James Halliday / Anorak

James Halliday / Anorak

18
    Ready Player One
Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Character Analysis

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Grew up… as a nerdy child of the 1980s.

Living... in another world. James Halliday actually died five years ago. But his spirit lives on, both because he was a beloved tech creator and because his animated avatar Anorak will still occasionally pop up in the OASIS.

Profession... creator of the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality entertainment universe. Halliday and his partner Ogden Morrow released the first version of game in 2025. Since then, it’s grown into a massive cultural phenomenon. People now spend more time in the OASIS than they do in the increasingly grim real world.

Interests... pop culture. Even Halliday’s funeral had a Star Trek theme. A lot of the OASIS is based on Halliday’s love of 1980s pop culture in particular.

Relationship Status... single. Halliday was socially awkward and struggled to connect to people. In fact, he was mostly known for being an eccentric loner without any friends or family. That doesn’t mean he never experienced love, however. In fact, hidden secrets from Halliday’s personal life just might be the key to truly understanding him.

Challenge... inspiring others to learn from his mistakes. Though Halliday is no longer alive, he laid out careful plans for after he was gone. His death unlocked a new challenge within the game. Whichever player can find three hidden keys and access a secret Golden Easter Egg will be granted total control over the OASIS. The challenges require gaming skills and pop culture knowledge, but they’re also designed to test the spirit and character of Halliday’s potential successor.

Personality... shy, awkward, and kindhearted. Though Halliday is now worshipped as a god, he lived his life fairly passively. Soft-spoken and riddled with social anxiety, he struggled to connect to people or to maintain friendships. As Halliday explains, “I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world.” In fact, his refusal to think about real-world consequences or set rules for the game is what drove a permanent wedge between him and his best friend Ogden Morrow. Despite his huge financial and artistic success, Halliday lived his life with a lot of regrets. Yet it was his inherently empathetic spirit that allowed Halliday to realize he could help others avoid making his mistakes.

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