Our first time on Maplestory island together

Or rather, the beginning of each players story. (even counting if someone's first time playing was in a mirror dimension or something)

Simply making it as far as the mushroom login screen was an ordeal of sorts. (which I notice now the edges look like that of a book) Getting through registration, hoping that the primitive pc I was using would be able to find at least one screen setting where Maplestory would run and even having enough free time to remotely consider stepping foot into a MMORPG.

And so I make the cut. The computer does not asplode, my shared internet connection holds and I reach Maple island in one piece! I can imagine what this scene would look like if it were a movie: I would ask some stranger, "Where is this place? Is it paradise?" and the beginner in similar clothing would reply, "No, this is Maple island."

I am sure that witnessing some new and amazing event in motion can be a metaphor for a lot of things but those early moments meant so much in my own personal little memory book. Kind of like how the monsters had their own lives independent of what players might be doing. Or how there are people all around but not too many and everyone is just trying to figure out how things work. Other people actually playing a big game at the same time, "Wanna party?" someone could say "yes". "Wanna party?" a different person could say "No, CC PLZ" and randomly run away. This is great stuff! Getting all of the pieces together to make a game such as Maple exist is nothing short of a grand combination of masterful technology use and passion.

So even though we can never go back to that first time, I will always remember the feels.