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Yi, Gloria
Professor Altman
English 115 Th 4:00pm-6:45pm
20 October, 2016
Outline: Space within Virtual Reality and the Real World
In the novel, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, the novel introduces a dystopian world,
where the escape from a harsh reality is found within virtual reality in a place called OASIS. The
main character finds that he is delving deeper into the world of virtual reality trying to find a
treasure left by the creator of OASIS and has to adapt quickly to the changes and surrounding
environment. Whether you are in a space set in virtual reality or in real life, space will change the
way you interact with the environment and with people, space can influence fluid identity, and
can cause the loss of reality within virtual space.
An environment can change the way you behave, for example a space can change the
way you act inside of it and outside of it as well The entire planet of Ludus was a no-PvP zone,
meaning that no player versus player combat was permitted (Cline, 30). The planet Ludus is a
virtual planet used for schooling. On the planet Ludus, combat or fighting is not allowed at all,
just like in schools in real life, violence would be frowned upon. A space can influence how one
acts, like how one would fight or retort back when insulted harshly. When one is in school, one
will act properly and behave differently as one would expect in a school environment. However,
outside of a school environment, one could behave very differently than they would in school.
Depending on the space one is in, space can influence behavior, and the way one interacts with
people.

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Fluid identity is the act of ones identity changing over time and the inability to stay as a
fixed identity. Mr. As avatar looked like a portly, bearded college professorOf course, we
didnt know who Mr. Avenovich really was or where he lived. We didnt know his real name, or
if he was really a man (Cline, 47). Set within the novel, characters such as virtual teachers
could be totally anonymous if they chose to be, and could be anyone for all one knew. Virtual
reality can transform ones identity by giving control to the player that allows them to do
whatever they wish to ones character, whether it is making the character ideal, all-powerful,
popular, hated, a hero, or a villain; one is given the ability to be whoever they want. One would
experience a shifting sense of identity when one can become whoever they want to be in a matter
of minutes, identity wouldnt be fixed and set. Rather it would be fluid, and ever-changing,
which in the case of virtual reality can create a loss of identity.
Within a virtual reality, one can see the influence of virtual space, most of the OASIS
public school teachers seemed to genuinely enjoy their job, probably because they didnt have to
spend half their time acting as babysitters and disciplinarians. The OASIS software took care of
that, ensuring that students remained quiet and in their seatsTeachers could take their students
on a virtual field trip everyday... (Cline, 47). This can be seen in the classroom as well, how a
virtual classroom can shape the way one learns and comprehends what is being taught whereas
compared to reality, the struggle and effort is put into learning and comprehension. Virtual reality
has perks to it: giving a new start to people, a utopia through a different reality, and a sense of
purpose. Virtual reality, however pleasant can also be very damaging, and can lead to a
misplaced sense of reality. Living reality virtually can make ones interactions boundless, in a
sense that there is a whole new world to connect to, and thousand, if not millions of people to
interact with; yet it is also limited, where one has millions to interact with, it is not a real

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interaction, the interaction becomes virtual and dispassionate. Virtual reality displaces actual
reality, and can become hazardous, leading to limited real-life social interactions, and a mind that
cannot differentiate between what has become real to the player, virtual reality, and reality itself.
Whether one is inside a classroom, in a library, at home, or in a coffee shop, the
environment around you can shape the way you interact with the people and environment around
you. The novel, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline can influence changes in interactions,
influence shifting identities, and create a sense of being lost in a different reality. The novel
indicates a big change when it comes to social and virtual interactions between people, it can
either become more intimate or more closed-off and cold.

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Works Cited
Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. New York: Broadway Books, 2011.