What It Means To Play...
This is something from Ragnarok that someone else wrote but I thought it was very true.
Today, as usual, I sat at the center fountain after leveling on monsters.
Sitting in front of the computer, browsing through a revision book, ocasionally looking up at the screen at the people walking up and down the streets, and the randomly opened shops and chatrooms.
Suddenly, a chatroom caught my eye.
[Are you...smiling now?]
Looking carefully, I saw that it was opened by a female novice.
She was wearing a Smile Mask, sitting quietly by the fountain.
I looked as people went in and then immediately came out of her chatroom.
Those who came out, either used the [...] emoticon, or typed a string of [....]
Ocasionally there would be some, who used the /thx emoticon.
I got curious then.
Putting down the revision book, I moved the mouse and clicked to enter her chatroom.
[Peace..., ] She greeted me, and then dealt me.
I thought she was a beggar and kept cancelling.
After a few tries she said [I want to give you something...]
I looked at the item she gave me; a Flower.
That's right...a Flower...a worthless Flower.
I didn't understand why she would give me this Flower, so I asked her why.
She slowly typed a line of words,
[Hoping this Flower will bring a smile to your face] [Er, Smile?]
I still didn't understand her meaning.
[Yes...Today as you were playing RO, have you been angry? Or unhappy because you died?]
[Yes, I had...] Today I was killed by mobs, I got angry once again upon mentioning this.
[Then you often get angry because of such matters?]
[Yes, thinking of it also made me angry!]
[Then...why are you still playing RO?]
[...]
I thought about her question on the spot, why am I still playing RO?
Everyday I get angered, there are always things not going my way, so why am I still playing RO?
I thought of the reasons as to why I am still staying, was it because of the high level? Too much zeny? Perhaps...but these were not the main reason.
Once again I thought of the happy times I had with my friends on adventures...meeting a good samaritan who gave me equipments when I was still low level...
Talking to a still-new Priestess by chance...
The first time we met Baphomet, the entire party couldn't react fast enough and got exterminated, all of us lying on the floor laughing hysterically...
A new Acolyte in the guild, who got upset as she added wrong skills; the memory of us all comforting her...
Managing to get a Ghost Bandanna, watching my cute and lovely wife wearing it for consecutive days shopping happily...
[Have you thought of the answer?] She asked again.
[Yes...]
[So are you smiling now?]
[Yes!] A smile formed on my lips, a smile that came from within my heart.
[Hoping this Flower, will bring a smile to your face] She repeated again, [Once you smile, the world will smile with you.]
[Yes...Thank you.] I thanked her again.
After chatting with her, I learnt that she was an old player who started playing RO when it first came out, but due to some reasons, she couldn't continue playing.
After half a year her friend opened a new account and she borrowed her friend's account to take a look at the RO she missed.
[So will you continue playing?] I asked her with lots of anticipation, hoping to make new friends with her.
[No...RO has changed, till I can't recognise it anymore.]
[I just logged in to look around with this character. I will delete it once I log off.]
[Pity...]
[Pity? This is just a novice^___^]
[I didn't mean that...] I answered [I'm saying I don't know whether there will be chances of meeting special players like you.]
[Me? I'm very normal. But still...thanks for praising me.]
She said, [I have to go, hopefully you can have a great time.] [Bye...]
After some time I said [The flower you gave me, I will keep it forever.]
[^___^]
After saying our goodbyes, she logged off. She won't be coming back.
The flower she gave me is very small. But the meaning it represents exceeds its value.
Now the flower occupies a space in my storage, reminding me of the motivation for me to continue playing RO, and the meaning of the kind person who gave the flower to me.
Today, as usual, I sat at the center fountain after leveling on monsters.
Sitting in front of the computer, browsing through a revision book, ocasionally looking up at the screen at the people walking up and down the streets, and the randomly opened shops and chatrooms.
Suddenly, a chatroom caught my eye.
[Are you...smiling now?]
Looking carefully, I saw that it was opened by a female novice.
She was wearing a Smile Mask, sitting quietly by the fountain.
I looked as people went in and then immediately came out of her chatroom.
Those who came out, either used the [...] emoticon, or typed a string of [....]
Ocasionally there would be some, who used the /thx emoticon.
I got curious then.
Putting down the revision book, I moved the mouse and clicked to enter her chatroom.
[Peace..., ] She greeted me, and then dealt me.
I thought she was a beggar and kept cancelling.
After a few tries she said [I want to give you something...]
I looked at the item she gave me; a Flower.
That's right...a Flower...a worthless Flower.
I didn't understand why she would give me this Flower, so I asked her why.
She slowly typed a line of words,
[Hoping this Flower will bring a smile to your face] [Er, Smile?]
I still didn't understand her meaning.
[Yes...Today as you were playing RO, have you been angry? Or unhappy because you died?]
[Yes, I had...] Today I was killed by mobs, I got angry once again upon mentioning this.
[Then you often get angry because of such matters?]
[Yes, thinking of it also made me angry!]
[Then...why are you still playing RO?]
[...]
I thought about her question on the spot, why am I still playing RO?
Everyday I get angered, there are always things not going my way, so why am I still playing RO?
I thought of the reasons as to why I am still staying, was it because of the high level? Too much zeny? Perhaps...but these were not the main reason.
Once again I thought of the happy times I had with my friends on adventures...meeting a good samaritan who gave me equipments when I was still low level...
Talking to a still-new Priestess by chance...
The first time we met Baphomet, the entire party couldn't react fast enough and got exterminated, all of us lying on the floor laughing hysterically...
A new Acolyte in the guild, who got upset as she added wrong skills; the memory of us all comforting her...
Managing to get a Ghost Bandanna, watching my cute and lovely wife wearing it for consecutive days shopping happily...
[Have you thought of the answer?] She asked again.
[Yes...]
[So are you smiling now?]
[Yes!] A smile formed on my lips, a smile that came from within my heart.
[Hoping this Flower, will bring a smile to your face] She repeated again, [Once you smile, the world will smile with you.]
[Yes...Thank you.] I thanked her again.
After chatting with her, I learnt that she was an old player who started playing RO when it first came out, but due to some reasons, she couldn't continue playing.
After half a year her friend opened a new account and she borrowed her friend's account to take a look at the RO she missed.
[So will you continue playing?] I asked her with lots of anticipation, hoping to make new friends with her.
[No...RO has changed, till I can't recognise it anymore.]
[I just logged in to look around with this character. I will delete it once I log off.]
[Pity...]
[Pity? This is just a novice^___^]
[I didn't mean that...] I answered [I'm saying I don't know whether there will be chances of meeting special players like you.]
[Me? I'm very normal. But still...thanks for praising me.]
She said, [I have to go, hopefully you can have a great time.] [Bye...]
After some time I said [The flower you gave me, I will keep it forever.]
[^___^]
After saying our goodbyes, she logged off. She won't be coming back.
The flower she gave me is very small. But the meaning it represents exceeds its value.
Now the flower occupies a space in my storage, reminding me of the motivation for me to continue playing RO, and the meaning of the kind person who gave the flower to me.