Reader Player One: 10 Biggest Changes From The Book

10. Wade Didn't Live In Colombus, Ohio

This small but significant change was made apparent from the very first trailers for Ready Player One, in which Tye Sheridan's Wade Watts informs us, "I live here in Colombus, Ohio."

This, however, was not the case in Ernest Cline's novel, in which Wade originally lived in the 'stacks' outside Oklahoma City, only moving to Colombus around the 'Level Two' point, following the destruction of his home.

In theory, this might not seem a massive difference. In some respects it makes things simpler, as Wade starts out living in the same city as villainous mega-corporation IOI, with whom he and the High Five do battle in the final act.

In practice, though, this is one change which might actually serve to weaken the film overall. One of the compelling aspects of the OASIS (and one of the attractive things about online culture in reality) is how it transcends cultural and national boundaries, uniting disparate people from across the globe.

Ready Player One's High Five are, to an extent, a microcosm of this; five distant strangers brought together by a common goal, their achievements rooted in their individual skills, and their support of one another.

The fact that both Wade/Parzival and Samantha/Art3mis start out living in the immediate vicinity both of each other and the corporate bad guys makes the world of Ready Player One feel like a rather smaller place.

Still, this change does mean things are able to neatly come full circle once we reach the conclusion.