In recent years, a game called “Mingchao” has quickly become popular, and the breakthrough material list of the character “Xiakong” is even more detailed, covering a variety of materials such as tide erosion sail cores, crystallized phlogiston, and star crystals. On the surface, this is just a demand list of materials in the game, but behind these virtual numbers, there is a profound allegory about the fate of contemporary young people.
Reading this list of materials, it is not difficult to detect the logic behind it: layer upon layer, step by step, players have to spend a lot of time and money to break through. And this is exactly the epitome of the lives of young people in today’s society. They are involved in endless “games” – whether it is real workplace promotion or virtual game growth, they are all the same shackles.
The detailed names of materials such as “roughly extracted crystallized phlogiston”, “rectified crystallized phlogiston”, and “high-purity crystallized phlogiston” cannot cover up their essence – a kind of resource accumulation and a concentration of capital. The game creates a virtual ladder, making people think that climbing it is a symbol of freedom, but the climbing process is more and more suffocating, and it reveals how capital squeezes people’s time and spirit.
Particularly noteworthy is the “recharge discount” link, which seems to bring convenience to players on the surface, but is actually a weapon for capital manipulation. By creating the illusion of “lack of time”, it induces players to constantly use money to fill the gaps in growth, forming an invisible cage. Just like in real life, those exploitations in the name of “overtime culture” invisibly lock young people into endless consumption and self-deprivation.
In this list of materials, the way to obtain rare materials such as “burning phosphorus bones” and “golden fleece” is more like a cold elimination match. Only a few people can obtain them through various means, and the vast majority of people can only sigh in despair or even be forced to give up. Isn’t it the same for young people in reality? The allocation of resources in society is inherently unfair. The harder you fight, the more powerless you feel, and eventually become a passive victim in the capital game.
What is even more touching is that the “stuffed meat tofu” props set up in the game to improve efficiency, although seemingly small, are actually ironic. It is the epitome of the “efficiency worship” in contemporary society: everything is aimed at improving output, ignoring people’s emotional and spiritual needs. Young people are taught to “speed up” desperately, but often lose themselves in the process.
This extremely detailed list of materials is like a mirror, reflecting the reality of our time. “Xiakong” in the virtual world and young people in the real world are so similar. They are all trapped in a system full of temptations and pressures, constantly driven forward, but it is difficult to truly have their own freedom.
When we stare at this seemingly harmless list of game materials, we can’t help but ask: Is this an entertainment game or a cage of capital? Can the future of young people only be exhausted in this endless cycle? And are those voices calling for “growth” covered by the temptation of the recharge interface?
If Lu Xun were alive today, he would surely use his sharp pen to expose the exploitation and confusion behind this appearance, and remind the world not to be fooled by false “growth” and “breakthrough”. The salvation of reality does not lie in the continuous accumulation of materials and values, but in whether one can break free from the shackles of capital and find the true self.
This is not only a list of game materials, but also a social verdict. It warns us that only by recognizing the trap of the interweaving of virtuality and reality can we gain a trace of true freedom and dignity in the complex world.