(3) Base Camp
Video games have different difficulty levels: easy, normal, hard, expert, and so on. Books aren't much different in that respect. Some of them require lots of backtracking just to figure out what's going on. Others you might need a keen eye for detail so you don't miss anything. Where does Ready Player One lie on the difficulty scale?
It's actually pretty simple. The OASIS only costs a quarter, making it easy for anyone to access, and Cline's vocabulary and writing style does the same thing for his book, making it nice and accessible, too. Occasionally Cline cashes in his arcade tokens for a five-dollar word like "avuncular" (14.56) or "impecunious" (28.11), but other than that, this book is set on "Easy" and you shouldn't need any cheat codes or strategy guides (a.k.a. dictionaries) to get through to the end of this adventure.
It might be daunting to dive in if you don't know Men Without Hats from Men at Work, or you haven't memorized Matthew Broderick's entire filmography, but don't worry. Cline explains any references that are critical to the plot. It's like having your own personal walkthrough. And we're here to be your GameFAQs if you need additional assistance.