The Sword and Laser discussion

At the end of Surrogates, (view spoiler)[everyone is forced back out into the world, not as the perfect avatars but as real people. It felt very didactic to me, but as messages go, wasn't terrible I guess. (hide spoiler)]

At the end of Ready Player One, (view spoiler)[Wade and Samantha are clearly going to spend less time in the Oasis and more time in the real world because that is "more important," or maybe "more real." (hide spoiler)]

In both Surrogates and Ready Player One, there were reasons people were interacting primarily in a virtual space. (view spoiler)[Do either of these endings seem somewhat judgmental to anyone else? (Sorry for all the spoiler tagging, it is hard to know what will seem like a spoiler) (hide spoiler)]

I think you have identified an on going trope in scifi. It is the rare author that goes all in on the let's see where it goes if being a virtual person is the next phase in our development as a species. I think both of the stories you list come down squarely on the side of us staying as we are which is curious to me with the forward looking ideas scifi has..seems contadictory in some way.

It does seem contradictory. Can't we connect with people without being right next to them? I was going to say face to face, but even now we can have video chats and see facial responses and hear difference in voice and breath. It seems too black and white. I already feel like a hybrid myself. Maybe I have evolved. *grin*

Your a harbinger of the future ;) ... I think face to face is definitely some thing that won't happen except for local or leisure reasons as time goes by. Like you said we can get the needed interaction by video or chat now days.

I haven't seen Surrogates, though I have a notion of the story. As to RPO I think some of the judgement comes within the context of what is occuring in the physical world verse the virtual and the escapism it seems to be providing whilst issues go unaddressed. As such I think that there is already a certain value judgement being made. Beyond that there are certain activities that don't have parallels in the virtual and only really exist in the physical, Wade if you recall engages in some of these simulations but finds them lacking. The full sensory experience of the physical doesn't exist, nor can one ever fully escape the physical reality (as Wade grudgingly finds) as such there is a certain authenticity associated with that space over the alternative virtual one.

I was wondering if the big red button in the penultimate scene was a hint about the direction a second book might take. (view spoiler)[There's a suggestion he might just frak the whole system, and kick everyone back into the real world. (hide spoiler)]

@kvon: is there official talk of a second book yet?

Not that I've heard, it just seemed set up for that. Let me go check.

Here's a quote from an interview:
'Well, I've started working on an outline for a possible sequel to "Ready Player One." But at the moment, I'm working on a geeky coming-of-age movie set in the late '80s. Sort of my version of "Dazed and Confused," but instead of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, my characters are steeped in Dungeons and Dragons, arcade games and comic books. It's going to be the nerdiest coming-of-age movie ever made.'

@kvon: Cheers for the update.

I guess my question would be whether you think there is something being lost with a solely virtual engagement with other people.