Nowadays, the game Mingchao is popular among young people, especially the materials for developing Xiakong, a five-star resonator, which are so complicated that it is overwhelming. Those materials such as “Tide-Erosion Sail Core”, “Burning Phosphorus Bone”, “Crystallized Phlogiston”, “Golden Fleece” and “Iris Blooming Day” are just like people’s pursuit of success, fame and fortune in modern society, layered like an invisible net, entangled with everyone.
Looking at this list of development materials is like looking at a “task list” of society, full of exploitation and competition. Game players are forced to invest a lot of time and energy to “brush materials”, almost forgetting the original intention of the game, just like the countless people in the real society who have lost their original intentions for utilitarianism. The so-called “growth” is no longer the richness of the soul, but the accumulation of numbers and materials. As Mr. Lu Xun said: “The disappointment of countless people is a true portrayal of society.” This vanity of development is nothing more than an empty hypocrisy, which can hardly hide the loneliness and anxiety behind it.
The “stuffed meat and tofu” dish can improve the efficiency of obtaining materials, which is a symbol of various “shortcuts” and “quick success” in reality. It is like an anesthetic, which makes people forget their fatigue temporarily, but it cannot cure the fundamental problem. Players keep repeating “killing monsters-collecting-upgrading”, mechanized like industrial machines, losing the warmth of humanity and the freedom of thinking. Those golden fleeces designed to be “restricted” are just like resources exploited by capitalism. They are scarce and precious, but they are ultimately controlled by a few people, and ordinary people can only sigh in despair.
Game designers may think that this is a necessary setting to enhance the challenge and fun of the game, but behind it is a reflection of a kind of indifferent utilitarianism-whether it is a game or a society, individuals are just gears in the system, passively fulfilling the established rules. Those beautiful names such as “Iris Blooming Day” seem to remind people of their due poetry and dreams, but they are covered by the heavy burden of materials and utilitarian colors, becoming a helpless irony.
What is even more touching is that the complexity of this kind of cultivation material has invisibly aggravated the anxiety and pressure of players. Games should be a place for relaxation and enjoyment, but they have become another form of “labor”. This is very similar to the description of “the fickleness of the world” in Lu Xun’s writings! When people continue to invest for the so-called “progress”, they find that they are getting further and further away, and they lose far more than they gain.
We live in an era kidnapped by numbers and efficiency, and even the virtual world is no exception. Xia Kong’s cultivation list is nothing less than a microcosm of the utilitarian mentality of contemporary society. Those cumbersome materials are the embodiment of people’s inner anxiety and desire. Faced with such a situation, should we stop and reflect: What is real growth? What is the meaning of life? Can we get rid of the endless “brushing” and “accumulation” and return to the true beauty and purity of life?
Lu Xun once warned the world: “Hope is attached to existence. If there is existence, there is hope. If there is hope, there is light.” Although the “Day of Iris Blooming” in the game is beautiful, it is far from enough to fill the void in the hearts of players. Only by peeling off the outer garment of utilitarianism and pursuing the pure inner light can we truly transcend this mechanical and boring cycle.
In summary, the complex list of Xiakong’s cultivation materials in “Mingchao” is not only a system design of the game, but also a mirror that reflects the various ills of modern society: hypocritical utilitarianism, endless competition, and mechanical life. It reminds us that if we are not vigilant, we will become slaves of the system and numbers and lose our original freedom and dreams.
May we all find a clear path between virtual and reality, protect the sincerity and kindness in our hearts, and live out our own glory.