When we are watching "Ready Player One", what are we watching? An uncommon social background in the near future, nested in an upgraded version of the online game live broadcast of the electronic world hegemony, guides us to reminisce about the flood of old feelings in the 80s and 90s. After the pleasure caused by adrenaline and dopamine fades, this movie will continue to be an endless topic, a topic related to faith and freedom.
The Knot of the Great God
"Oasis" is the "Genesis" of the future.
It is not so much a game as it is a religion. With the development of Internet technology, the other shore world no longer needs to be interpreted with complicated doctrines, nor does it need to be understood through mysterious meditation, penance, hypnosis, or even drug use. You only need to wear a helmet to log in to your account, and you will be able to ascend into the world, enter a splendid field, and experience things that are hard to reach in the real world. This is not just a kind of entertainment, it has become a kind of life. In the "Oasis", you can do everything you want except for eating and drinking, sports, fighting, socializing, drag racing, adventure, interstellar travel... even marriage and divorce. Compared with the gray and terrible real world like a desert, the "oasis" is indeed a veritable piece of bliss. And its creator, Halliday, has also become the supreme god in this world, accepting the worship of all players. This ridiculously-dressed, dull-behaved, and severely feared super-dead house, in real life you may be too lazy to take a look at him.
However, in the "Oasis" world, his words and deeds, every move, every conversation, and every expression are meticulously recorded for all players to study and play. Its popularity is even higher than that of the "Bible" and " "My Struggle" and the Red Book are beyond the reach; and his well-known fanatical hobby for antique-level animation games in the 1980s is no longer limited to personal fun, and has become a kind of inscrutable "oracle". All players are desperately searching for hidden clues that will guide them to discover the mysterious easter eggs buried by Halliday-it means a huge fortune of 500 billion US dollars and the right to operate the "Oasis" game platform. Regardless of the virtual world or the real world, this is a real "God's reward".
To receive this reward, one must understand the "will of God." Halliday concealed his will in three keys, which were not only the key to solving the mystery, but also the key to the master. They will guide the player to open the heart of the great god and touch his hidden soul.
The first key is the "Brass Key". Players must go through an intense racing game and successfully cross the finish line in New York's Central Park to obtain it. The rules are so simple and the tasks are so difficult that no one can pass the customs smoothly for five years. Here, the meaning that Halliday gave to the brass key has a religious origin, that is, "a step back wisdom." There is always too much competition in the world. Playing games is to win, life is to fight, and starting a company is to occupy the market, and there are so many people who draw on fame and wealth. Halliday’s original intention to create "Oasis" was just to design a fun game. He hopes that all players can return to the basics and regain their original intention of "fun". Buddhism said that the four big things are all empty, see it through and let go; Taoism said that "the husband can only fight, so the world can't fight with it", which is different from this theory. Whoever can understand this truth, whoever can get the green light all the way.
The second key is the "Emerald Key", the clue is: "a creator who hates his own creation", a pun on the creator who hates his own creation. Doesn’t the God in the Bible hate his creation, human beings? Haridi is a god here, but he does not have the slightest pride, but expresses deep remorse: his creation has deviated from its original intention and has become a spiritual opium addicted by all; in the process of creation, he and the most Good friends and close lovers also part ways. Choosing "The Shining" as the mystery-solving scene is probably not just a tribute to the classic horror film, but also implies a blizzard-style dilemma, a sadness that can never be let go. In reality, Halliday did not bravely hold the hand of the lover of his dream after all. He hopes that players can summon the courage to wade across the raging river of blood and save their beloved on the dance floor of the zombie collection. If you overcome fear, you will be happy. This is the meaning of the second key.
The way to obtain the third "Crystal Key" is even more unexpected. You don't have to pass the level, just find that there are easter eggs hidden in the classic game "Adventure" developed by Atari in the 1980s. Halliday wanted to use this to tell players that the experience itself is more important than the result. This can be regarded as a philosophy of life. What is the purpose of life? Maybe life itself has no purpose. Living in the present, enjoying every day of life, and savoring the little blessings in ordinary times, just like the eggs randomly found in the game, this is the true meaning of life.
Returning to the original heart, loving what I love, and longing for life, this is the divine intent of the "Oasis God" and his unfulfilled long-cherished wish. If you have a clear heart with him, you will naturally understand his last golden words:
"Thank you for playing my game".
The loss of the overlord
If there is a creator, there will be a ruler.
The dead house Halliday created the "oasis", he is dead; the businessman Nolan dominates the "oasis", and what is worse, he is still alive.
In history, no matter what the original intention of the founder, no belief can escape the fate of being artificially distorted and becoming a ruling tool. Of course the same is true of the "oasis" world. As an elite in the real world, Nolan is not proficient in playing games, but is comfortable with "players". He founded IOI, a huge hegemonic guild, through the development of game equipment, patch packs and various peripheral products, making a fortune in the "Oasis" world; he has raised a large number of game thugs and expert consultant teams to implement professional operations, through Unmatched advantage of scale crushes other players.
He has more successfully extended his business from online to offline, and through the enslavement of contract workers, the debt slavery will be revived in the future. The streets and alleys are full of IOI drones and patrol convoys. Not only can his troops run rampant in slums, they can also personally detain players who are "arrears", and can even create explosions with heavy casualties in the stacked buildings. The tragedy... Relying on cold business calculations and arrogant capital power, Nolan is not only the supreme overlord of the virtual world, but also the uncrowned king of the real world. God belongs to God, and Caesar belongs to Caesar. He has got everything Caesar has gotten!
However, as a well-deserved overlord, Nolan also has his loss: Caesar is not a god after all, but he does not want to be a god all the time. No matter how powerful IOI is, it is ultimately just a parasite in the "oasis" world. Therefore, snatching Halliday's easter eggs to obtain the management rights of the "Oasis" and thus completely dominate the world, whether virtual or reality, is a shortcut for Nolan to become a god. To this end, he threw himself wholeheartedly and frantically on his "stealing the world" and exhausted all means. On the line, he mobilized the crowd to show off all kinds of jaw-dropping super equipment, including the summoning mechanical Godzilla and the 99-level magic ball that could not break through the barrier. In the end, he even used the big killer "Son of Destruction" to bring the Oasis World All of the players are cleared.
Offline, he also used threats and lures to players, and eventually developed to the point of assassination and kidnapping. So exhausted, and finally failed. It's a good thing. The careerists in history always liked Bao Juyu's style. They not only wanted to enslave the human body, but also control the human spirit. They always think that their authority is getting closer and closer to God, but their souls are drifting away from God. Nolan's organs are counted, it is not shrewd and sophisticated, but his tricks only stop at the level of "skills", but he is ignorant of the real "Tao". He didn't understand that Halliday's "oracles" were the waves of his inner world, his love and obsession with classic animation and game culture from his heart. This is the only way to get the three keys and easter eggs. But Nolan was not interested in it. He didn't even bother to remember his account password for logging in to the "Oasis" world, and he even wrote a note on a note. The superstition of power made him prefer to play sideways rather than really having a relationship with God. Therefore, he can't find the key, and he can't get the easter eggs. His experience level and cool equipment obtained by cheating can't conceal the true face of the profiteer. He is not a "comrade in the same way", he will always be just a false god. He is used to manipulating people's hearts, but he has never been unpopular.
It is dangerous for the world to fall into the hands of such people, fortunately they have never received the whole world.
When Nolan finally saw the golden beating bright egg, he didn't pull the trigger of the pistol. He knew that he had lost everything. Realistic bullets can no longer affect the outcome of the game, just like Caesar’s crucifixion of the Holy Spirit of the Son of God. The dream was shattered, and his reputation was ruined. All the ambitious careerists in the world, every fanatic who vainly claim to be a god, will end up like this.
Who is the "number one player"
Every otaku otaku has a hero dream, but you don’t understand their romance. Introverts are often misunderstood by others, thinking that they are either dull and rigid, or cautious and indifferent. In fact, they just focus more on their own world. This world cannot be invaded, it is an absolutely free area. Only here can they unreservedly release the innocence of their own nature and enjoy the joy of cherishing themselves. They are uncomfortable, so they appear dull; they flaunt themselves, so they lose their rigidity. These qualities often make them bump into walls everywhere in reality, becoming the objects of people rolling their eyes and the monsters who stay away. However, Confucius said: "Resolute and dull is close to benevolence", sincerely said. The enthusiasm in the otaku's heart only shines at the right time.
"Oasis" is a paradise for otaku. Here, they have changed their identities and can finally start their second life without interference. Here, dark-skinned fat girls can become brave big men; shy little boys can also become aggressive warriors. They fight here, they grow up here, they laugh here, they cry here, they live here and die here; here, even the arrogant overlord Nolan has to be respected, against his will. It clearly shows that he loves subcultures; here, the taste of the otaku appears "tall" for the first time. For this reason, they have reason to love the "oasis" given to them with dignity. They are obliged to worship Halliday, who is similar to them, and they are more responsible for maintaining the existence of the "oasis" world. This is no longer a pure entertainment demand, it has been condensed into a belief, a mission and glory to defend freedom.
Therefore, when evil forces try to dominate this last piece of bliss, when capital giants conspire to swallow all virtual and reality, when the freedom of the human spiritual world is also facing the end, someone will definitely come forward. , Holding high the banner of idealism, raised their arms, aroused everyone to fight for the protection of faith. Is there anything more fascinating for an otaku than playing a hero in a virtual world? Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why in the final castle battle, there will be so many players at the expense of all equipment and points to selflessly support High Five to obtain the vital third key. This is also the most breathtaking scene in the film.
The moment when Yuan Zu Gundam jumped and swung his lightsaber at the mechanical Godzilla armed to his teeth, when the steel giant sank into the magma, but still extended his thumb to pay tribute to "Terminator", these are as epic. The heroic and great moments allow players to complete the brilliant transformation from an obscure little role to a hero. The equipment and points accumulated for many years, and even his ID in the virtual world, are insignificant compared to this. This is the ultimate meaning of "Oasis": to allow everyone to realize their lofty self-worth at historical moments and become part of an eternal legend.
The so-called "top player" is not just the Wade group of five who finally won the Easter eggs. They are the shameless "Legion of the Living Dead", they are the "Halo Squad", they are the robot lions in "King Kong", they are the Spawner and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
They are also the "bad students" who peek at comic books between classes, the "bad guys" who skip class and play video games, the "house rot" who treats food and play as life, the electric shock of Doctor Yang and the ruler of Yuzhang Academy. "Internet addiction teenagers" who are not well educated... maybe you are not well-known , but as long as you have adhered to your inner love, as long as you sound a small resistance horn against the strict barriers of reality in order to defend your freedom, as long as you can still Deeply moved by the feelings of the past, you are the "number one player"!
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