Ready Player One: Level Two: 0019 Summary & Analysis

Wade has spray-painted the only window in his apartment black, so no natural light comes in. He orders everything he needs online, and deliveries arrive through the high-security War Door Wade has installed, which means he never actually has to interact with anyone. He doesn’t use the kitchen, ordering takeout or microwaving frozen meals instead. He has constructed an OASIS “immersion rig” out of the latest pieces of technology to make his time spent in the OASIS the most vivid and comfortable it can be. He also purchases a sex doll, but after “several highly unproductive days” inside a virtual brothel he decides to throw it away.

The system agent software of Wade’s computer—somewhat like a virtual personal assistant—is named Max, and resembles the 1980s talk show host Max Headroom. As Wade gets out of bed and prepares for the day, Max jokes around with him. Wade works out every day using gym equipment in the apartment. He started doing so in an effort to lose the weight he gained after moving to Columbus, and before long, he is in “near-perfect” health. He has begun to feel that the immersion rig is a kind of self-imposed prison. He cannot deny that he is an “agoraphobic shut-in” and a “sad, lost, lonely soul.” On the other hand, in the OASIS he is an “international celebrity” and “legend.”