I'm incredibly nostalgic for the '80s, because I think that's when Geek Culture really kicked in to high gear.

I was obsessed. I wouldn't quit. My grades suffered. I didn't care.

I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn't know how to connect with the people there.

I never ran out of ammo, because each time I fired a round, a new round was teleported into the bottom of the clip. My bullet bill this month was going to be huge.

Everybody uses pop culture as a shorthand. You might make an obscure reference to Monty Python or Iron Eagle that only some people will get, but if they do it conveys a world of meaning.

My characters are all kind of geek archetypes of people I've encountered at gaming and comic book conventions.

Video games paid for my house. What am I saying? Go ahead and keep playing!