In this fast-paced digital age, the virtual world has become a part of many people’s lives. We are in it, enjoying the company of virtual characters and experiencing the victories and challenges in the game. However, as time goes by, we may suddenly find that behind this brilliant virtual world, something seems to have quietly disappeared – that is, our connection with real life.

Everyone’s life has some connection with the virtual world to varying degrees. Whether it is likes on social networks, rankings in games, or the sense of achievement gained in virtual reality, they are like glittering trophies that attract us to chase and invest constantly. In this process, we often overlook an important fact – those virtual things can’t really fill the emptiness deep in our hearts after all.

The temptation and emptiness of the virtual world
Just like the new characters in the 2.3 version of “Mingchao” – Zanni and Xiakong, although they are virtual characters, they carry different combat abilities and background stories, but their existence just reflects our desire for an idealized self. As the main C of diffraction, Zanni has strong combat capabilities, while Xiakong, as the pneumatic sub-C and auxiliary character, becomes a key figure in the team with her wisdom and mobility. The settings of virtual characters are often perfect, and their skills, personalities, and appearances are all desirable. Many people will pursue the cultivation and improvement of characters in the game, and gradually form a dependence on these virtual characters. However, when we walk out of the game and return to real life, can the sense of achievement in these virtual worlds really help us face the various difficulties in life?

I once heard a friend describe his dependence on the game like this: “Every time I beat a copy online, complete a task, see my character upgrade, and get rewards, I feel very satisfied in my heart. At that moment, I seemed to have found the meaning of my existence.” His words made me think, why in this real world, many people have to find their own value through the virtual world? Perhaps, it is precisely because of the pressure, competition and endless trivialities in the real world that we have found a space in the virtual world where we can temporarily escape. There, there is no trouble and anxiety, only tasks and rewards, only glory and honor.

However, this sense of dependence is also short-lived. When we are immersed in the virtual pleasure, the emptiness in our hearts is still not completely filled. Just like the setting of virtual characters, although they appear to be omnipotent in the game, in real life, each of us has our own shortcomings and fragility, and cannot rely on the “perfect image” in the game to cope with the challenges in the real world.

Sense of dislocation between virtual and reality
In the real world, we often face heavy work pressure, family responsibilities and the complexity of interpersonal relationships. Under these pressures, we are unable or unwilling to look directly into our hearts. Therefore, the virtual world has become a “safe haven” for us to escape from reality. We plunge into it and enjoy the fast feedback and instant satisfaction brought by the virtual world. Every time we complete a task and get a reward, we seem to be able to temporarily escape from the predicament in reality.

However, it is this sense of dislocation that makes us more confused. When we are overly immersed in the virtual world, our connection with the real world gradually becomes alienated. We begin to lose our sense of purpose and direction in real life. We become more and more dependent on the short-term satisfaction brought by virtual characters, while ignoring what we really desire in our hearts.

When the characters in the virtual world gradually become our sustenance, we will find that we seem to become more and more empty. The victory and sense of achievement in the game are certainly gratifying, but they cannot really solve the fundamental problems in our lives. We may be attracted by the tasks and copies in the game, but ignore the family responsibilities, career challenges and interpersonal needs in life.

Loss of virtual characters and self-identity
The setting of Zanni and Xiakong can also be seen as our pursuit of an idealized self. Each of us longs to find a perfect self in the virtual world, an omnipotent hero. However, in reality, we are often far from doing this. We have our own shortcomings and limitations, and we sometimes make mistakes and fail. These real selves often make us confused and uneasy. So, we begin to fantasize about becoming a perfect existence like a virtual character to compensate for our imperfections in real life.

This mentality of relying on virtual characters gradually makes us lose our self-identity. We no longer know what we really need, but instead regard the characters in the game as substitutes for our ideals. We began to invest more time and energy in the virtual world, ignoring our growth and changes in real life. Gradually, our dependence on virtual characters will even affect our attitude and choices in real life.

Return to reality: Find the true self from the virtual world
Although the virtual world is full of temptations, we cannot indulge in it blindly. The short-term pleasure provided by the virtual world cannot replace the real experience in our lives. Only by returning to reality can we truly find our own direction and goals. In reality, we can overcome challenges and create our own value through our own efforts.

Instead of relying on the sense of accomplishment brought by virtual characters, we should pay more attention to how to achieve self-growth in reality. The tasks in the game are virtual after all. Only in real life can we experience real growth and change. Only by working hard, maintaining family relationships, and developing friendships can we find the true meaning in life.

Just as the characters in the game always change with the version update, our lives are also constantly evolving. Whether facing difficulties or enjoying success, the true meaning of life is not achieved through the characters in the virtual world, but through the struggle and persistence of each of us in the real world. Only in this way can we rediscover ourselves in the glory of the virtual world and live out our true self in reality.