I am currently participating in the [ Nexon PEAK Post Challenge].

How have online games changed over the past 20 years?

I tried organizing the differences I felt

into a few categories.

Mabinogi Online (hereafter mainlinenogi) VS Mabinogi Mobile (hereafter mobinogi)

The teenage me who played mainlinenogi in 2004

is now me in my 30s, playing mobinogi in 2025.





Graphics

2004 VS 2025

There is definitely a big gap between the graphics from 20 years ago and the graphics of today.

The screenshots below are from 2006.

When it first launched in 2004, everything felt even more angular.

Tree fruit looked angular, eggs looked angular,

and even Simon's dance at the Dunbarton clothing shop looked angular.

The visuals now are clearly much smoother

and feel a lot more polished.



Play Style

2004 VS 2025

I think the biggest difference is automation.

Back then, you had to control your character one action at a time.

Running, attacking,

and using skills too.

(Honestly, I preferred the feel of combat back then.)



Now, though, a lot has been automated.

If you set conditions for movement, combat, and gathering,

there are plenty of games where most of it can be handled automatically.

Mabinogi Mobile is the same way.

In the past, if you wanted your character to move on its own,

you used macros. And that was illegal.

Knowing what should be done manually and what should be automated

and placing that balance properly

will be an important kind of judgment going forward, I think.

The Wild Era VS Friendly Guidance

Online games in the past were not an era where the strong survived,

but one where the survivors became the strong.

When you started a game, there was barely any explanation,

and your character was simply dropped into the world.

I still vividly remember suddenly meeting Nao, getting bread and the Traveler's Guide,

saying hello to Duncan, and then having no idea what I was supposed to do,

so I ended up hitting trees and gathering eggs.

By comparison, guides these days are almost too thorough.

They tell you what you should do right away,

and how to do it, one step at a time.

At times, it can even feel like the game is saying, this is how you play!

to the point where it feels a little forced.

The Variety of Devices You Can Play On

Actually, this is the change I feel most strongly.

In the past, you needed a PC to play at all,

but now it is not just PC, but also mobile, tablets, and more,

so games can be played across a range of devices.

Of course, Mabinogi Mobile

was released as a mobile game,

but a lot of the time it feels closer to a PC game..

(I'll leave it there.)

Anyway, that's how I see it.

Going forward, rather than staying tied to a single device,

I think games will need to work across multiple devices

if they want players to keep up.



So, as always, I hope everyone reading this today finds a little happiness,

and this has been Jagyeongssi.