Table of Contents
Introduction
A few years ago I came up with the idea to follow along in Wade Watt’s footsteps and complete the challenges presented to him in the book Ready Player One. I planned and researched. I wrote and rewrote. But, nothing actually came together until earlier this year when I finally just sat down and started playing through the Tomb of Horrors module. I came up with a character, recorded some skits, posted them to my YouTube, and started the process. Then, I recorded a video comparing the different versions of Joust to complete that particular challenge. Dungeons of Daggorath and Zork both require playthroughs. But, how do I incorporate Wargames into the challenge. Simply reenacting the movie as the book does is simply boring.
That fact alone germinated for a couple of months and now blossoms as this article. I often decry the banality of nostalgia. Far too often, our corporate overlords trap us into their version of events. What really cemented the concept of nostalgia as flawed was the absolute horror show that was Woodstock ’99. Gone was any semblance of the original festival of peace and love, replaced by soulless repetition, 7 dollar waters, and overflowing Porta Potties. Every once in a while, something becomes its own parody. And, we live with the echoes of all of this corporate bullshit even today.
The Hunt is More Than Just a Game
Wade enters into the town and becomes immersed in the movie. He figures out that he becomes the character and must not just act like the character, but he needs to be the character. This all begs a few questions. Why this movie? Why Wargames? Why force people to reenact it perfectly, scene for scene? The book presents it as just another fun reminder of why the 80s were so cool and why we should care. But, if you think about it for just a little bit you start to realize. Halliday wasn’t testing people’s memory. He was testing something else entirely.
We see more and more that these eccentric billionaires, who currently hold our entire society hostage, are ego driven sociopaths who want nothing more than to be worshiped as the gods they believe that they are. Why would we think that Halliday is any different? He literally created a world in his own image. Upon his death, he knew he would need to give it away. How do you find that person?
Wargames Flicksync as a Trap
I already mentioned that the player needs to follow the movie, line for line and scene for scene. This leaves no room for interpretation or improvisation. Your imagination is taken away from you and you have to follow the script exactly. So, what actually is being tested here? Not creativity, but obedience. Halliday is awarding those who perform so that you relive his childhood exactly as he remembers it. You are not playing a game. You are trapped in a nostalgic nightmare for Halliday’s perverse amusement.
If you’re still reading, I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t this all a bit much? I mean, you’ve already taken a fun scene from the book and written three paragraphs about how Halliday is an evil puppet master manipulating people from beyond the grave. Okay, fair enough. But, if you made it this far, stick with me just a little longer.
The Problem with Nostalgia
Nostalgia is a liar. Plain and simple. It’s been proven time and again that human memory is deeply flawed. When you try to build an entire world view based solely on your memories, you are doomed to fail. And, this is where some of the flaws in Halliday’s plan start to emerge. He’s building this hunt on his obsession with the past. Not just any past, though. His past. He needs someone who is as obsessive about these things as he was. He ultimately doesn’t care if the person knows anything about programming or running a virtual world. He simply wants someone who will be his living avatar. They must love these things as he loved them. Since he never actually left his past, he wants to live in a future that looks exactly like that past.
Here’s the thing. The good old days weren’t ever that good. You just lived as a child, teen, and young adult without certain responsibilities or view of the world. These days, we know all of the horrific stuff that’s happening due to the internet. But, that horrific stuff didn’t just start happening. There have been wars, racism, sexism, all of it. And, I don’t care what anyone says. While society from the 1960s in America took steps forward, the current backlash is showing that nothing ever truly changed.
What the Wargames Flicksync Ultimately Shows Us
Wade wins the flicksync mainly because he is that person. He mirrors Halliday’s desire to hide from reality. He obsesses over the same things in much the same way. Halliday found his avatar and, initially, Wade willingly goes along with it all. However, he gets a chance to realize what Halliday never did. You can’t hide forever.
When reality and fantasy collide in a big way, Wade is forced to contend with the fact that eventually you have to face what you’ve been hiding from. This also causes him to realize that you can’t continue to look back, either. Eventually, you need to move forward and find something new to nourish your soul. Otherwise, you rot on the vine and become one of these angry internet trolls who hate things that they really should love. Please don’t become one of them. Join me and enjoy things.
Conclusion
Are you right? Am I taking this all too seriously? Also, didn’t I just say to enjoy things? Well, yes to that last one and possibly to the other two questions. I respond with this. By looking at things through a critical lens, we can enjoy them more. When I started reading the book, I discovered all sorts of discourse surrounding it through the lens of GamerGate. It got to the point where I almost didn’t finish the book. But, I’m glad that I stayed with it because ultimately it is a fun story that people should read.
And, this inspired me to watch Wargames again to see if nostalgia really is a liar. Let me know if you’d like to join me.
