Reader Player One: 10 Biggest Changes From The Book
3. Samantha Goes Into IOI Instead Of Wade
Not content with making Art3mis/Samantha a key player in the newly created real-world resistance, the movie also significantly beefs up her role in the grand finale by sending her into IOI headquarters instead of Wade.
In the novel, Wade hatches a very bold plan: under a false name, he allows himself to be captured by IOI due to unpaid debt. Incarcerated at IOI HQ, Wade is forcibly entered into menial call centre work - but while there, he sneakily hacks into their mainframe in order to collect solid evidence of the company's crimes.
In the movie, it's Samantha who gets captured instead, though not by choice. However, before anyone can complain about yet another damsel in distress trope, Samantha works on her own initiative to sneak into Sorrento's office and disable the force field IOI have placed around the castle that houses the final key, then she gets out of there with no outside help.
Not only does this go some way to making Samantha a stronger character, it also makes sense dramatically. Whereas the novel's narrative takes place over the course of many months, the movie plays out on a much shorter time frame.
Sending Samantha off on her own mission whilst the rest of the High Five battle elsewhere makes for a tighter, more exciting final act.