Ernest Cline's Ready Player One is one of my favorite science fiction novels of the 21st century, and director Steven Spielberg is taking the helm for the upcoming Warner Bros film. And Spielberg is currently looking for people that want to be extras — extras in the MMO world, that is.
For those that have not read Ready Player One, it is the story of the worldwide web gone awry. In this universe, everyone is hooked into the web... literally. School, work, play, life — all take place in a massive multiplayer online software program called the OASIS.
Spielberg is looking for 3D avatars to appear in the OASIS. If you can build an avatar, you have a pretty good chance to be in the movie: All you have to do is submit your creation by June 23 and you could earn between $250 and $1,000 for your efforts.
A description of the story:
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia know as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within the confines of this digital world, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win - and confront the real world he's been so desperate to escape.
It is both awesome and eerie that Warner Bros is soliciting coders to create on-screen talent for Ready Player One. It's a great way to engage fans of the book and bring them into the story, but it is taking this whole worldwide MMO thing to the next level.
Am I the only one that worries about how good science fiction is at predicting the future? We've seen hundreds of sci-fi predictions come true, many of them just from the past two decades — like smartphones, wearables, and connected home gadgets. Now you can be a movie star simply by knowing how to code. If things keep going the way they are, the OASIS won't be all that far off. Your ability to create a 3D avatar might just be more important than your law degree, and it won't matter who you are in real life — as long as you can afford those in-app upgrades in the virtual world.
I just got the heebie-jeebies.
Here's the announcement from author Ernest Cline:
If you want to be in Ready Player One, at least in a virtual capacity, you can submit your 3D avatar to Talenthouse. Winners will be chosen July 7. Good luck, and maybe we'll see you at the movies.
