A whole new world: virtual reality
① Steven Spielberg's first sci-fi film in a decade opens next week.
② "Ready Player One" is set in a dystopian near-future so grim that its inhabitants spend their lives in a VR recreation of the 1980s called OASIS.
③ As well as being a shameless nostalgia-fest for that decade and a glorification of fanboy culture, it can be read either as a cautionary tale about falling out of life and into video games, or a celebration of VR's endless possibilities.
④ In the real world, meanwhile, VR is maturing.
⑤ Expectations were overcooked a couple of years ago, but more sustainable and innovative uses are now emerging.
⑥ The big problem during the first wave of VR hype, in the 1990s, was that actual VR could not measure up to what was shown on film at the time, notably in "The Lawnmower Man".
⑦ There is still a gap between real VR and what Hollywood depicts, but it's narrowing.
▍生词好句
sci-fi /ˈsʌɪfʌɪ/: n. science fiction（科幻小说）
be set in:（背景）设置在
dystopian /dɪsˈtəʊpɪən/: adj. 反乌托邦的
near-future: 不久的将来
grim /ɡrɪm/: adj. 糟糕的；残忍的
inhabitant /ɪnˈhabɪt(ə)nt/: n. 居民
recreation /ˌri:krɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/: n. 重制；重现
recreation /ˌrɛkrɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/: n. 娱乐；消遣
oasis /əʊˈeɪsɪs/: n. 绿洲；舒适的地方
shameless /ˈʃeɪmləs/: adj. 公然的；露骨的
nostalgia-fest /nɒˈstaldʒə/: n. 怀旧的狂欢
glorification /ɡlɔ:rɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/: n. 赞颂
fanboy culture: 极度痴迷者（脑残粉）文化
cautionary tale /ˈkɔ:ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/: 警世故事
mature /məˈtʃʊə/: vi. 成熟
overcook /əʊvəˈkʊk/: vt. 炒过头；烹调过度
sustainable /səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/: adj. 可持续的
innovative /ˈɪnəvətɪv/: adj. 创新的
emerge /ɪˈməːdʒ/: vi. 出现；涌现
hype /hʌɪp/: n. 大肆宣传
measure up to: 符合（标准）；达到（期望）
notably /ˈnəʊtəbli/: adv. 尤其；显著地
depict /dɪˈpɪkt/: vt. 描述；描绘
▍补充
People come to the Oasis for all the things they can do; they stay because of all the things they can be.
▍相关背景
Steven Spielberg:
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE OMRI is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history.
"Ready Player One" (the film):
Ready Player One is a 2018 American science fiction action adventure film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, based on Cline's 2011 novel of the same name.
The film is set in 2045, where much of humanity, to escape the desolation of the real-world, use the virtual reality software OASIS to engage in work and play. Wade Watts (Sheridan) discovers clues to a hidden game within OASIS that promises the winner full ownership of the OASIS. He joins several allies to try to complete the game before indentured players working for a large company, run by Nolan Sorrento (Mendelsohn), can do so.
The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018, and is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros in the United States on March 29, 2018.
"Ready Player One" (the novel):
Ready Player One is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopian 2044, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which will lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune.
A film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, is slated to premiere in theaters on March 29, 2018.
"The Lawnmower Man":
The eccentric Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) puts mentally disabled landscaper Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey) on a regimen of experimental pills and computer-simulated training sequences in hopes of augmenting the man's intelligence. In time Jobe becomes noticeably brighter and also begins to fare much better with the opposite sex. But, as he develops psychic powers, he realizes that those around him have taken advantage of his simplicity his whole life, and he plots a bloody revenge.
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