5 Lessons Every Developer Could Learn From “Ready Player One”
The only limit is your own imagination.
Spoiler Alert: You may want to watch the movie or read the book before proceeding ;)
A month before its first screening, I stumbled into the movie trailer of “Ready Player One”. I was then a low-motivated coder thinking of how I could bring back my interest in programming. After I watched the trailer, I said to myself “in the name of code, I need to watch this”.
Together with a friend, we watched the movie. The visual effects were so outstanding. The inner child in me was so happy.
So here are some of the takeaways in the movie:
1. Be a child at heart
We definitely enjoy playing video games when we were a child. Being an adult, this feeling should not be suppressed. Allow yourself to go beyond the limits of your imagination. Who knows? You may be the one who will create a real Oasis game *wink*.
2. Have a social life
In the movie, James Halliday (the creator of OASIS) spent most of his time coding due to his difficulty in relating to other people. It was said that he created the Oasis to have his own world.
Now, ask yourself, when was the last time you had dinner with your college or high school friends? If your answer is greater than a year ago, time to plan that reunion.
3. Embrace life’s challenges with strong perseverance
As the Easter Egg hunt began, Wade Watts (also known as ‘Parzival’ — his avatar name) studied everything about Halliday. His efforts pay off when certain games and puzzles start to make sense, which was linked with Halliday’s experiences. Even if IOI Corporation is against him, he still made a way to get the Easter Egg.
As a developer, we may face urgent demands from the client or a lot of issues to resolve. If you have that kind of strong perseverance like Parzival, you are one step closer to the “prize”.
4. There’s no such thing as “Single Player” in real life
Parzival played as a solo gunter in the beginning, but as the game goes on, the team was formed which was called “High Five”. It consists of the top five players on the scoreboard — Parzival, Artemis, Aech, Daito, and Shoto. Instead of competing with each other, they teamed up to bring down the IOI army and let the Easter Egg out of reach for IOI people.
To achieve a common goal in the fastest way possible with great impact, you need a team — either you join, or form your own. Aside from that, you need to have a collaborative attitude. This is a skill that is also vital in a software development setup consists of complex projects.
5. Appreciate your reality
Wade believed that living in the reality sucks, and Oasis has been his way to escape it. He formed virtual relationships that grew stronger when he actually meet those people in person.
Today, the relationships formed in a virtual way like social media is too shallow. It still takes time to form deep and emphatic relationships with other people.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. I can’t remove my childish grin after I watched it. I feel like a five-year-old kid because I was so inspired not just in programming, but in life’s possibilities.
I hoped you enjoyed the movie as much as I did. You may clap on this article if you do or share your own stories in the comment box below.
Thanks for reading! ^_^
Roselle Gabuya is a BS Computer Science student and a Web Developer. She enjoys writing and calligraphy during her free time. Reach her out on instagram :@awriterbyheart
