This post was created as part of Nexon PEAK activities.

Someone you meet in a game may one day become your spouse, and the help you receive as a beginner may inspire you to help others. Time spent together leads to sharing everyday life beyond the game, while even a small act of kindness can leave a lasting impression.

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MapleStory and Mabinogi Mobile are full of these meaningful connections. Here are a few true stories of relationships that began in these games.

Contents

1. She Asked Him About Job Advancement. 16 Years Later, He Became Her Husband

2. A Warrior and a Priest Who Came to Enjoy Talking More Than Hunting

3. Helping Other Beginners as Someone Once Helped Them

1. She Asked Him About Job Advancement. 16 Years Later, He Became Her Husband

When you first start playing MapleStory, you will likely have questions for other players. Jolene from Malaysia was no exception. In 2008, she started playing in the Fornax world of MapleSEA, an overseas version of the game, and approached a player at a hunting ground in Perion.

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She wanted to know how job advancement worked and how to get a black Fornax Bandana. The bandana was a level 50 event reward at the time, and as a beginner still learning her way around the game, she needed someone to explain how to obtain it.

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The person who answered her questions was Kennedy, who would later become her husband.

The two met in person and began dating in December 2019. They married on September 10, 2024—16 years after first meeting in the game.

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They had not, however, been dating for all 16 years. A long time passed between getting to know each other in the game and beginning a relationship in real life. Neither saw the other as a potential romantic partner when Jolene first asked those questions. They also said they lived in different areas and came from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

2. A Warrior and a Priest Who Came to Enjoy Talking More Than Hunting

Other relationships begin with two classes that make a good hunting team. Jing Xian and Wei Long from Singapore met in MapleStory while playing a Priest and a Warrior, respectively.

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Priest is a magician class that heals allies and supports them in battle. The two explained that hunting together came naturally because their classes complemented each other. Whenever they were both online, they would send each other whispers and find somewhere to hunt together.

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As they leveled up, though, hunting began to feel repetitive. Eventually, they found themselves enjoying their conversations more than fighting monsters.

At first, they talked about the game. Gradually, their conversations grew to include their days at school, their families, and their friends. They exchanged contact details and kept talking on MSN, the messaging service they used at the time.

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A guild gathering brought them face-to-face for the first time. After that, they began going to the movies together and spending time with each other outside the game. Friends who had once teamed up in a party became a couple who wanted to hear about each other's day.

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They also made the game where they first met part of their wedding photos. Dressed as their MapleStory characters, they recreated moments they had shared in the game.

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Finding props for the shoot became a memorable part of the experience, too. After seeing props at a MapleSEA event, they asked about renting them. According to the couple, the organizers lent them the props free of charge, allowing them to take MapleStory-themed photos outdoors alongside monster-shaped props.

3. Helping Other Beginners as Someone Once Helped Them

A connection made in a game does not have to lead to romance or marriage to be special. The memory of someone helping you when you were new and unsure of what to do can stay with you just as long.

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One such story appears in the “Starfield Suwon Story Billboard” event on the official Mabinogi Mobile website. A player named “뻘갱” is looking for “불매,” who once helped them and their friend.

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The writer recalled that it was mid-May 2025 when 불매 helped them and their friend as they lingered near the entrance to the Abyss. They also shared that they now follow that example by helping beginners whenever they meet them.

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The account is brief, so we do not know what strategies they learned or how much time they spent together. What is clear is that someone remembered the help they received and is now offering the same support to other beginners.

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Once you know your way around a game, it is easy to forget what seemed difficult at first. Someone who remembers hesitating at a dungeon entrance may be the first to reach out to a beginner in a similar situation. The kindness they once received can become the start of another connection.

Closing Thoughts

These are a few of the connections and friendships that have grown through MapleStory and Mabinogi Mobile. If you enjoy chatting while hunting together, asking questions, or sharing what you know, these stories may feel familiar. And if they bring to mind an in-game friend you have not had a chance to play with in a long time, perhaps today is a good day to send a short message and ask how they are.

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