Passing up the opportunity
Wade is at first reluctant to release Oni into the world, but then decides that it would be a shame to pass up on that opportunity, weighing the benefits as being prevalent: "there no way I could pass up such a historic opportunity. It would be like passing up the chance to be the first person to walk on the moon". It is clear that Wade is naïve when it comes to Halliday, and puts way more trust into the man than he deserved.
Exist inside another person’s skin
Oni technology completely takes over the world upon its release. People are able to be anywhere, and be anyone they want. They are able to exchange their miserable reality for another, more glamorous, one by literally existing in another person’s skin.
Name your poison
The language used in relation to the effects of the Oni technology leans more towards the wrongness of it rather than the positive, despite the narrator’s description of the rich and wondrous possibilities. The implication that it is not good for humanity as a form of escapism from the reality, a poison of choice is present throughout.
Life is a videogame
Relevant to the plot and the setup of the novel, life itself is compared to a videogame. “My friend Kira always said that life is like an extremely difficult, horribly unbalanced videogame. When you’re born, you’re given a randomly generated character, with a randomly determined name, race, face, and social class.”
