This post was written as part of

Nexon PEAK activities.

I have a confession to make. I love games and enjoy playing them, but that doesn’t mean I’m “good” at them. What do I mean? Well, I put in the effort because I’m having fun, and sometimes I even feel like I’m getting ahead. But I’m still a long way from keeping up with people who are genuinely good at games. Whether it’s combat, achievements, or life-sim activities, I’m very much a casual enjoyer. Still, perhaps being a fairly ordinary player means there’s something we can relate to in the sense of accomplishment I get from crafting, collecting, and everyday life in Mabinogi Mobile. That’s what I’d like to share.

Mabinogi! Fantasy Life! Combat and adventure have their own romance, but for me, nothing captures the romantic charm of a fantasy world quite like its life-sim activities. There’s a whole life to be found in chopping wood, harvesting crops, and mining ore—things that aren’t so easy to do in real life—then processing those materials and crafting items to use myself. I can chat while fishing with other players who share that life, too. Even just sitting around a campfire together, sharing cotton candy and black tea that help with production, leaves me feeling a little warmer inside.

One reason I enjoy production activities in RPGs is that they put a number to things like proficiency. In real life, it’s hard to tell at a glance just how skilled you’ve become, isn’t it? In Mabinogi Mobile, though, I can see exactly where I stand. There’s a simple pleasure in keeping at the gathering and watching those production numbers rise.

Adventure and combat offer a more immediate reward, while gathering, processing, and crafting bring a quieter kind of satisfaction. When I’ve made plenty of food ahead of a dungeon run, or when I’m sharing a meal with friends in the game, I feel proud to offer something I prepared myself. It’s the feeling that I’ve contributed, even just a little, to that Abyss run or raid.

Mabinogi Mobile also has a barter system, which lets you trade with NPCs for items that take a long time to make or that you can’t otherwise obtain. For example, you can gather 10 bottles of milk and exchange them for 3 loaves of Caitin’s special whole wheat bread. Each day, Endelyon in Tir Chonaill will accept 10 loaves of this bread in exchange for Holy Water, while Meven will accept 1. It’s one of the main ways to get Holy Water. There are other trades, too: 앨빈 in Dugald Aisle offers high-grade lumber, which takes a long time to process, in exchange for stir-fried vegetables, and Ferghus will give you an alloy steel ingot for 8 steel ingots. These trades give you more options for crafting, or for earning Deka through the marketplace.

Watching my Deka pile up, seeing my production score rise, getting the occasional great success... even watching the gathering animations or the cute little movements when I cook or craft makes me think that perhaps this is what happiness and satisfaction look like. For me, the sense of accomplishment that comes from life-sim activities in a mobile RPG feels very close to contentment. That’s why I keep at it. I like feeling that I’m helping. What gives you a sense of accomplishment? Is it something similar, or something different? I’d love to know.