Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 325: Education through entertainment

Xuan Yuan Muze asked incredulously, "It's that simple? Can games really be applied to education?"

Agreed patiently explained, “Friend, you must understand one thing: cowardice can become obedience, timidity can become caution, stupidity can become courage, and cunning can be called shrewdness. The most important thing about many things is not what they are, but what we do with those qualities. The biggest winners in life are those smart people who can turn their weaknesses into strengths.”

Playing a good hand well is not a skill; what truly earns praise is the ability to turn a bad hand into an unexpected success. This is the philosophy behind my development of the Kingdom of Myriad Races: utilizing everything at my disposal to make darkness give way to light. As a ruler, how to turn weaknesses into strengths and bad things into good things is the subject I have been researching my entire life.

If you don't believe games can teach others, why don't you try it yourself?

As he spoke, Agreed took out a VR device and pointed to the empty cabin in the corner, indicating that Xuanyuan Muze should participate in his class.

Xuanyuan Muze finally couldn't resist his curiosity and put on the device, lying down in the cabin. As the cabin door slowly closed, Xuanyuan Muze's consciousness entered a world very similar to his hometown. In the game, he was born into an ordinary family, slowly growing up, growing old, and dying. In this life, he experienced the ups and downs of life, witnessing the coldness and warmth of human relationships and the changes in circumstances. He felt as if he had lived for a hundred years in this virtual world. This world was so real that Xuanyuan Muze for a moment forgot that this was just a game.

In the end, Xuanyuan Muze returned to his roots in the virtual world. His virtual character died naturally, and his vision was completely dark. As a ray of light shone in, Xuanyuan Muze slowly woke up in the cabin. At this moment, Agreed was standing in front of him, holding a blue fruit in his hand.

Agreed placed the peculiar fruit into Xuanyuan Muze's hand and said, "Eat it. The Tarikira fruit can effectively alleviate the discomfort caused by VR games. How do you feel? Or do you think there's anything about this game that needs improvement?"

Xuanyuan Muze took the fruit and snapped it up, filling his mouth with its juice. The blue fruit tasted a bit like a mandarin orange, with a sweet and sour flavor and an indescribable fragrance. This made Xuanyuan Muze, who had just been revived from the cabin and was feeling a bit dizzy, feel much more energetic.

After finishing the fruit, Xuan Yuan Muze said, "Is this a game? This is a completely different life. You're letting children learn things through games like this. Aren't you afraid they'll get burned?"

Agreed said nonchalantly, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. And haven’t you noticed it’s completely different from reality? It seems you’re playing this game quite conservatively. You haven’t even stolen anything, have you? What a kind child. Remember what I said? This is a game! Think about it. All the endings in the game, what consequences your actions will have, the moral values, the cause and effect, and the chain reaction caused by your actions—aren’t all of these defined and controlled by me? Do you think such a game is comparable to the unpredictable realities of life? And what kind of changes do you think children who have played this game and been influenced by these morals and values ​​will undergo?”

Xuanyuan Muze thought about it carefully for a moment, then suddenly his eyes widened in horror as he asked, "You mean..."

Agreed picked up the conversation and shouted decisively, "Yes, my friend, I'm using my values, my defined moral principles, the world I've created, and the virtual outcomes I've created to subtly influence those children to accept these things. It's all so real that they believe the world should be this way, that in reality and in the virtual world, 'goodness will bring good results, and evil and greed will ultimately lead to bad consequences.' They believe that there is kindness and justice in this world, and that interpersonal relationships should have a sense of propriety, that people should understand others, and that they should empathize. Although I admit that these principles are against human nature, it doesn't matter, because when everyone agrees and believes that the world should be this way, the world will become what everyone thinks it should be. Conformity can change the world, my friend."

"So you're using games for a sophisticated form of brainwashing? Don't you think that's... weird? And I don't think it's a good method. What if those kids just hate the game? What if your education only makes them more rebellious and defy your system?"

"It doesn't matter. The fundamental purpose of education is to subtly guide people. How can one thing please everyone? And whether you admit it or not, education is essentially a form of brainwashing. We are simply telling them what we have defined, rather than letting them understand these things through experiments or genuine feelings."

Furthermore, values ​​and morality are subjective concepts, and it's not a matter of right or wrong. It's simply a matter of whose morality makes everyone live more happily and comfortably. At least I've put in the effort to create a virtual world where children can genuinely experience the life brought about by our moral values, haven't I? I believe the core idea of ​​education is that 'the world isn't what you say, but what they experience.' Peace, morality, and the rule of law are not concepts; these shouldn't be things written in books. How can you expect people who haven't experienced war to understand your national and personal tragedies? How can you expect children who didn't live in your era to understand your past hardships and sorrows?

Language is pale, but the world is not. Beauty is not something you can say, but something that people can feel. I really dislike people who keep bringing up their past, saying things like, "It was so hard before, so you should cherish the present." That kind of nonsense sounds stupid. Every generation has its own joys and sorrows. Your era and his era are destined to have nothing in common, and even the hardships may be different.

We always foolishly think we can save our descendants from taking detours, but have you ever considered whether you've truly taken the right path? Can you choose the right path like a god? No, let me correct that here. After all, I consider myself a god and I don't believe I can be absolutely right either. It seems some people think they're wiser and stronger than gods!

But that's not the case. The experience you've summarized only belongs to you. Believe me, my friend, the more ignorant a person is, the more they think they can change other people's minds with force. I've made stupid mistakes before, but in reality, we can only change ourselves in our lives. Demanding that others change is, in any case, a morally manipulative act without any manners. If you really don't like someone, you can distance yourself from them and be indifferent to them, but you really have no right to demand that of them, no matter what your status or thoughts are.

Even if we take a step back and assume those kids are antisocial, so what? Even if they rebel against me with the intention of opposing the Nation of All Races, it's a trivial matter. After all, isn't that where the role of the police comes in?