Recently, the game “Mingchao” launched a new five-star resonator “Xia Kong”, and released a list of materials with hundreds of words, which lists various types of “tidal erosion sail cores”, “crystallized phlogiston”, “burning phosphorus bones” and other cultivation resources. This list is like a complicated secret book, which seems to require players to collect and gather them with all their efforts to make “Xia Kong” reach the pinnacle. However, upon careful consideration, this list of materials is not only a careful construction of the game designer, but also inadvertently reflects the survival situation of modern people struggling in the virtual world.
First of all, the so-called “low frequency”, “medium frequency”, “high frequency” and “full frequency” are divided. At first glance, they look like the abstract concept of spectrum in physics, but in fact, they are the clever division of resource value and scarcity in the game. Game players are like scientists here, and they need to carefully analyze the quality and use of various “materials”. Even a little mistake may lead to “development” with twice the result and half the effort. In real life, we are always conducting such “frequency analysis” of resources: time, money, and energy are allocated according to different “frequencies”. If they deviate, they may suffer “heavy losses”.
Looking at the classification of “crystallized phlogiston”, “large, medium, and small” have different focuses, and “fire phlogiston” and “flash phlogiston” make people feel like precious medicinal materials in the hands of alchemists. If you are not careful, you will be “burned by the fire”. All these settings reveal the ingenuity of game design, inducing players to repeatedly swipe materials and consume time and money in a cycle. For players, such a system is very similar to the various “involutions” in modern society: constantly raising the threshold, and complicated tasks are stacked up, but they may not bring real satisfaction. From Mr. Qian Zhongshu’s point of view, this is a typical example of “clearly for improving life, but making life not like life”.
What’s more interesting is that the “recharge discount” and “discount code” in the list silently reveal a gray area between the virtual world and the real world: the equivalent exchange of money and time. Players can choose to invest real money to shorten the growth cycle, which not only reflects the pervasiveness of capital logic, but also metaphorically represents the dual pressures that young people face in real life: they have to work hard to “brush materials” and have to rely on “charging money” to relieve fatigue and anxiety. If Qian Zhongshu were alive, he might have sarcastically said, “This world is nothing more than ‘survival of the fittest, and those who are full of money win’, which is amazing.”
Especially worth pondering are the names of those rare materials – “burning phosphorus bones”, “golden wool”, and “sighing ancient dragon”. Each name has a strong mythological color and symbolic meaning, as if it is a hidden fable. If “golden wool” is likened to an ideal opportunity and “sighing ancient dragon” symbolizes an unconquerable reality dilemma, then in order to get these “mythical treasures”, players have to repeatedly challenge various powerful enemies and overcome various restrictions. Such metaphors also reveal the obsession and difficulty of modern people for a better life.
Interestingly, “stuffed meat tofu”, an item that can temporarily increase the drop rate of materials, seems to be a quick-acting remedy, but it also implies helplessness. It reminds people of the various “shortcuts” that people occasionally use in reality: temporary motivation, short-term entertainment, or a moment of relaxation. But as Qian Zhongshu described in “Fortress Besieged”, the so-called shortcuts are nothing more than a long detour, which often outweighs the gains. In reality, we pursue “quick success”, but often ignore the essence of growth, which is a patient and arduous accumulation.
In summary, this “Summer Sky” material list is not a simple game guide, but a mirror that reflects the individual’s difficulties, anxiety and struggles in the contemporary virtual world. Its complexity and complexity are just like the burden of real life; its layers of restrictions are also a microcosm of social competition. Players’ “brushing monsters” and “recharging” are nothing more than the struggles and compromises of modern people in the torrent of digital economy.
If Qian Zhongshu faced such a game scene, he would surely make a comment that was both teasing and compassionate with his wit and humor. He will remind us: life is like a play, but this play is not the same as that play. Although the upgrade in the game is illusory, growth in reality requires real wisdom and perseverance. I just hope that we will not be overwhelmed by the complicated “cultivation materials” and forget the original intention of the game – to enjoy the process, not just the results.