While aimlessly trawling through the multitude of media on the Internet one day, I was struck by the sudden desire to revisit one of my old favourites, MapleStory videos. In the past, YouTube was the home of a niche but bustling community of avid video makers that loved the game, MapleStory.
The result was hundreds and maybe even thousands of animated MapleStory videos or gifs floating around the web. Some were part of short drama serials that users scripted and animated. Others were choreographed fight sequences between their characters and monsters, showing off moves that were never possible in-game. My main favourite were the creative music videos that were directed and animated by Maplers. Now they are merely relics of a time long gone. Here’s some notable videos of the past:
Dray and Rizzo uncover a pair of mysterious earrings and decide to try them on…
Dray was one of the most famous ‘Maple YouTubers’ of the time. His series Maple Kombat as well as videos of his party battling in-game boss monsters inspired thousands of players across the globe to work on levelling and their own video creations.
SpriteFan2 – Smash Mushroom Collab 3
How many hit points does that mushroom have?!!
Widely known as one of the very first sprite animators the Maple-YouTube community ever saw, SpriteFan2 used to amaze Maplers with his awesome fight sequences and ludicrously comical videos made with Adobe Flash. Often collaborating with other users, he shared some of his limelight with many budding flash animators, while maintaining the quality of his channel.
The ending makes you feel a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling., even though the beginning may be a little sad.
And who could forget omgPockii’s dazzling, fast paced MapleStory music videos? For someone familiar with anime introductions, it would be easy to see where her inspiration originated. In turn, her animation style influenced other video makers in their film direction.
This is just a tiny taste of a community that has been forgotten in the deluge of new content on the Internet. However, a quick search on YouTube reveals that there are still a small number of such videos being produced by a new generation of Maplers. Perhaps the advent of MapleStory videos won’t be forgotten as soon as we think.
