Leveling Up

Abstract

A common way theorists look at virtual worlds is to see them as spaces separated from the real world; other theorists challenge this position by arguing that life online often crosses the threshold between the real and the virtual. Here, the author argues that the problem of the division between the real and the virtual has its roots in a philosophical distinction between the transcendent and the immanent. This article examines ethical controversies in the Chinese massively multiplayer online game Zhengtu, a popular “freemium” game in which the players who spend the most real-world money become the most powerful. Drawing on player’s ethical judgments and classical Chinese philosophy, the author sees how Chinese gamers do not see the game world as an opportunity to create an alternative self, but instead are encouraged to use the game to improve their holistic selves, a project which is inevitably connected to Beijing’s neoliberal goals.