Nostalgia for the 1980s is the most prominent and consistent themes in Ready Player One. Presented as Halliday’s obsession that drives the Hunt, Cline’s own affinity for the decade permeates every aspect of the story, from characters to plot to set pieces. Much like the in-story guide Anorak’s Almanac, Ready Player One details movies, books, music, video games, TV shows, comics—American and Japanese—that were popular during that particular decade. Wade’s encyclopedic knowledge of the 1980s and his willingness to share with the reader make reading Ready Player One analogous to reading Anorak’s Almanac itself, effectively drawing the reader into the Hunt.

Cline also sets up a dichotomy of yearning for a world on the cusp of advanced technology while living in a world in which this technology exists but has not led to a better existence for most people. In 2045, when the story is set, most people have some level of access to technology even in the face of an energy crisis. Participation in the OASIS becomes a necessary function of life for everything from shopping to school to social interaction. Ironically, thanks to Halliday, the entire population of this advanced, immersive videogame becomes obsessed with a decade when technology was more rudimentary.