Fashion's a big deal in the virtual worlds space, especially around youth-oriented worlds. It's become clear that the broader the array of fashion options for avatar personalization and self-expression just might correlate to a broader userbase. Now MapleStory Europe has an entire event staged around letting its population show off their fashions, called the Maple Star Style Contest.

The event, which runs for three weeks, will let players flaunt their style, vote on their favorite looks with compliments and put-downs, and participate in a Europe-wide contest to single out the best-dressed players in the MapleStory world. The competition launches October 18th, and will run in conjunction with the region's in-game Halloween events, challenging players to create the most attention-grabbing costumes and the most unique looks. All players level 10 or higher can participate -- not a very tall order, since on our visit to the Maple Story world, we learned that level 10 is the basic point of entry to the broader game experience, the stage at which you choose your character's job and can leave the introductory areas.

All players are eligible to vote, however, and can leave comments and votes on the Maple Europe homepage. The winner with the most "Love It" votes will get 70,000 Maple Points to spend in the Cash Shop, and, of course, the first Maple Star award, which is perhaps equally valuable in a world where reputation plays a strong role.

MapleStory Europe's international business development director Calvin Yoo said, “MapleStory Europe’s Maple Star event is yet another example of how Nexon continues to innovate and deliver great new content in the field of free-to-play MMORPGs. MapleStory Europe is committed to bringing unique and fun massively multiplayer gaming to as wide an audience as possible, and we’re confident that’s exactly what players will get from this event. We hope as many players take part and vote as possible - although players won’t be able to vote for themselves, obviously!”