Steven Spielberg returned to the big screen with the new action-packed sci-fi movie ‘Ready Player One.’ It gained an IMBd rating of 79% and hit the box office with great success. The movie is about a virtual reality world called OASIS, and the creator of OASIS decided to leave the control of the OASIS to whoever finds the hidden keys to the ‘Easter Egg.’ The movie crosses over between virtual reality (VR) and the real world, with events happening on both sides affecting each other. Although the movie is set in the year 2045, most of the technology used in the movie is replicable with today’s technology. Just like the characters in the movie, we can buy headgear for display and hand controllers for movement in virtual reality. Some systems use motion capture technology, such as ‘Xbox Kinect,’ requiring no controllers. They also utilized ‘Movement Pad,’which is like a treadmill that allows players to actually “walk” during games.
VR technology first started developing around 1950’s when ideas of films having 3D (three-dimensional) effects began to develop afterwards. While this was different than what VR looks like now, the modern VR systems appeared in 2000’s. It was originally used more for the military to train their soldiers for situations that are not easy to simulate in the real world. Today, with VR being more focused on entertainment, most computers and consoles are VR-ready, only needing some equipment and software. Along with pre-existing companies, new companies developing virtual reality technology are trying to get ahead in the competition.
The movie points to both positive and negative sides of VR. It shows that VR is limitless; people can do what is impossible in the real world and experience activities that are hard to do. However, VR faces problems such as getting addicted to virtual world. This can result in neglecting the real world, and the movie addresses this issue in several scenes. VR must overcome these problems to advance.
Before watching the movie, it is recommended to watch or at least briefly review settings of “The Shining,” a horror movie released in 1980, as key part of the movie develops greatly around it. It can be confusing to watch without prior knowledge to it.
Sungwon Mun | Reporter
smun5@masonlive.gmu.edu
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