If the spiritual world of modern people is compared to an ancient castle that has not been completely renovated, then the complicated list of materials for the development of “Xiakong” in the game “Mingchao” is undoubtedly the complicated beams and carvings in the castle, which are both cumbersome and redundant, but indispensable. Looking at this list, there are many names such as “tidal erosion sail core”, “crystallized phlogiston”, “burning phosphorus bones”, etc., which are like a dazzling alchemy performance, but also faintly reveal the alternative anxiety and complex demands of contemporary people for spiritual life.
This list is nothing more than a microcosm of social culture, reflecting people’s hesitation about the blurred boundary between virtual and reality today. Development materials such as “low-frequency tidal erosion sail core” and “high-purity crystallized phlogiston” sound very mysterious, but they have become a symbol for players to prove their identity and show their existence. Not to mention games, even the efforts in the human world are like this – it’s just that the “materials” in reality are more secretive and complicated, but they are equally painful.
Imagine that a modern player, in order to make “Xiakong” from obscurity to a five-star character admired by thousands of people, needs to run around, brush dungeons, brush materials, and frequently recharge, consuming countless efforts and material resources. The fatigue here, if viewed from the life experience of ordinary people, is almost like hard labor day after day; and on the spiritual level, it is the constant pursuit of self-worth and the cruel kidnapping of a sense of achievement. Those virtual materials have become the dual currency of spirit and time. Players exchange time for happiness and money for satisfaction, which is quite ironic in modern consumer society.
The names of the materials are particularly intriguing. The term “burning phosphorus bones” sounds like a secret recipe for alchemy in ancient times, but it is actually a drop after defeating a specific BOSS; “Golden Fleece” borrows mythological allusions and becomes a precious item that is limited to purchase in the virtual mall. Ancient mythological symbols are reborn here, but they are capitalized into resources that can be bought and sold. This scene makes people smile. The legends and myths of the past have become the “commodified myths” of today’s game economy, and the absurdity and nothingness of life have been concretized and turned into materials and numbers in hand.
The complexity and redundancy of the game world is exactly the same as real life. In today’s society, the layers of tasks and goals, countless “materials” and “resources” seem to have become the standard for measuring success and value. People continue to “cultivate” themselves, from the accumulation of knowledge to the promotion of their careers, which is no different from collecting materials in the game, but often lose the fun of the process, leaving only mechanical repetition and boredom.
What’s even better is that the “achievement system” created by this type of game is nothing less than the “spiritual opium” of the modern people’s spirit. In the face of frustration and hardship in real life, players temporarily find a sense of existence and self-affirmation by constantly collecting materials and upgrading characters. Unfortunately, this sense of existence is mostly fragile and fragile, like a paper castle that will be blown away by the wind. Such “cultivation” is either a loss of spiritual self or a deep exploitation of individuals by the consumer society.
It can be seen that cultivation materials are not only virtual resources in the game, but also a metaphor for spiritual dilemmas in reality. Faced with an increasingly fragmented and fast-paced life, people need to rely on certain symbols and systems to build their own “identity” and “value”, and the material list in the game just provides such an operational symbol system. However, this system can easily become a “spiritual cage”, and players often lose themselves in the process of chasing materials and forget why they set out.
In fact, games are like life. The key is not how much materials and levels you accumulate, but whether you can find your true self in the process. If you only know how to chase numbers and symbols, it is nothing more than endless labor. Only by appreciating the breadth and depth of life in cultivation can you be called “living interestingly”.
Starting from the list of “Xiakong” cultivation materials, it reflects the desire of contemporary people for meaning and belonging, and also reminds us not to let the complex virtual materials become a spiritual cage. Life should be simple and rich, and the spirit should be free and bright. May we not only enjoy the fun of the game, but also stay sober in the chaos and find our own truth and tranquility.