Recently, the complexity of the growth materials of Xiakong, a new five-star resonator in Mingchao, is staggering. If we count the “low-frequency tidal erosion sail core”, “medium-frequency tidal erosion sail core”, “high frequency” and “full frequency” levels, and the many levels of burning phosphorus bones and crystallized phlogiston from low to high, as well as the mysterious item “Golden Fleece”, it is enough to see that the game maker tried his best to use complex systems to firmly grasp the players’ time and money when designing this character.
This complex material demand is no different from the life pressure faced by modern people: endless climbing, endless competition, and ultimately just for that illusory “powerful” label. Xiakong’s growth is no longer a simple pleasure and achievement, but a tiring labor and consumption process. Players are bound to a long upgrade road, constantly investing energy and real money, just for a little digital progress in the game. Isn’t such a game like all kinds of exploitation in reality?
The Burning Phosphorus Bone needs to be obtained from the Sighing Ancient Dragon, which is a highly symbolic design. The dragon is like the “authority” and “obstacle” of reality. If players want to grow, they must challenge it repeatedly, even if they fail repeatedly. This design reminds people of the survival struggle of individuals in modern society: no matter how hard you try, there will always be stronger pressure to block your progress and wear down your will. Isn’t the “sigh” in the game a dramatic reflection of the endless sighs in reality?
The “Golden Fleece” is even more absurd. Its scarcity and purchase restriction system seem to be mocking the greed and helplessness of players. Only 15 can be bought per week, and each one is expensive. Players are forced to buy it with real money to complete the so-called “breakthrough”. This is not just a game mechanism, but also the exploitation of human nature by capital, a microcosm of the modern virtual economy. The process of players pursuing the “Golden Fleece” is like people chasing fame and fortune in reality, anxious and powerless, and in the end it is just a phantom of mental and physical exhaustion.
There are also levels of crystallized phlogiston, including impurities, crude extraction, distillation, and high purity, just like the layered screening and grading of individuals by society. In order to upgrade a virtual character, players have to trek through the “purgatory” set by the game. This makes people reflect on whether the gamification of the virtual world has replicated the class and oppression of real society to some extent? Is the sense of accomplishment people get in the game just an anesthesia? They sacrificed real time and spirit for virtual glory.
Treabar.com’s recharge discount code is a typical representative of modern consumerism. Players are urged to “store value” and “recharge” in the game again and again to get so-called discounts and discounts, but they don’t know that behind this is the ruthless plunder of players’ wallets by capital. The discount code “Treabarblog3ge” seems generous and affordable, but it is just a carefully designed trap that makes people sink deeper and deeper and eventually enslaved by consumption.
The setting of the resonance circuit is theoretically the spiritual bond between the character and the world, but it is kidnapped by the accumulation of materials. Players struggle in the endless “impurities of crystallized phlogiston” and “coarse crystallized phlogiston”, constantly upgrading the circuit, which is very similar to the powerless struggle of modern people to seek spiritual comfort in material civilization. The game creates a seemingly profound “resonance” concept for players, but in fact it uses complex mechanisms to squeeze players’ time and patience.
Such game design actually exposes the essence of the modern virtual entertainment industry: using seemingly “rich” and “free” content to cover up the capital drive and spiritual alienation behind it. Players are bound by the game and become tools of capital. They think they are playing freely, but in fact they are doing hard work on an invisible chain. The material list of Mingchao Xiakong is a microcosm and symbol of all this.
As players, should we be aware of this? Behind the prosperity of the virtual world, are there social realities worth reflecting on? We should be vigilant, not be confused by the virtual world, and cherish our time and spiritual freedom. Games should be a paradise for entertainment and relaxation, not a cage that consumes life and will.
In short, the complex design of the material of Mingchao Xiakong is not only a link in the chain of the modern game industry, but also a vivid portrayal of the mental state of modern people. We run in the digital world, but we don’t know whether we are escaping the dilemma of reality. I hope we can find true freedom between virtuality and reality, rather than being enslaved by complex materials and recharge traps.