2008-09-24, 10:46 PM
Well, I'm adding my two cents to the first post. Too much of this topic is off-topic so I didn't read it all. (Long ass post coming up.)
Anyhow, as I'm sure many have mentioned, most of the time our reason for constantly logging on Maple is due to our friends. This game is 'fun' when you're around people. The game itself (omgawd good point) has a lot of opennings for jokes, and let's face, we have ton of them amongst ourselves.
Leveling up is nice. It opens new doors to you, and gives the game a bit more of a variety. This is more noticible in the wee early levels, especially as a first time player, and once you hit a landmark like level 30 you can do so many things, and have all these flashy new skills to get. So you start leveling, exploring, etc. Eventually, the variety becomes scarse, and instead of seeing a real change in skills/equipment/quests every 5 levels, it becomes 10. Then after a bit, those changes from every 10 levels become barely noticible, and so forth. The game creates a necessity of intense dedication to be 'worthy'. Aside from the game standards itself in that sense, we have the community that is just as strict. Levels, equipment and play time determine your worth. It's sad when you think you've made some great friends and later on they leave you behind or aside because you can't play as much as them, or can't spend as much money on the game as them. Sadly, I've had this happened to me quite a bit... even with friends I met outside of maple and invited them to join. They changed outside the game too. And even then, people are still playing... To be as the same rank as their friends to be accepted again? To be able to show off their gaming skill for being a 'high level'? To try to escape a stressful world of reality, stressing yourself even more ingame than outside? I frankly think most people just don't realize how bad some things are due to being addicted to maple.
As for a bit of my story as to why I was addicted... I met the love of my life in a LPQ 2 years ago (Of all places, I know. *sigh*). Anyone who knows us, know we're going for the real deal. We want to get married and everything, been together before despite living a country away. We both turned into 10+ hours worth of daily maple addicts because we enjoyed being together so much, and we had fun together on maple. Once things began to change, seeing as how the -less bandwagon begun, 2x Cards were being released, etc., we broke from our addiction, and just grinded every once in a while because we felt obligated to be able to mantain friendships by being active. Nowadays, he's done completely and I want to reach my goal of 120 to happily retire and maybe sell my account to someone so they can continue what I started. Maple has no joy for me now, it's lost it's charm, and even though it's given me some nice memories, laughs and fiancee, I wonder at times if it really was worth it after all the misery my "friends" put me through, and the family problems it's brought upon me.
Anyhow, as I'm sure many have mentioned, most of the time our reason for constantly logging on Maple is due to our friends. This game is 'fun' when you're around people. The game itself (omgawd good point) has a lot of opennings for jokes, and let's face, we have ton of them amongst ourselves.
Leveling up is nice. It opens new doors to you, and gives the game a bit more of a variety. This is more noticible in the wee early levels, especially as a first time player, and once you hit a landmark like level 30 you can do so many things, and have all these flashy new skills to get. So you start leveling, exploring, etc. Eventually, the variety becomes scarse, and instead of seeing a real change in skills/equipment/quests every 5 levels, it becomes 10. Then after a bit, those changes from every 10 levels become barely noticible, and so forth. The game creates a necessity of intense dedication to be 'worthy'. Aside from the game standards itself in that sense, we have the community that is just as strict. Levels, equipment and play time determine your worth. It's sad when you think you've made some great friends and later on they leave you behind or aside because you can't play as much as them, or can't spend as much money on the game as them. Sadly, I've had this happened to me quite a bit... even with friends I met outside of maple and invited them to join. They changed outside the game too. And even then, people are still playing... To be as the same rank as their friends to be accepted again? To be able to show off their gaming skill for being a 'high level'? To try to escape a stressful world of reality, stressing yourself even more ingame than outside? I frankly think most people just don't realize how bad some things are due to being addicted to maple.
As for a bit of my story as to why I was addicted... I met the love of my life in a LPQ 2 years ago (Of all places, I know. *sigh*). Anyone who knows us, know we're going for the real deal. We want to get married and everything, been together before despite living a country away. We both turned into 10+ hours worth of daily maple addicts because we enjoyed being together so much, and we had fun together on maple. Once things began to change, seeing as how the -less bandwagon begun, 2x Cards were being released, etc., we broke from our addiction, and just grinded every once in a while because we felt obligated to be able to mantain friendships by being active. Nowadays, he's done completely and I want to reach my goal of 120 to happily retire and maybe sell my account to someone so they can continue what I started. Maple has no joy for me now, it's lost it's charm, and even though it's given me some nice memories, laughs and fiancee, I wonder at times if it really was worth it after all the misery my "friends" put me through, and the family problems it's brought upon me.