What is the impact on a story of half a billion people being held hostage within a  simulation? A simple analysis of Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline reveals just that. In Clines’s novel, a rogue NPC within a vast VR simulation compromises the system. Because of this half, a billion people are stuck in the simulation unable to log out, which is very bad news once they reach their daily login limit. The fate of these people rests on the shoulders of the main character Parzival who has to find and complete six deadly quests within the simulation in under 12 hours before he reaches his own login limit. The organization of the action order, setting, and relation of the character development greatly impact the character’s choices and the ending of the story. It also matures the development of the themes of survival and death. 

The impact of the main plot events order toward the beginning of the book sets up the emotions of the characters. Within just a few pages, an onslaught of events causes near hysteria, which, and I quote means “behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess” (according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary) among the main characters: “I let out a long sigh of frustration. Then I teleported to the reception area on the top floor of Gregarious Tower, wondering what else could possibly go wrong today. The answer, it turned out, was pretty much everything” (Cline 120). The main plot events order toward the beginning of the book has a substantial impact causing emotions of fear and trepidation to linger and grow in intensity the further along the story gets. 

Apart from the action order, the setting has quite an impact on the story as well. The setting and objective of the story being in the OASIS would normally result in the effects of this being limited to the OASIS; however, these are not normal times “I raised both of my ancient Elven swords in an attempt to defend myself, but I knew it was hopeless. This was it. I was about to die a very real death, and my quest was about to end in total failure--a failure that would likely result in the deaths of millions of other people, including my two best friends” (Cline 303-04). Natalie Zutter of Den of Greek magazine also noted this in her review of Ready player Two “ This time, when you die in the game, you actually die IRL” (Zutter) Although Anorak is holding his hostages via the OASIS, not just the fate of their avatars their actual lives in the real world are at stake as well; and the burden of half a billion people’s lives rests solely on Parzivals shoulders. Not only does this twist where actions in the OASIS affect the real world have an impact on the story but Parzivals emotions as well. 

Anorak is introduced as the world’s first true AI, this is proven as he develops and learns throughout the story: “For the first and only time in my life, I saw Anorak react with what appeared to be genuine surprise.” (Cline 320). He is also introduced as an evil yet almost easy-going character “Besides these robes look way better on me than they do on you. Wouldn’t you all agree?” (Cline 124). While the characters think he is an evil monster that is willing to sacrifice the half a billion lives at stake his development comes to an end when it is revealed he isn’t as evil as thought to be: “They’re alive and well. All of them.” “Where they’d be safe from the effects of Synaptic Overload Syndrome. It allowed me to keep my hostages without harming anyone. I’m not the monster you think I am Wade. I just want a chance at love. Like you” (Cline 339). Anorak never intended on actually harming anyone he just made it seem that way to get what he wanted which was a chance at love. This has a major impact on the story which is even though he held half a billion hostages none of them got harmed including Parzival and his friends. 

The action of the story impacts Parzival/Wade’s character and develops it in a way that changes the end of the story which in turn furthers the themes of death and survival in the book: “Wade no longer wanted to leave Earth. Now that he and Samantha/Art3mis were back together, they never wanted to be apart again. They vowed to remain together forever. And then they figured out a way to do just that” (Cline 361). When Parzival/Wade comes close to death towards the end of the story he and Art3mis/Samantha realize their love and value for one another and no longer want to leave Earth. “Art3mis and I are both ageless, immortal beings now, living together in harmony, in a paradise of our own making, aboard a spacecraft taking us to the nearest star”(Cline 363). Parzival’s character development results in him being at peace with staying on Earth, therefore, changing the end for the better. While he and Samantha do not go on their planned voyage aboard the Vonnegut: a spaceship Parzival and the high five commissioned to be built whose namesake is Kurt Vonnegut Jr. an American writer (“Vonnegut definition by Merriam-Webster) they can send virtual versions of themselves instead.  

Definitively, the clever organization of the action order, setting, and character development greatly impacted the character’s choices and the ending of the story matures the development of the themes of survival and death. A mission to save half a billion people including themselves is sprung on the main characters causing them to grapple with and get a handle on their emotions. With the lives of half a billion hostages at stake, the emotions of the main characters are considerably influenced along with the character’s development. This also builds on the theme of survival. Anorak is introduced as an evil AI willing to kill half a billion people to get what he wants only to be revealed as an AI that only wanted a chance at love that never intended to hurt anyone. Parzival/Wade and Art3mis/Samantha never wanted to be apart and with the finding of the Sirens soul and the new technology that came with it, they were able to do just that. When half a billion people are held hostage by a rogue NPC within a simulation it has quite an impact on a story. Adding unexpected events and twists into stories such as this can make it quite interesting and keep readers enthralled for the duration of the story.