Treabar

Tag: SG

  • Exploring the subtle reflection of the contemporary virtual world and real life from the details of Xiakong materials

    The recently popular mobile game “Mingchao” has welcomed the new five-star resonator “Xiakong”. The list of materials required for her breakthrough, skills and exclusive weapons is very detailed and requires a lot of effort from players. However, a closer look at the complex way to obtain these materials and the immersive experience of players can’t help but remind people of the seemingly weak but solid boundary between the virtual world and real life.

    The game world and the real world are originally two parallel and non-intersecting categories, but now they seem to be cleverly woven into an intricate network by layers of data and activity rules. “Xiakong” is like a ladder of progressive levels, from the primary low-frequency tide erosion sail core to the medium-high frequency and even full-frequency materials, which are like a ladder of progressive levels, step by step and layer by layer, which seems to be the fame and fortune in life that rises step by step and accumulates layer by layer. Although in the name of the game, it actually repeats the endless labor of reality.

    The “Burning Phosphorus Bones” come from a powerful enemy called the “Ancient Sighing Dragon”, and players need to do their best to fight for them; the “Golden Fleece” needs to be looted in the Linaxi Tower or purchased with shells, and there is a limit on the number, which is quite like “court limits and Jiedu control”. Such a setting inevitably reminds people of the sayings of “thresholds” and “levels” in the officialdom of ancient and modern times. Players are like officials, repeatedly intercepted by layers of levels, and work hard to get the hope of “promotion”.

    Speaking of recharge discounts, the 22% discount promoted by Treabar.com is a typical modern business strategy, which actually induces players to keep investing money in exchange for the so-called “rapid growth” shortcut. This situation is just like the common practice of “spending money to buy time” and “capital squeezing leisure” in today’s society. Players are always pulled by the word “recharge” in the double gap between virtual and reality, and they can’t escape the clutches of “capital operation”.

    Isn’t the process of playing the role of “Xia Kong” a metaphorical interpretation of modern people? In the game, fighting monsters and upgrading, accumulating materials, it seems that young people in reality work overtime and run around, dreaming of the “90-level” self, the “Xia Kong” who can truly break through the shackles of self. However, the seemingly fair mechanism in the game is actually another form of “class solidification”: those who can invest more time and money can pass the level faster and gain glory; on the contrary, they can only sigh in despair, and over time they will feel powerless.

    It cannot be ignored that the game designers use extremely sophisticated mechanisms to lock players into repeated cycles of collection and challenges, creating a “sense of dependence” and “sense of investment”, making players willing to accept or even actively seek recharge and time investment. Here, the relationship between people and games is no longer a simple entertainment and being entertained, but a dual interweaving of economy and psychology. Capital uses the game as a carrier to create a virtual “ladder” to drive players to climb up continuously.

    Let’s look at the detailed names of dozens of materials in the game, such as “containing impure crystallized phlogiston”, “roughly extracted crystallized phlogiston”, “rectified crystallized phlogiston”, “high-purity crystallized phlogiston”, etc. Although they sound awkward at first, they cleverly decorate the game world with scientific terms, giving people the illusion of “real existence”. This reminds us of the endless “proper terms” in the academic world, which build an impenetrable fog of knowledge. It seems that only by mastering these terms can we be considered as real “insiders”. In the game, players must collect these materials one by one, just like people in reality are firmly bound by knowledge systems and professional terms and cannot break free.

    In addition, the cooking prop “stuffed meat tofu” provided by the game for players can increase the material drop rate by 50% when defeating the enemy, which is like a symbol of “efficiency improvement” in reality. This detail also reflects the general recognition of the value of “efficiency first” in contemporary society. When people pursue efficient output, they often ignore the emotional experience and inner feelings in the process, and finally fall into mechanical “production” and “consumption”.

    In summary, the acquisition of the “Summer Sky” material in “Ming Chao” is, on the surface, a technical detail of game design, but it deeply reflects the mentality of young people in modern society facing the dual pressures of virtuality and reality. For them, games are both a safe haven and a battlefield; both a spiritual sustenance and a capital trap.

    Perhaps we should see a more real metaphor of life from this virtual material list: on the road to growth and breakthrough, young people need more understanding and support, rather than being forced into an endless cycle of “recharge” and “killing monsters”? Only in this way can we break through the barriers of the virtual world and regain the freedom and brightness of real life.

    If Qian Zhongshu had such a description, he would have ridiculed the absurdity of this era with his unique wisdom and humor, reminding people not to be trapped by illusions and strive to find the free world that truly belongs to them.

  • That wound that cannot be healed is still bleeding over the years

    Sometimes, I often wonder what life is, why it can make people love and hate, and why it is painful but cannot be escaped. Those seemingly ordinary days are often heavier than we think. Just like a full fruit, it looks bright and beautiful, but once it is bitten, it is a rotten heart.

    I grew up in a remote town. There are no bustling streets, no flashing neon lights, and no wide roads. In the town, almost every family has some unspeakable pain. Some people work in the fields all their lives, and some people drink the kind of water that smells of soil every day. There is nothing but the most primitive survival. What hurts me most is that there seems to be no end to all this.

    I remember when I was a child, I often saw my father carrying a tattered cloth bag to the market to exchange for some side dishes and rice. At that time, I always felt that life was so difficult, but so simple. Nothing is closer to reality than the days at that time. We lived a simple life, but we didn’t have too many extravagant demands. All the happiness seemed to be hidden in the ordinary, in the fields, and in the outline of my father’s back in the sunset.

    However, time did not give us too much tolerance. My father’s body gradually weakened, and my mother was no longer so young. The burden of life gradually bent their waists. There was no laughter and joy in the house, only endless silence and fatigue. Whenever night fell, there was always an unspeakable sense of depression in the house, as if the whole world was sleeping in this darkness, so quiet that it made people breathless.

    At that time, I didn’t know what “difficulties” meant. I only knew that every day I had to stand at the entrance of the village waiting for my father to come back, and then eat a bowl of porridge full of vegetable leaves and rice grains together. I remember one time, I couldn’t help asking my mother why our life was so hard. The mother’s eyes became empty for a moment, and after a long time, she gently said: “Child, life is like this, no one can escape it.”

    There were no tears in the mother’s eyes, only an indescribable fatigue. When she said this, her voice was as light as the fallen leaves in the autumn wind, without any sound, but it made people feel distressed. At that moment, I suddenly understood what fate was. It is like a bottomless pit, we fall into it one by one, and finally we can only rely on ourselves to find a ray of hope. Perhaps, we have no choice but to walk alone in this deep pit until the end.

    I was already seventeen years old when I left my hometown. The young me walked into the city with longing and ideals. At that time, I seemed to think that the city was the place of dreams, where there were bustling streets, where there were traffic, there were infinite possibilities. I thought that I would be able to see a wider sky after I walked out of that barren town.

    However, after arriving in the city, I found that I was still just an insignificant existence. Although the city is bright and the streets are bustling, I feel particularly lonely among these people. Every morning, I walk hurriedly on the crowded streets, and every night, I am silent in the noisy city. Gradually, I realized that the light of the city cannot dispel the darkness in my heart. It only makes you see more clearly the distance between yourself and the world.

    So, I began a long struggle. In order to survive, I did various jobs: selling newspapers, working as a cleaner, and even moving stones on the construction site. Every day, I am fighting poverty, and every day, I am looking for a glimmer of hope. But every time I turn around and leave my job and walk back to my small rental house, the loneliness in my heart surges like a tide. The prosperity and hustle and bustle of the city have little to do with me. It only gives me an empty face and a heart that is no longer young.

    Looking back, I realized that the land of my hometown is my root. Even if it is full of injustice and pain, it is still the most real existence. In those years, although I have not received any earth-shattering happiness, I have never really given up on myself. Life, although ruthless, has taught me tenacity and patience. Every fall, every rebirth, is an opportunity for me to get to know myself again.

    Today, standing in front of the town I used to live in, I can still see those familiar scenes: my father’s back, my mother’s warm eyes, and the smell of soil on the country road. Although the years have taken away many of the past beauties, the memories left on that land will never fade.

    Once, I wanted to escape from here, I wanted to escape from this land that brought me pain and loss. But now, I understand that I can no longer get rid of this innate connection. It is like an unhealable wound. No matter how far I go, it will eventually bleed in my heart.

    And this bleeding may be the meaning of life. It makes us more clearly aware that the original self still exists deep in our hearts and has never left.

  • Looking at the false prosperity and spiritual dilemma of contemporary game culture from the complexity of Xia Kong’s materials

    Xia Kong, a five-star resonator in the Mingchao game, needs many and complex materials for his growth, which can be regarded as another heavy shackle in the game industry. Low-frequency tidal eclipse sail core, medium-frequency tidal eclipse sail core, high frequency, full frequency, burning phosphorus bone, crystallized phlogiston… These seemingly meaningless numbers and names have accumulated into a heavy burden on the players. They are not just props in the game, but more like the plunder and enslavement of the players’ spirit by the modern virtual world.

    When I look at these material lists, I can’t help but think of the ubiquitous “tasks” and “goals” in today’s society. We are constantly asked to collect, upgrade, invest time and money, but often we can’t see substantial growth and change. The game world and the real world are surprisingly similar here. They are all mazes of desire, wearing away people’s will and soul.

    In particular, the acquisition of “burning phosphorus bone” requires defeating the powerful enemy sighing ancient dragon. It is a tough battle, and players have invested a lot of time in it. Behind such repeated labor is a psychological trap carefully woven by game designers, which encourages players to endlessly kill monsters and collect. It is very much like the invisible shackles designed by the upper class of society, making people work like slaves, but becoming more and more mentally exhausted.

    The name “Golden Fleece” is strange, but it is actually a microcosm of the modern game economy. It has purchase restrictions and currency transactions, representing the “capital rules” that players are forced to accept. Players can only buy fifteen per week, but they need a lot of money to exchange. The “scarcity” that is difficult to achieve in reality is artificially created in the virtual world. Such a design deprives players of the space for free choice and turns people into vassals of capital.

    Look at the crystallized phlogiston again, from impurities to high purity, each level is a test of the player’s patience and time. Just like the pressure of increasing pressure in real life, it is breathless. Players are not enjoying the game, but are being squeezed bit by bit by the game system, as if the metaphor of life is becoming more and more desolate.

    In addition, the discount codes and recharge discounts on Treabar.com expose the commercial nature of the modern game industry. Players seem to have benefited, but in fact they are constantly lured into consumption. Behind this “discount” is the continuous emptying of players’ wallets by capital, which is another link in the game capitalism. Players’ enthusiasm and hope become extremely fragile in money transactions.

    This whole set of material system, on the surface, is necessary for cultivating Xia Kong, but in fact it is an exploitation of players’ time and spirit. Players are firmly trapped in the game framework and lose themselves in repeated monster hunting and collection. Such false prosperity is the curse of contemporary digital entertainment, tempting people to indulge, but without real rewards.

    Games should be a spiritual relaxation and creative space for people, but now they have become a tool for capital manipulation. Players pursue the so-called growth in the virtual world, but find that it is nothing more than a castle in the air, and real happiness and satisfaction are getting further and further away. Xia Kong’s growth materials have become heavy iron rings on the chain, trapping the players’ hands and feet.

    We should reflect on whether such game design is really worthy of praise? Or are we unknowingly being dragged into endless “labor”? Does the accumulation of materials in Xiakong reflect the anxiety, powerlessness and loss in modern people’s lives?

    In conclusion, I only hope that players can see the truth of this false prosperity and not let digital games enslave their time and spirit. Games should be spiritual comfort, not a heavy shackle. Only by recognizing this can we find true freedom and liberation between games and reality.

  • At the end of the lights, I reconciled with the world, but I still couldn’t forget the pain.

    Life is always a pit, climb out and fall back in. I have warned myself more than once not to set any goals for myself, and to have fewer extravagant demands on life, so that there will be less disappointment. But life never goes according to people’s wishes. Just like those dreams when I was young, I always felt that I was forever young and tireless, until one day, I suddenly realized that I was old. I am too old to expect anything anymore, and I am too old to believe that I can have the kind of enthusiasm that only belongs to young people.

    I have been in this city for many years. The streets are still the same, and the street lights are still on. Whenever night falls, the brightly lit streets become the only thing I can rely on. In fact, sometimes, I don’t particularly enjoy this brightly lit hustle and bustle, but in those quiet late nights, I can find some peace. Under the lights, I am like a passerby, looking ahead with empty eyes, as if waiting for something, but it seems that I am not waiting for anything. For me, dinner, overtime, the way home, almost every moment is the same.

    But I know that life is more than that. Or rather, it is much more than that. Everyone has a monologue about themselves, and I am no exception, but I speak too little. Many times, I prefer silence, and I feel that many words are meaningless. No one will really understand you, and others will only judge who you are based on their own perception of you.

    I often wonder, if I no longer seek understanding from others, what will I become? Maybe I will be more lonely, or maybe I will be freer, who knows?

    However, to be honest, freedom is not as good as imagined. It does not have the warmth of friends, nor the sweetness of lovers. Instead, it gives me more time to dance with loneliness. For me, loneliness is not a bad state, it is more of a choice. Life is always troubled by various factors, pressure at work, disputes in the family, and the little thoughts of friends. Each one pulls you tighter and tighter until you can’t even find the space to take a deep breath.

    At this time, you will suddenly understand that loneliness is actually an inevitable fate. You no longer seek recognition from the outside world, and you begin to get used to talking to yourself. Those love and friendships that you longed for when you were young, in the end, became the most unattainable luxury. I have had several relationships, each of which was somewhat magnificent, but in the end, none of them made it to the end. Sometimes, I wonder, is it because we don’t really understand that the most important thing in a relationship is not the tolerance and tolerance of the other party, but whether we can be tolerant enough to accept the shortcomings of the other party?

    Perhaps, we are all too demanding of perfection. Every relationship is like looking for the “other half” of that life, as if everyone has a preset role to play. In fact, the truth is that there is no perfect love in this world, only the perfect self, and knowing tolerance, understanding, and acceptance is the most lasting guarantee of a relationship.

    Sometimes I think that if I were not so stubborn and stubborn, maybe my current life would not be so confused and tired. I always fantasize that I can get an ideal love, a friend who can talk about everything, and a peace that I have never had somewhere. However, all this is like a dream. Slowly, I learned to draw strength from failure and no longer over-desire things that do not belong to me. Living in the present is my most sincere understanding of life.

    If I were to describe my life in one word, it would be “living”. I just live like this, day after day, year after year, and there seems to be nothing to be proud of, and there is no drama of ups and downs. It’s just that you gradually understand what to cherish and what to let go in your constant attempts.

    I did not pursue perfect love, nor did I demand success in my career. I just thought about how to live a better life, at least to wake up with a relaxed mood every day, not sad for yesterday’s pain, and not afraid of tomorrow’s unknown.

    And all this finally ushered in some subtle changes on an accidental night. That day, it was drizzling outside the window. I walked on the street with some worries, and my thoughts were as messy as leaves blown away by the wind. Suddenly, a voice came from the side. The voice was crisp and warm, as if it floated from a long-lost memory. I turned my head and saw a person standing in the rain, smiling at me.

    I suddenly realized that no matter what the future holds, at this moment, while I am reconciling with the past, I am also slowly accepting reality. This peaceful state of mind cannot be cultivated in a day or two. It comes from every day when I no longer expect or demand anything, and from the courage to stand up from failure every time.

    The most important thing for us to live in this world is not to pursue anything, but to learn to let go and give ourselves enough space to embrace the impermanence of life. This world is never perfect, but we can still find our place in ordinary days. As long as we don’t give up on ourselves, nothing in this world can really defeat us.

    I have taken many detours over the years, stumbled, and lost a lot of things, but I have also gained a lot. In this city, I finally found a quiet corner, let go of my former obsessions, learned tolerance, learned to let go, and learned to reconcile with the world.

    “If life slaps you in the face, fight back with the other hand.” I always say to myself.

    So, I decided to keep going, with a sense of calmness and calmness, towards the next tomorrow.