MapleStory holds a very dear place in my heart. It is a 2D sidescrolling Korean MMORPG developed by Nexon, initially released in North America in 2005. My brother introduced me to it, which he learned from a neighbor. I don’t remember exactly when I started playing, but there is no doubt it was near the release.
Come to think of it, MS was my first introduction to online communities. In-game with Party Quests (Kerning, Romeo & Juliet), Guilds, and party training (Jesters, Lionheart Castle). Out-of-game with some of my school friends and sites like Basilmarket, HiddenStreet, Ayumilove, and Reddit.
If Music:
I most likely have over 10000 hours on this game. I only played through Steam in the latter phase and that totals ~2.5k hrs.
Quitting in 2024 beginning due to uncertainty.
Being addicted and trying to fill that hole.
Private servers
- My first character, a Crossbowman, stuck at level 26 because I kept on dying
- Grinding “Attack 60% for Gloves” scroll for quick money
- Grinding Mushroom Castle on an Aran while family friends are over
- Getting phished at Pirate PQ for “Free NX”
- My first level 120 was my Ultimate Adventerer Paladin, by running R&J PQ with a stranger with familiar hacks.
- Guild with iBobbyAran (college guy from NZ) and another guy Saul
really played from 2022-2024, intensely like a job
The art style, towns & environments, monster designs, class identities, music.
The simple and mindless grind
Understanding all the complex systems