Ready Player One Quizlet!
Avatar
A digital representation of a person or being.
The Basement
Aech's invitation-only chatroom.
Chapter 10
As he leaves the Tomb of Horrors, Wade sees (and subsequently ignores) dozens of messages from Aech, who's seen that Parzival found the Copper Key. Believing the riddle from the key is guiding him to Middletown, a replica of Halliday's hometown of Middletown, OH, Wade heads there in search of the gate. On the way to Halliday's house, Wade sees that Art3mis has obtained the Copper Key. But there's no time to delay; he must press on. The "trash" from the riddle is a slang term for the TRS-80 computer, a replica of which sits in Halliday's bedroom. Near it, a copy of the game Dungeons of Daggorath. After beating this game-within-a-game, the gate appears inside a movie poster of WarGames. Parzival inserts the Copper Key into the keyhole, and falls into the starry abyss that opens in the poster.
Chapter 15
Back in the OASIS, Parzival tells Aech that Sorrento blew up his house. Needless to say, this ups the stakes of the Easter egg Hunt quite a bit. It seems that Wade's resistance was futile, because that I-r0k told IOI where to find the Copper Key. Sixer ships have taken over Ludus. Aech calls a meeting of the High Five, the top five on the scoreboard: Parzival, Art3mis, Aech, Daito, and Shoto. They briefly talk about forming an alliance, but all of them want to go it alone. Well, Daito and Shoto want to go solo together, whatever the word for that is. So, that meeting accomplished nothing. Strangely, before Aech and Parzival logout, a stack of comic books falls over. They decided it must be a glitch, and logout.
Aech
Besides, Mrs. Gilmore - this is Wade's best friend.
Chapter 14
During his chatlink with Sorrento, head of IOI, Parzival is taken on a tour of their virtual headquarters, allegedly a replica of their actual offices in Columbus, OH. Sorrento offers him a job, which means state-of-the-art equipment and a buttload of money, all to help find a video game Easter egg. Parzival convinces IOI to up the offer: 50 million dollars upon finding the egg, Sorrento's job as head of IOI, and he'll get to be called, "El Numero Uno" (14.65). They agree. Of course, Parzival was just kidding around. He tells Sorrento to "go **** a duck" (14.74) and gets ready to leave. Well that was rude. Sorrento has one last trick up his sleeve: he'll wire 5 million to Parzival's account, simply for a walkthrough up to the First Gate. Wade considers it, but declines, not wanting to sell out. Before Wade can log out, Sorrento has one last last trick up his sleeve: he knows Wade's true identity. His full name and where he lives. He threatens to detonate a bomb planted in the stacks where Wade lives if he doesn't give them the information. Uh oh. The villainous Sorrento asks, "If your mother were still alive, what should she want you to do?" Um, we think she'd want Wade to take the money so she could use it for drugs. Sorry, Wade's mom, but it's true. Bringing his mom into it really gets Wade mad. Believing they're bluffing, Wade logs out of the chat. Nothing happens. He's safe! Whew. Wade decides to log back in and contact Art3mis, tell her what happened. As he's getting ready to put on his gloves, BOOM. The bomb actually goes off. Safe in his stalker-van hideout, Wade tries to decide what to do next
Adventure
First action-adventure game as well as the game with the first Easter egg
The Hatchery
Gunter message board.
Drugs
How Wade's mother died
IOI
Innovative Online Industries
OASIS credits
Most valuable currency in the Ready Player One world.
Robotron 2084
One of Wade's favorite games that he plays on the emulator
1980s
The Era of James Halliday
Family Ties
The TV show Wade watches that he wishes was his family
The Stacks
The colloquial term for the mobile home cities created by "stacking" homes on top of one another.
Chapter 11
The first half of this chapter involves Wade playing a game in which he has to act out the entire movie WarGames. Re-enacting Matthew Broderick's role to a T, including all the action and dialogue, nets Wade a clue to the Jade Key. "The captain conceals the Jade Key / in a dwelling long neglected / But you can only blow the whistle / once the trophies are all collected" (11.42). Parzival races back to Ludus, and Wade logs out of OASIS at 6:17 a.m. That night, he has a dream that he's found a large glass egg. An army of enemies take the egg and tear him apart.
Wade Watts
The name of the main character
Sixers
The name used by Gunters when talking about IOI employees.
Chapter 12
The next morning, the media is ablaze with news that two people have found the Copper Key within hours of each other. It's kind of a big deal. A report interviews Ogden Morrow, Halliday's former best friend, who calls the media "vultures" (12.24) and IOI (who's also searching for the egg) a "fascist multinational conglomerate" (12.32). Since IOI runs the network, they cut him off pretty quickly. Og's interview leads Wade to some more exposition on the tumultuous relationship between Halliday and Ogden Morrow. They had a falling out over a girl, Kira, who married Og and lived happily ever after with him until dying in a car accident. Now back to our regularly scheduled adventure. Aech finally gets hold of Parzival, gushing about what a hero Parzival is going to be. He also says that he's deduced the location of the Copper Key himself. They're a little worried that I-r0k might figure it out too, and spill the beans to the whole world (and IOI) that the key is on Ludus. As a friendly tip, Parzival tells Aech to brush up on his Jousting skills. After Aech races off to claim his own copy of the Copper Key, Parzival gets a message from Art3mis. They exchange a couple flirty messages as the chapter comes to a close.
Keys
The objects Gunters are trying to find in the OASIS
Ludus
The planet and primary location of the OASIS public schools.
Global Energy Crisis
The primary reason for the Stacks, the abandoned vehicles, and the mass immigration to urban areas.
Human Condition
The reason Wade thinks the world sucks
Halliday's Fortune
The reason many people play OASIS
Mrs. Gilmore (Mrs. G)
The religious neighbor and friend of Wade.
OASIS
The video game invented by James Halliday
2044
The year the story is set
Chapter 4
This is mainly an exposition chapter set around Wade's World History class. We get a double dose of World History here, about two different worlds. (1) Our own world: Wade learns about the world. Obviously. With the help of OASIS, his teachers can take him on a virtual tour of pretty much anywhere, anytime, like the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922. Hey, Shmoop wants to go. (2) OASIS: Wade tells us about the history and makeup of the OASIS. It's divided up into 27 sectors (so it looks like a Rubik's Cube), and divided further into different zones. Some allow magic, some allow technology, some allow neither, and some allow both. There are also some zones where PvP, or Player versus Player, combat is allowed. Check out our "Setting" section to learn more about OASIS. The OASIS has pretty much taken over the world, with people using it for school, work, shopping, and socializing. Wade can only use it for school. He's stuck on planet Ludus, with no money to get anywhere else. OASIS charges real money for pretty much anything you want to do in game, and Wade doesn't have any. Unemployment runs rampant in 2045, even virtually speaking.
Chapter 5
This time, Wade's in Advanced OASIS Studies class, but he knows more than the teacher. Here's what he teaches us: (1) James Halliday's life story. Get the scoop in our "Characters" section. (2) Halliday's best friend, Ogden Morrow, also gets a quick bio in this chapter. We hate to break it to you, but if you want it, you've gotta work for it: head on over to the "Characters" section once more. (3) Wade also tells us more about OASIS and "the dawn of a new era, one where the human race now spent all their free inside a videogame" (5.42). If you want more, visit the "Setting" section.
READY PLAYER ONE
Three word message that appears on the login screen of every OASIS user at startup
Chapter 7
To relieve boredom from Latin class, Wade sings a Schoolhouse Rock! song to himself. Making a connection between the Latin word ludus, meaning "school," "sport," or "game," Wade decides that the Tomb of Horrors must be on the school planet, Ludus. It seems that Halliday was a big benefactor for the OASIS virtual school system, so to Wade, it makes sense that Halliday might stash the Copper Key there. Plus, he might want a high school kid to find it. Who better to give a multi-billion dollar fortune to than a teenager? After class, Wade scans the surface of the planet for a formation matching that of the Tomb of Horrors in the Dungeons and Dragon book. He finds it! There's just one problem: it's clear across the planet, near Aech's school, and Wade's avatar has no method of transportation or teleportation. What, no bikes in OASIS? Doing some quick thinking, he realizes that the school offers free teleportation to sporting events on the planet. His school is playing a virtual football game against OPS #0571, which is about an hour's run from the Tomb of Horrors. Wade tells Aech he has homework, and teleports across the planet instead. In the forest, he finds the Tomb of Horrors and goes inside
Chapter 13
Unsurprisingly, I-r0k lets the cat out of the bag, and two more gunters find the key: Daito and Shoto. Wade puzzles over the Jade Key riddle, which he's taken to calling the Quatrain, but he's coming no closer to solving the thing. In the meantime, endorsement-deal offers come pouring in. Companies want to use Parzival's likeness for products because, you know, he's a total stud. Without revealing his true identity, Wade takes them up on their offers. He's a little more hesitant to respond to the 5,000 messages from the head of IOI, Nolan Sorrento. Nothing good can come of that, right? After a quick internal debate, he decides to open up a chatlink with Sorrento to discuss his business proposition.
Chapter 3
Wade enters Aech's chatroom, the Basement. Here the two best friends get into a heated debate about whether or not Ladyhawke, a 1985 movie starring Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer, rocks or stinks. (Shmoop amongst yourselves.) They're interrupted when another of Aech's friends, I-r0k (I rock! Get it? Oh, he sounds like a wonderful guy), enters the chatroom to stir up trouble. He insults Parzival and brags about a videogame he acquired, as if he's the only person on Earth to have it. Parzival and Aech know all about it: the Swordquest series of Atari games from 1982, unofficial sequels to Adventure, which Halliday's Hunt is an homage to. They put I-r0k in his place, and he leaves. Aech and Parzival make arrangements for TV time after school just as the bell rings
Chapter 6
Wade has one more class to sit through: Latin. He seems to think this class is what we'd call Boringus Maximus, so it's time for more exposition. This time around we learn all about Anorak's Almanac, the digital guide to Halliday's life. You might call it a Strategy Guide to the Hunt. Wanting to read it even without an Internet connection, Wade says he printed out a hard copy of the guide and keeps in a binder. Heavens to Betsy, how big is this binder? Wade told us earlier this guide is over 1,000 pages long. That would be almost 10 pounds of paper he's carrying around in his backpack. And he tells us he doesn't get a lot of physical exercise? Wade tells us about all of Halliday's favorite authors, movies, music, video games, etc. And Wade says he's read, watched, played, breathed, ate, and pooped them all. Not that we're counting, but it's well over 400 books, 300 hours of movies, and who knows how much TV and music. In four years! When he says he has "no life whatsoever" (6.49), he's not joking. At the end of the chapter, Wade shares his Copper Key theory with us. He believes it's hidden in the Tomb of Horrors, a recreation of the Dungeons and Dragons module of the same name.
Chapter 9
Wade is in a state of shock and awe, as the unexpected intruder isn't just any avatar; it's the famous Art3mis, whom Wade has a cyber-crush on. Her first, super romantic words to her admirer are, "Who the hell are you?" (9.1). Wade lusts after Art3mis—her completely digital, artificially created avatar, that is. He thinks she's pretty hot. Again, the thought lurks in the back of his mind that she might be "an obese, hairy-knuckled guy named Chuck" (9.6). She wants to know how he did in the Joust against Acererak, and he tries to fake like he didn't totally kick his bony butt. The two go from rivals to buds pretty quickly, even exchanging custom-made calling cards. Before they part, Art3mis sees Parzival's name on the scoreboard, the first name to ever appear on the board in almost five years. She flips out that Parzival not only won the key on his first try, but also lied about it to her. To hinder Parzival's exit, she casts a barrier spell that will hold him in the Pillared Chamber until midnight, when the server resets and all the enemies come back. Then she warns him not to go public with his true identity. "There are a lot of people who would kill for that information" (9.125). We hear ya, sister. Finally, Art3mis wants to know what Parzival would do with the money if he wins. He wants to blast himself into space with a bunch of video games and live there, which is a strange combo of liberating and depressing. Art3mis, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, wants to feed the world's hungry. And give everyone a kitten. Okay, we're kidding about the kitten part, but seriously, she's very altruistic. As he's leaving the Tomb, Parzival gives Art3mis a tip: ask Acererak to trade places.
Chapter 8
Wade knows his way around the Tomb of Horrors from studying the original D&D module. He dodges traps, evades monsters, and snags some sweet loot along the way. Inside the Pillared Throne Room, however, the lich, Acererak, awaits. Wade says he "appeared exactly as he did on the cover of the original Tomb of Horrors module" (8.10), which we happen to have right here. Even though he's sure he'll be killed instantly, Wade tells Acererak that he's come for the Copper Key. Lucky for Wade, he doesn't have to beat the Acererak in a physical duel. He has to best him at Joust. This Joust. It's best two out of three. Wade loses the first round. Before beginning the second, he asks the lich to trade places. Wade is used to playing in the Player One spot on the left. They trade, and Wade does better this time. So much better, in fact, that he wins. He earns the Copper Key and a riddle as to the location of the copper gate: "What you seek lies hidden in the trash on the deepest level of Daggorath." (8.64) Before he can race off to investigate, another avatar enters the Tomb
Parzival
Wade's OASIS username
Chapter 2
Wade's avatar, Parzival, materializes inside OASIS, a hyper-detailed, 3D game world. With a school. That's right: Wade goes to school online, in a game. That's like taking British Literature in-between slaying Morlocs in World of Warcraft. As he gets ready for World History class, he tells us about his pre-OASIS schooling, in a real, brick-and-mortar public school. Lots of bullying School in OASIS, on the other hand, is much better. The software allows Wade to mute his bullies, which is pretty handy. With a few minutes to go before World History, Wade logs on to the Hatchery, a message board for gunters seeking Halliday's egg. He also tells us about the Sixers, employees of Innovative Online Industries, or IOI, who have been hired to find the egg. Wade and many gunter clans think this is against the spirit of the Hunt, so they hate the Sixers and IOI. Mercenary egg hunters After complaining about the Sixers, Wade checks out Art3mis's blog. Art3mis is a fellow gunter, and a real cyber babe. Wade ogles her curvy avatar for a bit, even though he realizes that anyone could be playing Art3mis, even "some middle-aged dude named Chuck, with back hair and male-pattern baldness" (2.43 Before class, Wade gets an invitation from his best friend, Aech, to join his chatroom
Art3mis
Wade's cyber crush
Oklahoma City
Wade's hometown
Abandoned Vehicle
Wade's secret hideout in the Stacks.
Alliterative
When a sequence of words begin with the same letter
Chapter 1
gunshots waking up our narrator in the read world. He's been hiding out in the laundry room of his aunt's trailer (since when do trailers have laundry rooms?), where he lives with fourteen other people. Let's add "overcrowding" to the long list of the world's problems in 2045. Our narrator tells us his name is Wade Watts, eighteen years old. He likes video games, classic TV shows, and anything from the 1980s. We think he would also like long walks on the beach, but the beaches are probably covered with oil and/or flooded by this time. Wade plays Robotron: 2084 for a few hours, then watches a couple episodes of Family Ties. His parents are both dead. His dad was shot while looting a grocery store. Before she died of a drug overdose, his mother used the OASIS to raise her son, kind of like many parents use the television to do the same thing these days. As he's lived most of his life while logged into OASIS, Wade unsurprisingly hates the real world. We're treated to a few pages of him railing against the injustices of life. During his fourth episode of Family Ties, Wade's Aunt Alice finds him hiding in the laundry room and takes his laptop to pawn it. Classy. Wade sneaks out the window and descends the "stacks," dozens of trailers stacked on top of one another because of overcrowding, held together by "a network of metal girders like Donkey Kong or BurgerTime" (1.59). Except without barrels or giant anthropomorphic wieners. On the way down, Wade briefly chats with sweet old Mrs. Gilmore, a lady who was a teenager in the 1980s and a valuable source of '80s nostalgia for young Wade-of-the-strange-taste-in-decades. At the bottom of the stacks, Wade has a secret hideout in the back of a windowless van with all the seats removed where he has backup computers, hard drives, and a bicycle connected to a generator. Inside his "secret hideout", Wade puts on his haptic gloves and visor and logs into OASIS. Three words greet him as he enters the virtual world: "READY PLAYER ONE
