[This post was created as part of Nexon PEAK activities.]

Hello! I’m 연백.

In this post, I’d like to look at what makes online RPGs such a good fit

for leveling up alongside friends.

A few things stand out when I think about the appeal and benefits of playing with friends:

Rivals and teammates

A wider range of experiences, with less waiting

The same activities, different experiences

Memories of shared experiences

Let’s take a closer look at each.

※ As a leading title in the online RPG genre, MapleStory is an obvious example,

but classic servers based on it, such as Mapleland and 메이플 플래닛, offer similar benefits. I’ll mainly use Mapleland as an example here.

🔥 Each Other’s Rivals and Teammates

As you play together and build up your characters, a subtle, friendly rivalry can develop,

with your friend’s character giving you something to aim for—and perhaps a reason to try to pull ahead.

You might buy slightly stronger equipment than your friend’s or push a little further in levels.

Instead of getting stronger on your own, you grow stronger together, with that comparison making your progress more tangible.

It can also motivate you to become even stronger.

But it isn’t all about competition.

You also develop the teamwork needed to overcome challenges.

Whether you’re taking down powerful boss monsters

or completing particularly difficult quests...

Working with friends lets you tackle content that would be overwhelming alone.

That’s another clear advantage.

Even during tedious, repetitive tasks, you can put your heads together or lend a hand.

Helping each other out can save you both a considerable amount of time.

A friend can be a rival one moment and a teammate the next,

bringing more variety and fun to the game.

🔥 A Wider Range of Experiences, with Less Waiting

MapleStory and its classic servers offer plenty of fun for solo players,

but playing alone means missing out on content that requires cooperation.

Party quests,

the recently added party quests exclusively for married characters, and more...

When you want to try content that’s difficult to play alone,

often the hardest, most time-consuming part is finding other players to join you.

Joining like-minded strangers can be a rewarding experience in its own right,

but most players tend to prefer teaming up with people they trust, such as friends or guild members.

Groups usually settle on certain rules, either through an unspoken understanding or a discussion.

Whenever possible, playing with friends who know and trust each other

can greatly reduce the chance of unnecessary disputes or awkward situations.

There’s also quicker, smoother communication, more willingness to forgive mistakes,

and the ability to gather everyone and get started quickly without searching for a party.

To me, these are all big draws of playing and progressing alongside friends.

🔥 The Same Activities, but Different Experiences

Completing the same quest can give you different rewards,

and hunting the same monsters can give you different item drops.

Likewise, even within the same game, each player’s chosen class shapes their journey. Everyone develops in different ways,

leading to growth as a team, with more knowledge to share and a role for each player.

Even if you’re building just one character, playing alongside friends gives you a feel for what makes different classes unique. It can almost feel like you’re developing several characters at once.

I remember playing alongside friends whose classes I wasn’t playing myself

and discovering strengths, weaknesses, class-exclusive quests, and other details I would normally only learn by playing those classes.

Those discoveries gave me more to think about, and they’ve stayed with me.

🔥 Memories of Shared Experiences

As you hunt together in the same area, explore regions, and work through quests,

you build a bond through the time you spend having fun together.

This is one of the most fundamental benefits of playing games with friends.

Sharing conversations and laughter in a fun game world

makes the same game several times more enjoyable—and gives you memories to match.

I still remember forming parties and leveling up with friends I shared a room with,

laughing and chatting as we ran dungeons and built up our characters.

That was well over 10 years ago, but those are still fond memories.

Those are a few reasons why RPGs are such a good choice for playing with friends.

They can be fun alone, but sharing the experience—especially with friends—can make them even more enjoyable.

If you get the chance, I hope you’ll try growing stronger alongside friends and discover the fun of overcoming challenges together.

What do you think are the biggest benefits of playing with friends?