Tag: ARPG

Now, this online game called “Mingchao” has recently added a five-star character “Xia Kong”, and comes with a dazzling list of materials. What is a list of materials? It means the things that players have to collect day and night for the growth of the character. Looking at the items, the low-frequency “tidal erosion sail core”, the medium-frequency “crystallized phlogiston”, and the high-frequency “burning phosphorus bone” are stacked layer by layer, like mountains and ridges, which are daunting. Names such as “Sighing Ancient Dragon” and “Golden Fleece” are even more mythical, like treasures in classical novels that are within reach but actually far away.

This long list is not only a concentration of modern people’s desires, but also a cage of time. Many people today complain that they don’t have enough time, but in fact they are bound by various tasks, responsibilities and entertainment. The tediousness of game development is just a microcosm of this dilemma. If Qian Zhongshu were here, he would certainly express endless emotion and ridicule about the cultural metaphor behind the “Summer Sky Material List”.

Games are originally for people to have fun, but today’s “cultivation” system has turned entertainment into an obligation, just like the hard study in the imperial examination era, day and night, reviewing homework, just to gain “fame” in a virtual world. Players are like Confucian scholars, shuttling between dungeons and monsters, immersed in boring material collection, waiting for the illusory “level up”. This scene can’t help but remind people of the destruction of students by the “sea of ​​questions tactics”, and the modern virtual world is replicating this destruction to the fullest.

What is particularly ridiculous is that the materials are classified according to “low frequency, medium frequency, and high frequency”, as if the game makers deliberately made it difficult for players, making a complex and lengthy “frequency system” that countless players have to solve like math problems. It can be seen that this system is rigorous on the surface, but in fact it is more like a symbol of red tape, and a portrayal of the mechanization and proceduralization of modern industrial society. The players’ minds are broken down into frequency segments, just like assembly line workers assigned “standard duration”.

What’s more, names such as “Crystallized Phlogiston” and “Burning Phosphorus Bones”, although extremely fantastic, also make people feel a sense of absurdity of “not living up to the name”. It seems to tell us that the virtual world uses bizarre nouns to package the boredom of real life, which makes people yearn for it and feel tired. This reminds people of the “flashy but not substantial” style of writing written by Qian Zhongshu, which is superficial but not substantial. Players have spent a lot of effort to collect these materials, but they are actually being cleverly “cut leeks” by capital and game designers.

And the setting of “recharge discount” and “discount code” is undoubtedly the embodiment of “capital logic” in this competition between time and desire. Players may choose to “spend money” to skip the test of time, or work hard to get materials. This choice is both a manifestation of personal freedom and a trap designed by capital. If Qian Zhongshu were to talk about this, he might jokingly say: “If life is just like the first sight, why would the autumn wind be sad about the painted fan? However, the “hardworking emperor” kills monsters every day, just for the vanity and satisfaction of that moment.” This invisibly reveals an insight into and mockery of human weaknesses.

The short-term enhancement props in the material list, such as “stuffed meat tofu” to increase the material drop rate, bring players into an illusion of “time acceleration”. In real life, people often desire shortcuts, overnight fame or day success. But games and reality are ultimately two mirrors, reflecting real anxiety and impulse through virtual hands. If Qian Zhongshu read this, he would definitely remind us with witty words: “The world is like chess, and the universe is unpredictable. Only by observing the changes can we live up to our youth.”

In short, although the list of materials for cultivating “Xiakong” in “Mingchao” looks like a list in the game system, it actually reflects the real life situation of contemporary people struggling in the flood of information, lack of time, and expansion of desires. It reminds us that when modern people face “time poverty”, they are often troubled by countless trivial and virtual tasks, physically and mentally exhausted, but still unwilling to give up their desire for beauty and achievement. As Qian Zhongshu described in “Fortress Besieged”: “People outside the city want to get in, and people inside the city want to get out.” We are both eager and tired of the virtual world, both addicted and resistant, and this sense of contradiction runs through every moment of life.

Perhaps, recognizing this contradiction can reduce blindness and anxiety. As Qian Zhongshu said, “Reading is a spiritual journey, and so should games be.” I hope that players can find a balance between games and life behind the complicated list of materials, and not let time be wasted unnecessarily and lose the true brilliance of life.