to go “play” in a world like the Oasis?

9. What did you think about the ending?

10. Do you think Wade will ever push the Big Red Button, deleting the Oasis?