There are games you play for a while and easily forget. Then there are games that stay with you because of the people, the memories, and the version of yourself that existed while you were playing it. For me, playing MIR4 again feels exactly like that, like returning to something that still holds a piece of who I was.

I still remember the exact date I first played MIR4. It was September 6, 2021, a day before my husband’s birthday. I do not know why that date stayed with me so clearly, but maybe because MIR4 became part of my daily routine for quite some time. Logging in felt normal. Seeing familiar names felt comforting. Little by little, the people I played with became part of my everyday life.

When I Stopped Playing MIR4

I stopped playing my personal character on November 22, 2022 and focused on my husband’s character until December of the same year, but eventually, life happened.

In January 2023, my father in law passed away, and around the same time, my mom was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. It was a really difficult time in my life. Everything felt heavy, while gaming was still there, my heart and mind were somewhere else.

I tried playing again around May 2023. At that time, I played the Taoist character of my friend, the same friend who recently invited me to play again. But that return did not last long either. In August, my dog got sick, and after that, I completely stopped playing.

Sometimes, you do not really plan to quit a game. You just slowly stop logging in because real life becomes too much.

Getting Invited Back to MIR4

Last February, while my husband and his friends were hanging out in my Discord channel, one of his friends joined and started looking for me. He invited me to play MIR4 again because no one was using his Sorcerer.

Another friend, someone we also met through the game, joined in and tried to persuade me to play again too.

At first, I was not sure if I really wanted to come back. I already sold my old Sorcerer, and it felt strange to return to a game where so much had already changed. But there was also something comforting about being invited back by people who remembered me.

So now, I am playing my friend’s Sorcerer. It feels familiar, but also different.

Playing MIR4 Again, But With Boundaries

One of my conditions in playing again is that I will only be a member. I do not want to become an elder, help manage a clan, or be responsible for anything too serious in the game.

I know myself. If I start helping with clan responsibilities, I might end up spending more time and energy than I should. This time, I just want to play, enjoy, and be present when I can.

I honestly missed jumping to other servers for war, but I also know I cannot play that way anymore. Most of the time, I am AFK because I am working. I am more active in our Discord, talking to friends while doing my tasks.

And honestly, I think that is what I missed the most. Not just MIR4 itself, but the people.

The Friends We Met in the Game

When the boosting server opened on March 30, my husband joined again too, together with some of our friends who had already left the game.

Seeing familiar people come back made everything feel nostalgic. It reminded me of the days when we had more time to grind, join wars, talk in Discord, and just enjoy the game together.

Things are different now. We all have responsibilities, schedules, and real life problems outside the screen. But there is still something nice about being in the same online space again, even if we are mostly AFK.

Coming Back to MIR4

Coming back to MIR4 feels like visiting an old place that still remembers a part of you.

It is not exactly the same as before, and I am not the same player I was in 2021 or 2022. My priorities are different now, and I know I cannot give the game the same time and energy that I used to.

But maybe that is okay. Maybe this time, I do not need to play seriously. I do not need to chase everything or keep up with everyone. I can just enjoy the familiar feeling of being there, talking to friends, and letting the game become a small part of my routine again.

For now, I am just playing MIR4 again and seeing where this goes. And sometimes, that is enough.