So.. Why do people still play this game?

I mean no offense, I was just.. wondering. I used to play maplestory like six years back when it was still very popular in Korea and also in the region of the US I lived in. However, that was back then. When I look back at Maplestory, I think it's a rather mediocre game.

I know things kept being released; I kept up with the updates. That didn't change much about the game design in my opinion though. For one thing, the monsters.. they might as well be colorless boxes that walk back and forth, with varying sizes and stats. Nothing special imo. Sure, there's boss monsters, and others that actually "attack" you with a skill instead of just charging. I know. I've fought them. It's still not that unique. They still hit you the same, albeit with a "special" attack instead of bumping into you, and you also kill them the same way. Press that skill button, then that one for the potion, that one for the buff, spam the attack skill button for a few seconds... repeat.. for a dreadfully long time to achieve anything.

Even after getting to a high level (I never bothered to get too high. I wasn't quite as obsessed as my friends were, even when they kept going back to Maplestory and I followed them), what's there to do? No pvp.. no especially intruiging storyline to follow.. same old, same old?

Why don't people that still play move to playing something that requires something more than repeating the same cycle for prolonged periods of time, and would provide something.. more? Not all of the other available f2p games are bad. I know some are imitations of Maplestory at best, or are games in which you just stand next to a enemy and duke it out while spamming skill buttons and healing items of sorts, but I think there are some games which are very appealing. They're sort of like maplestory in that they're old, but still being updated.

I've tried a lot of different games, but my personal favorites are Fantasy Earth Zero by Square Enix and Mabinogi by DevCAT, so I'll provide them as examples. Is there something you just don't like about these games, or is it something else?

Fantasy Earth Zero puts its emphasis on PvP with battles over territory. The battlefields are large-scale and can support up to one hundred people in total per battle with a maximum of fifty on each side (in game balancing's provided to at least keep the numbers of the teams similar). Though there are only a few classes, the variations in skill builds can vary greatly for each class. What I like best is that strategy plays a key role in the game, and that you can't really stand around with opponents pummeling each other and expect to survive, let alone win.

As for Mabinogi, the emphasis is on community interaction. It also has an uncommon combat system (seriously), and a rather interesting storyline, which isn't just a block of text but rather something you can experience in game using your character. I really just like every part of this game, except for the occasional pmsing player. I was, to be honest, really confused at first because it's nothing like other games. All quests are optional, and you can do whatever the hell you choose to do; heck, even grinding's optional. Each kill counts for a lot more than it would in most other games (It's a bit more difficult to kill a monster, intellectually, than most other games also though). PvP is also available, among other things. a LOT of other things, such as a rebirth back to level 1 with everything including skills and skill points intact. Most reviews really don't do this game justice, because the reviews came out during the early stages and the game has essentially "evolved" since.