The Chinese Socialist MMOG

GP writes "How different is China? In the online game version of the idealized Socialist state, you gain experience points by 'doing good deeds' and 'thwarting spys'. You can even meet Chairman Mao!" From a great writeup by Scott Jennings on the game: "And now we have the online MMO version, 'Learn From Lei Feng Online', which allows you to... mend socks. Again - not making any of this up. To quote from the original Xinhua story 'For beginners, sewing and mending socks is the only way to increase experience and to upgrade,' said Jiao Jian, a six-grade pupil in Yuexiu District, quoted by the newspaper. He then continues. 'Every time you are promoted to a higher level, your clothes will become more average,' he said. I'm pretty sure this isn't a translation screw up. The longer you grind, the more you look like everyone else. I guess new users wear designer pastels or something."

Comments

what about their TOS?

[Klowner]

I wonder if you get an immediate ban for using 1337 Falun Gong macros.

Revolutionary idea!

[bromodrosis]

Where do I wait in line for a copy?

Excellent advice

[the_other_one]

in real life, Mao believed that deflowering virgins would help him live longer

All I need now is a steady stream of corsage bearing virgins.

Just one question: What do I do with the flowers?

Re:Excellent advice

[Ekhymosis]

Actually, it comes from an ancient Taoist belief. Not too sure exactly what, but the elderly men were deemed to be suffering from a lack of balance (Ying and Yang) so it was believed that the virgin woman would provide some counter to the ailments the elderly men were suffering. This is why back in the old days old men were always shagging young girls and hoarding virgins.

Gettin' some ying for their yang! (There goes my karma...)

Re:wow

[neoform]

Yeah, cause countries like the United States never make propaganda games, right? Man, china's such a fucked up country! How dare they do this?!

Behold!

[zephc]

I have level 25 Narcing ability! I can tell the authorities in mere seconds if I see someone reading banned materials or thinking subversive thoughts!

Re:wow

[HTTP Error 403 403.9]

Oh boy, after a hard day's work making basketball shoes for a nickle an hour, you can go back to your tiny apartment and mend socks online.

A virtual sweatshop.

You look more and more like everyone else..

[ROBOKATZ]

'Every time you are promoted to a higher level, your clothes will become more average,' he said. I'm pretty sure this isn't a translation screw up. The longer you grind, the more you look like everyone else.

And this is different from WoW in what way?

Re:Hmm

[pomo monster]

I dunno. How much do you get for stuffing your aging parents in "retirement communities" where they can be conveniently forgotten?

(Before you ask--yes, Chinese people really do consider us barbaric for our cultural idiosyncracies. And killing infant girls really isn't pervasive in modern China, even in rural areas, regardless of whatever uninformed drivel Microsoft-NBC is spewing today. Gain some perspective, please.)

A good fit

[Henry V .009]

Amazing how well the ideological absurdity of utopian communism finds its expression in the mechanics of a multi-player online game. Or maybe it's not that amazing. Surely you World of Warcraft players, engaged in the "grind" of leveling, have heard an Orwellian Animal Farm voice calling "Work is Fun. Fun is Work. Fun is Unfun." Co-operation and submission to the group is explicitly rewarded through "Guilds" and similar organizations.

Of course, not only is the gameplay of multi-player online games ideologically communist, but the mechanics of game economies are explicitly communist. They are planned economies. Gold farming and black markets are exactly the same phenomenon. The Chinese Socialist online game will be interesting to watch for observers due to this inevitablity. How will they deal with external and internal black markets? Will it be possible to distinguish countermeasures gameplay from reality as ingame countermeasures are taken?

Re:A good fit

[jandersen]

Good heavens, man, is this really the best you can manage? Talk about displaying your ignorance. But perhaps this is the way Americans think? A quick comparison:

Communism:

- in America the manifestation of anything evil, repressive or stupidly unrealistic is labelled 'communism'. Satan is a Communist, no doubt. Nobody knows why.

- in the rest of the world 'Communism' is a political viewpoint, something about sharing etc etc.

Capitalism:

- in America the manifestation of anything good, true and beautiful. God is definitely a capitalist. Again, nobody really knows why this is the case, but if you ask wuaetions or express dissent, then you are a Communist!!

- in the rest of the world 'Capitalism' is another political viewpoint, something about money, but who really cares?

Democracy:

- in America, a synonym for 'capitalism', 'freedom' and doing what your priest/pastor/church leader tells you.

- in the rest of the world this is simply a method for choosing who should lead the country.

To an American an expression such as 'communist democracy' is an oxymoron, something that makes no sense. To the rest of the world this is not inherently contradictory, and indeed there are examples of countries that approach this - Denmark, Sweden and Norway have at times not been far from that.

The very strange and indeed scary thing is that America - or at least their president - think they have to go out in the world and teach everybody else how to think. But how can one even comtemplate such a thing when Americans are mentally so far from the rest of us?

Re:A good fit

[Moraelin]

"Well, actually, you can't have a communist democracy, because communism requires a totalitarian government. You simply can't allow the slaves, sorry, the workers, to choose other forms of government, because they'll choose the freedom provided by personal economic power (money) if you do. That's why every communist leader has been a dictator."

No. Trying to enforce _your_ own point of view, regardless of what people want, is what's incompatible with democracy. It's not even just about communism. The USA McCarthy era trying to enforce capitalism and weed out any communist thinking wasn't a particularly democratic process or a case of "land of the free".

Freedom and democracy mean that the people are able to choose whatever they choose, including communism, capitalism, something in between, or something very stupid. (E.g., ancient Athens democratically chose to wage war on Sparta, even though the power of Athens was naval and Sparta was landlocked on a mountain. And most land battles had been won for Athens by the Spartan elites. Let's just say Athens never recovered from that mistake.) But that's what democracy means: letting the people choose for themselves.

And there's this fundamentally post-McCarthy American point of view that, given freedom and a right to choose, anyone would choose a cult of the psychopaths. (In the medical sense, not in the axe murderer sense.) That anyone would choose a dog-eat-dog world, where it's only right to be chewed up and spit out by those more powerful than you. And that there are no other shades of grey.

In practice, in Europe for example most countries have democratically chosen something in between. Something where enough economic freedom is left to keep the economy going, but there are plenty of safety nets for those who aren't CEOs. Some countries, as was pointed out, veered pretty far to the left.

But even if I was to accept your points, the GP point still stands: there's something particularly stupid in claiming basically "everything I don't like is communistic." In this case someone argues that "working" in WoW to gain an advantage over other players is somehow communistic, because he doesn't like that. Excuse me? Last I've heard having to work to gain an advantage was the very fundament of capitalism.

That's really the whole problem. For some people "communism", "capitalism" and so on have lost any trace of their real meaning and are some generic synonim for "evil" and "good". Everything they like, including getting a free meal, is "capitalistic" and "democratic". Everything they dislike, e.g., having to work to get a reward, is inherently "communist" and "totalitarian". They've become just buzzwords triggering some Pavlov's Dog kind of prescribed response, without any thinking involved.

Re:Hey mods!!! That's not off topic

[kongjie]

The original post referred to "killing infant girls."

Infanticide does not happen "all the time" in China. Your MSN reference noted two phenomena: sex determination via selective abortion and infanticide. One is much more pervasive in China and I can assure you it's not infanticide, which was more common before the advent of Communism in China.

Speaking of Communism, you're also way off base blaming "Communism" for this phenomenon. China has a one-child policy which most experts feel is a necessary thing. It's because of their population size, not ideology. The preference for sons has its origins in China's agrarian/Confucian roots. It's an unfortunate thing that when you combine the "good" one-child policy with the "bad" preference for sons, you end up with trouble on a large scale.

In fact, if it hadn't been for China's best-known "Communist" leader, i.e., Mao Zedong, the population problem might not be so extreme, but unfortunately Mao held that China's greatest exploitable resource was manpower and thus more babies was more power, so he ignored calls for population control and urged baby-making instead. So in a sense the situation is opposite of how you portray it.

Payback

[Anonymous Coward]

I will be spending all my time farming socks. I can hear them now, damm these American sock farmers.

Re:Hey mods!!! That's not off topic

[pomo monster]

Rather than use policy and statistics refute your egregiously false (and borderline racist) conception of Chinese culture, I'll just point you to some resources so that you can begin to correct your ignorance, if you so desire.

Seriously, I want to try this!

[Dr. Spork]

This may sound messed up, but in an age of Yet Another "Madden" Football Game and Zombie Fragger 9 (or whatever), we finally have a game that piqued my interest. I'm not being ironic for once. I doubt there will be an English translation and even if there were, there wouldn't be US servers... but if there were, I really would consider trying it! I mean, it would be free for the people, right?

Doesn't anyone see how this could be fun? Yeah, mending socks doesn't sound like a thrill, but what do you do for XPs when you're weak in a commercial fantasy game? Endlessly stab chickens? How is that more fun? No, I think mending socks in a sweatshop that more of a feel of honest labor.

I think my talent would be in being a newspaper reporter for the government. I'd try my best to sound like this North Korean paper. Really, it would be a blast! And I bet there would be all sorts of neat quests, like stopping burglars, helping fishermen, getting a village to quit smoking... the sort of stuff that would be really refreshing after months of "deliver this scroll to Naldemor and you shall receive this +2 sword and lots of XP!" Yes, it would take a lot of creativity to make this game fun, but I guess I am one of these people who still appreciates creativity.

translation mess up?

[SYSS Mouse]

I read a news on tihs report in Chinese.

From this article "Every time you are promoted to a higher level, your clothes will become more average."

"More average" is not it is supposed to mean. That word should mean "simple".

Also, the title should read the Chinese Revolutionary MMO.This has to do with the person Lei Feng itself and the background at that time. "He was characterized by propaganda as a selfless and modest figure after his death and consequently was an idol to many." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng

He is protrayed as a selfless person, including his accidential death at 22. A quote from him: "Life is limited, but the service to the country is boundless. I want to use my limited life to boundless serve the country."

It was the time whe loyality to the party that matter's most. In was in the 1950 and 60's in the history, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution

Re:Hmm

[pomo monster]

Oh please. I'm as capitalist as they come. If you think Frommer's travel guides and the Economist are mouthpieces for the Chinese Communist Party, I'm afraid you're beyond "reeducation."

Score one for propaganda

[aendeuryu]

I really hate it when governments try to sneak propaganda into computer games. This indoctrination of youth is really creepy. You're never going to see me advocating or playing a game like this. Those Chinese are just so... so... sinister.

[/goes back to playing America's Army]

Parent is right

[Oldsmobile]

Most slashdotters don't know a damn thing about China. It is like listening to a bunch of humanities students talking about computers.

"Man, I just re-formatted my processor because I got a virus or a bug or something in my window."

"Yeah I know, you should use that linux-program I heard it really zaps those bugs!"

Talk about missing the point

[Moraelin]

Amazing how the same lame sophistry dating all the way back to the first MUDs, and maybe even before, still gets spewed as if they were some deep revelation about humanity.

In fact, probably even before. I can imagine some "but I really want to start directly at the top of Pong's high score table" whiner sitting on the side and spewing rationalizations about how actually playing the game is "work", and how those poor Pong players got scammed into working in their free time and paying for it. (And make no mistake, playing arcade games used to cost a _lot_ more than 13$ a month.) Fast forward a bit in time and you find the same kind of people whining about how deluded people are to invest any kind of time or effort into their entertainment and, god forbid, to cooperate with other players.

That's all that levels, xp, epic equipment, or PvP ranks are: a way to keep the score, not all that different from Pong's or PacMan's high score table, or from a RL football team's rank in the leagues and championships. And some people "grind" for that score (in fact, for some trying to beat the high score _is_ the challenge and the fun), some people just play the game for what it is and let the score just happen on its own, and... some busibodies stay on the sideline and try to sound deeply philosophical in their lament about how sad it is that people put up with "having" to spend hours on their entertainment, or "having" to interact with other people or whole groups. (E.g., the group around the arcade machine.)

And yes, some form of coop play always existed even in those arcade machines. Ever since the first game got a fire button to mash, in addition to the directional joystick/trackball/whatever, I recall people "grouping" and having specialized "group roles" at the arcades. E.g., one would guide the character/ship/whatever around and dodge enemy fire, and one was mashing the fire button and dropping the AOE "bomb" at the right moment for maximum effect. I.e., using the modern MMO terms very loosely, one was the "tank" keeping the team from taking damage and one was the "damage dealer", even if noone used those words at the time. I.e., even when the game didn't actually offer the in-game mechanics for that, some found their own makeshift ways to cooperate and interact with other humans, regardless of how many others sit around and whine about how everyone else should be a loner.

Get this: it's not a matter of "work" or "grind" to some end. That's the actual game. It's ok if I "have" to spend some hours doing quests in WoW, because exactly that was the whole point and purpose in the first place: to waste some hours in a game. Gaining some level or armour piece at the end is just a virtual pat on the back, but the real purpose was to waste those hours in the first place. That's what entertainment is all about: filling your time with something better than staring at the walls.

It may surprise you, but it's not just MMOs. Actually _most_ of the RL passtimes need some time or effort, and most are someone else's "work". Do you enjoy tweaking your car? That's a mechanic's "work". Do you enjoy going dancing? A professional dancer would call that "work". Taking digital photos in the park with your cool new camera? Yep, pro photographers would call that "work". Play tennis or basketball with your friends? That's a pro athlete's "work". _Watch_ sports? Sports journalists do that for a living. Watch a movie and maybe discuss them with your pals? Yep, that's a movie reviewer's "work". Etc.

You'll notice that they also all involve some time spent on that hobby. E.g., a movie buff may spend hours a day "grinding" through movies on their DVD player. E.g., someone with a digital camera may "grind" for hours taking photos of squirrels in the park. Etc. Some of those, *gasp* may even involve "grouping" with people. E.g., going dancing with a couple of friends instead of doing it solo. Some of those *gasp* may involve joining some kind of a "guild". E.g., joining some photo community or whatever kind of associati

Re:Hmm

[KDR_11k]

No, abortion = foeticide because foetus != infant.

Re:Hmm

[KDR_11k]

Let me ask you, is belonging to a different culture justification for denying people rights we consider fundamental?

Yes because it means the person in question is not part of the "we" and will have different ideas of what rights are fundamental.

Re:Easy way to install rootkits onto computers

[readin]

Please do me a favor. Go to your favorite bookstore in Shanghai (where you can supposedly parade around downtown yelling "Down with the Party") and pick up a copy of any book by former President Lee Deng-hui of Taiwan. If you can't find such a book, try going to another book store in Shanghai. If you fail to find any of Lee's books in Shanghai, start working the bookstores in another Chinese city. Please continue this exercise for as long as it takes to find one of Lee's books in China.
Or, as an alternative for disappearing for just as long, walk down a street in Shanghai yelling "Taiwan is a free and independent country!"
I suggest these as better ways to spend your time than making absurd comparisons between the United States and China. Notice, that in trying to make you go away for a long time, I didn't suggest that you walk down a street in New York yelling "America invaded Iraq!" or ask you to go to a book store in New York and look for something by Karl Marx.