Catching a Breather from the Virtual World

Time to catch a breather from the virtual world and take stock in the real world!

Check out the learning journeys of both Pascoaman and RotiAhcek!

Check this out! - Pascoaman's Maple Story

Check this out too! - RotiAhCek's Maple Story

18) Special Offers and Promotions

I got from level 31 to 33 in about 4 hours! That's pretty fast and efficient - thanks to the special offer by the game administrators.

Every minute I spend in MS from 1930hrs to 2030hrs in March is twice as efficient. I took leave these past 2 days and was able to arrange my time to take advantage of that offer.

Just when I thought that I really would have no more motivation to continue levelling up, this came along to prolong my involvement.

Will it last? I don't think it will work for me over the long haul. There is too much to do to continue in this world.

But in the meantime, I was just happy with my level 33 character. :p

In case I prove myself wrong, here are the residual motivations:

1. Go to Ossyria and see what it is all about
2. Cash in on that last chance to get those 20k exp CNY quests.
3. Just 1 more level (what's new?)
   

17) MMORPGs - Virtual "Drug"?

I had weaned myself off the crazy levelling up cycle in MapleStory for 1 week. Yet it was not without any struggle. Much as I "hated" the mindless hacking and slashing, I felt a little regret at having to give up such a "good" character that I've spent months building up.

Welcome to the world of MMORPGs, where it gets harder to quit by the day. Much like DRUGS!

The more I play, the more powerful I get, the more I will "lose" if I quit the game. In ordinary games, one starts from the same "level 0" everytime he plays the game, there is a starting and ending to the game.

For MMORPGs, the game never ends. One always carries his character and investment to the next time he plays the game - you don't "waste" your time.

Herein lies the biggest trap - in order not to waste his time, the gamer feels obliged to continue investing into the character.

Look at the the evidence - I am level 32 now. :p

16) Exploring the Virtual World

One of the attractions of MMORPGs is the chance to explore the virtual world. I finally got out of Victoria Island on the day I got to level 30. I visited Shanghai and Zipangu (Japan)!

Pretty kiddish I would think and nothing like the real Shanghai and Japan. However, "quests" built into these worlds promising unique rewards (such as equipment and virtual fashion items) and a structured experince for gamers. It's just like adults collecting "Hard Rock Cafe T-Shirts" from all around the world.

These are nothing near to what World of Warcraft offers, but it is interesting enough to keep the gamer coming back for more.

15) 2nd Job Advance - I'm a Spearman!

Look closely! I'm a Spearman now! :)



After 50 hours in 3 months, I finally reached this milestone! I'm officially out of the league of "noobs" (a rather derogatory term for beginner gamers). I got my second job advance.

Not exactly powerful or cool looking, but my "Janitor's Mop" weapon packs quite a powerful punch! And I have a cool looking full-helmet as well :)

And I'm getting out of Maple Story!

14) Virtual Trading in MapleStory

Look at the screenshot - a busy "markeplace" with more than 20 characters at any one time, trading and buying virtual items. I (LHS corner) got involved with this when I was got tired of slashing monsters to get the CNY items. I chose instead to trade for them.

Bargaining, cheating, scamming - all practices in the real world happens in MMORPGs too. I had kids (presumably) trying to sell me items at ridiculous items, and also encountered abusive ones when I tried to bargain.

In Maple Story, the power and freedom available to adults are made accessible to kids. There is definitely learning value in games, they become savvy in buying and selling, learn some limited negotiation skills, and get to decide which is the fastest way to attain their goals.

Of course these may not all be transferable to the real world. So don't be too quick to use this as an excuse to play games.