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César Escudero: Crypto currency technology as a decentralized accounting method.

The game industry is one of the most important cultural industries in contemporary China. It employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue each year. The Chinese video game market is the largest in the world, worth an estimated $30 billion USD in 2020 (Newzoo). However, despite its size and importance, there are few serious studies on Chinese video games or on how they represent Chinese culture to a global audience. In this paper, I will build upon Chan’s work by looking specifically at how garbage is used as a symbol ofChina within these same three video games mentioned above. Through close analysis, I will demonstrate that while garbage may be seen as worthless or unimportant within our real-world societies, it plays a significant role in shaping player perceptionsof virtual representations of China. By understanding why trash holds such power within digital spaces, we can begin to see how everyday objects can take on new meanings when placed into different contexts – something that has important implications for our understandings both pollutionand Orientalism The 3D models in video games are often low-polygon and not very detailed. They are meant to be seen from a distance and don't need to look realistic up close. However, these same qualities make them perfect for use in VR applications, where the viewer is typically much closer to the objects on screen. This research investigates how garbage models can be used to create an immersive environment that encourages reflection on our own relationship with waste and consumption. In short, I think that the act of production and consumption in virtual space can interact with reality structurally and politically. In the game, there are many 3D models of garbage, which can be found in various levels and locations. I extracted these 3D models and started to experiment with them by making animations. By doing so, I was able to create a series of short video clips that deal with the theme of rubbish in our society. The first animation is called "Mountain of Rubbish". It shows a pile of rubbish that gradually grows larger and taller over time. The purpose of this animation is to show how much rubbish we produce on a daily basis, and how it accumulates over time if we do not dispose of it properly. The second animation is titled "Eating Garbage". It features a person eating from a plate full of garbage. This clip highlights the fact that some people have no choice but to eat whatever they can find, even if it is trash. This issue is especially prevalent in developing countries where food insecurity is rampant. Finally, the third animation clip is entitled "Flooded City". It depicts a city being inundated by water after an erupting volcano causes massive flooding . This scene illustrates how our actions (in this case dumping sewage into volcanoes) can have severe consequences for innocent bystanders who may live downstream from us . In the game, there is a scene where the player's avatar enters into what looks like a giant sewer. The walls are lined with 3D models of garbage, and as the player moves through it, rats run around and sometimes jump out at them. This scene struck me because it seemed to be such an accurate representation of reality - that civilization is built on top of a great big pile of garbage, and that we only notice it when something goes wrong (like rats jumping out at us). It also made me think about how we use 3D models of garbage in video games to decorate virtual reality while real-life people scavenge actual mountains of trash for a living. I find this ironic because crypto currency technology is touted as being decentralized and accounting for everyone equally, yet here we see centralized capital using it to increase asset values. In my opinion, what we call "civilization" is actually a sewer. We think that garbage is the corpse of a commodity, because it loses its functionality, but in actuality we use 3D models of garbage to decorate virtual reality all the time. For example, in video games we fill volcanoes with excrement and let them erupt to flood cities. Or we make a living by scavenging waste on real life garbage mountains earning just a few dollars per day. While crypto currency technology presents itself as decentralized accounting method, centralized capital always finds ways to appropriate it for asset appreciation schemes. In the game, there is a scene where the protagonist is looking for his missing squad mates in a huge pile of garbage. I was struck by how realistic the 3D models of garbage were; they looked like they could be real photos.