MapleStory — Student Playtime Scenarios
Hypothetical scenarios for a school-attending student, cross-checked against Nick Yee's 2005 Daedalus Project MMORPG survey (~5,471 players; mean 22.7 hrs/wk, median 20, ~8% at 40+ hrs/wk).
Regular school week — hours per day
| Day | Average | Dedicated | Very dedicated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Tuesday | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Wednesday | 1.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Thursday | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Friday | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Saturday | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Sunday | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Total / week | 14 | 23 | 33 |
| Daily avg | 2.00 | 3.29 | 4.71 |
Winter break — hours per day
| Day | Average | Dedicated | Very dedicated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Tuesday | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Wednesday | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Thursday | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Friday | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Saturday | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Sunday | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Total / week | 23 | 37 | 49 |
| Daily avg | 3.29 | 5.29 | 7.00 |
Totals
| Period | Average | Dedicated | Very dedicated |
|---|---|---|---|
| School week | 14 | 23 | 33 |
| Winter week | 23 | 37 | 49 |
| 2-week winter break | 46 | 74 | 98 |
| 4 school weeks | 56 | 92 | 132 |
| 13 weeks | 182 | 299 | 429 |
| 52 weeks | 728 | 1,196 | 1,716 |
Profile interpretation
- Average (14 / 23) — plays regularly after school but keeps time for other activities. Below Daedalus's MMORPG mean (expected: MapleStory skews younger / more casual than EQ or WoW).
- Dedicated (23 / 37) — matches Daedalus's 2005 cross-MMO mean of ~22.7 hrs/wk almost exactly. MapleStory is a major hobby.
- Very dedicated (33 / 49) — pushes into Yee's upper band. The 49-hr winter week enters the top ~8% "heavy player" territory but isn't an absolute extreme.
Caveats. These are illustrative planning scenarios, not historical survey data for MapleStory specifically. Total game time includes grinding, questing, party quests, travel, shopping and socializing — not just EXP grind. Exact level progression can't be inferred from hours alone (class, server, party, skill, location all swing EXP rate). Weekly totals are identical whether you define a week as Sun–Sat (US) or Mon–Sun (ISO); only the "running this-week" partial depends on where the week starts.
Source: hypothetical scenarios from maplestory_2005_student_playtime_reference, cross-checked against Nick Yee's Daedalus Project (2005).