Wade Watts: I was born in 2027. After the Corn Syrup Droughts, after the Bandwith Riots. After people stopped trying to fix problems and just tried to outlive them. My parents? They didn't make it through those times, so I live here in Columbus, Ohio with my Aunt Alice. In 2045, Columbus is the fastest-growing city on Earth. It's where Halliday and Morrow started Gregarious Games. These days, reality is a bummer. Everyone's looking for a way to escape, and that's why Halliday... That's why he was such a hero to us. He showed us that we could go somewhere without going anywhere at all. You don't need a destination when you're running on an omnidirectional treadmill with quadraphonic pressure-sensitive underlay. James Halliday saw the future. And then he built it. He gave us a place to go. A place called... the OASIS. (00:02:15 - 00:03:30)
Aech: I've never seen the Shining. Is it really scary?
Sho: Uh... I had to watch it through my fingers.
Sho: Ninjas don't hug.
Halliday: I created the oasis because I never felt at home in the real world. I just didn't know how to connect with people there. I was afraid for all my life, right up until the day I knew my life was ending. And that was when I realised that... as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it's also... the only place that... you can get a decent meal. Because, reality... is real.
Answer: If it's widely known then they wouldn't do the race. They keep on trying and getting to the point with King Kong is all they know, somehow getting past him this time. Artemis, when she saw the jump, thought she could do it this time, but after Parzival saves her and tells her it can't be done she realises he is probably right and she wouldn't have made it.
lionhead