Unknown2006-02-12 20:40:55
Multi-user Dimensions/Dungeons
On the Internet, there are games called MUDs or Multi-user Dimensions/Dungeons. These MUDs are gaming communities for people usually of the ages 13 and over as they do have violence and the like. These communities often become close worked as people get to know each other through forums, messenger services, or ingame.
In these gaming communities, the general populace is over the age of 20. This does not mean that teens do not play, just that the adults tend to use this as a stress relief and escape from reality. One might say an alternative for drugs, a safer but still costly experience if you buy credits, which earn you lessons or gold. Often times, people will buy credits to help support the mud they are playing.
The Administration teams of these MUDs are often played on the games as Gods, or sometimes, Administration. On Lusternia, an Iron Realms MUD, the Gods are dual roles, the are both Gods ingame and they are coders and there are also the Administrators who take care of game mechanics and day-to-day problems sent through the issue system. They are the reason the game keeps going and why so many bugs, ideas, and events go off. These are workers are often times merely volunteers, given no pay at all. They continue to code, and help the game be fun and stable for players because they want to and they love their job. But its not only the Gods who keep the game going, it is the players. The more players that play the game, the more likely it is doing very well.
What is so great about these MUDs? After speaking with players of some MUDs, the general answers where that it is the game play, the social interaction, politics, environments, the stories, backgrounds, and possibly the multi-planar aspect. They enjoy being with friends that they have gained, the in-depth character development, all sorts of things have drawn them and kept them to these muds.
"The in-depth roleplay and ability to make true friendships through a game, where we all share so much in common, and the ingame events and feelings really get to us outside the game. I love the fact that I can be hurt out of the game by things that happen inside the game,†said one player, Simmi from Lusternia.
"Having played many, many MUDs in my lifetime, I seek novelty, a relatively active playerbase, and signs of care and dedication from the people who build and run the MUD. I also prefer roleplaying encouraged environments, though I've been known to be actually scared away from some roleplay intensive MUDs and been known to enjoy some non-roleplaying MUDs. Being free to play is nice, too,†said Casey, a player of Imperian.
After just being a bit on the playful side and asking if the MUDs they play have stolen their souls the answer pretty much along the lines of “you have to have a soul for it to be taken.†So many of the players are without souls? It can not be true!! And it isn’t.
Victoria Sheppard, a Lusternian player, said, when asked if her soul had been taken, “"I would prefer to think of them as an extension of my soul. Penelope and my achaean character are parts of me that I cannot be for whatever reasons OOC. They are who I truly am and I am grateful to Achaea and Lusternia for allowing me to share my soul with the rest of the world, albeit a small percentage of the world.â€
So playing muds isn’t just about playing a game, its often much more than that. Its about being able to show yourself, or parts of yourself to the world and others. Its about often times just wanting to get away from reality to relax and have a good time. Even though, after playing a mud you often get addicted to playing. Some of the players play over eight hours a day and spend over $1,500 buying credits. Many of the players of these games have problems because of their life outside of muds.
Avi, a player of Lusternia, said “I have been forced to Withdraw from college for a year because of Muds, however, dropping out of college for that one year allowed me to meat my fiancée. They have also made me late for class and meetings innumerable times.â€
Another player, Kevin from Achaea stated that he did not exactly lost a girlfriend (nor a boyfriend), but rather dumped them for someone from the MUD. And it did not exactly help his sleeping patterns either. A few people, luckly, have not had problems with muds while others have had their parents hate it with a passion. Several others have had their grades and performances in school plummet.
While one may say that playing a mud can be a healthy addiction, others may find it to be…a little worse. Playing a mud will probably never be an horribly bad thing, the players just need to realize when to quit playing and move themselves in the real world instead of their characters. A good side to playing muds is that there has been several who have found the love of their life over muds, while possibly others had managed to get rid of the girlfriend/boyfriend that has been nagging them.
Overall, though there may be problems with playing a mud, such as having no soul anymore or slowly reclaiming what they can, the players of muds have very positive attitudes of the mud(s) that they play and there is no doubt that they will continue to play them until something wipes it from the face of the Internet or they happen to have something happen to them.
**This is the First Draft!!** 942 words long! WOOT.
On the Internet, there are games called MUDs or Multi-user Dimensions/Dungeons. These MUDs are gaming communities for people usually of the ages 13 and over as they do have violence and the like. These communities often become close worked as people get to know each other through forums, messenger services, or ingame.
In these gaming communities, the general populace is over the age of 20. This does not mean that teens do not play, just that the adults tend to use this as a stress relief and escape from reality. One might say an alternative for drugs, a safer but still costly experience if you buy credits, which earn you lessons or gold. Often times, people will buy credits to help support the mud they are playing.
The Administration teams of these MUDs are often played on the games as Gods, or sometimes, Administration. On Lusternia, an Iron Realms MUD, the Gods are dual roles, the are both Gods ingame and they are coders and there are also the Administrators who take care of game mechanics and day-to-day problems sent through the issue system. They are the reason the game keeps going and why so many bugs, ideas, and events go off. These are workers are often times merely volunteers, given no pay at all. They continue to code, and help the game be fun and stable for players because they want to and they love their job. But its not only the Gods who keep the game going, it is the players. The more players that play the game, the more likely it is doing very well.
What is so great about these MUDs? After speaking with players of some MUDs, the general answers where that it is the game play, the social interaction, politics, environments, the stories, backgrounds, and possibly the multi-planar aspect. They enjoy being with friends that they have gained, the in-depth character development, all sorts of things have drawn them and kept them to these muds.
"The in-depth roleplay and ability to make true friendships through a game, where we all share so much in common, and the ingame events and feelings really get to us outside the game. I love the fact that I can be hurt out of the game by things that happen inside the game,†said one player, Simmi from Lusternia.
"Having played many, many MUDs in my lifetime, I seek novelty, a relatively active playerbase, and signs of care and dedication from the people who build and run the MUD. I also prefer roleplaying encouraged environments, though I've been known to be actually scared away from some roleplay intensive MUDs and been known to enjoy some non-roleplaying MUDs. Being free to play is nice, too,†said Casey, a player of Imperian.
After just being a bit on the playful side and asking if the MUDs they play have stolen their souls the answer pretty much along the lines of “you have to have a soul for it to be taken.†So many of the players are without souls? It can not be true!! And it isn’t.
Victoria Sheppard, a Lusternian player, said, when asked if her soul had been taken, “"I would prefer to think of them as an extension of my soul. Penelope and my achaean character are parts of me that I cannot be for whatever reasons OOC. They are who I truly am and I am grateful to Achaea and Lusternia for allowing me to share my soul with the rest of the world, albeit a small percentage of the world.â€
So playing muds isn’t just about playing a game, its often much more than that. Its about being able to show yourself, or parts of yourself to the world and others. Its about often times just wanting to get away from reality to relax and have a good time. Even though, after playing a mud you often get addicted to playing. Some of the players play over eight hours a day and spend over $1,500 buying credits. Many of the players of these games have problems because of their life outside of muds.
Avi, a player of Lusternia, said “I have been forced to Withdraw from college for a year because of Muds, however, dropping out of college for that one year allowed me to meat my fiancée. They have also made me late for class and meetings innumerable times.â€
Another player, Kevin from Achaea stated that he did not exactly lost a girlfriend (nor a boyfriend), but rather dumped them for someone from the MUD. And it did not exactly help his sleeping patterns either. A few people, luckly, have not had problems with muds while others have had their parents hate it with a passion. Several others have had their grades and performances in school plummet.
While one may say that playing a mud can be a healthy addiction, others may find it to be…a little worse. Playing a mud will probably never be an horribly bad thing, the players just need to realize when to quit playing and move themselves in the real world instead of their characters. A good side to playing muds is that there has been several who have found the love of their life over muds, while possibly others had managed to get rid of the girlfriend/boyfriend that has been nagging them.
Overall, though there may be problems with playing a mud, such as having no soul anymore or slowly reclaiming what they can, the players of muds have very positive attitudes of the mud(s) that they play and there is no doubt that they will continue to play them until something wipes it from the face of the Internet or they happen to have something happen to them.
**This is the First Draft!!** 942 words long! WOOT.
Joli2006-02-12 21:39:50
Aw, no quote from Joli. -tsk-
Aiakon2006-02-12 21:43:56
QUOTE(Sarvasti @ Feb 12 2006, 08:40 PM) 257357
Multi-user Dimensions/Dungeons
On the Internet, there are games called MUDs or Multi-user Dimensions/Dungeons. These MUDs are gaming communities for people usually aged 13 and over as they do have violence and the like. These communities often become close worked as people get to know each other through forums, messenger services, or in game.
In these gaming communities, the general populace is over the age of 20. This does not mean that teens do not play, just that adults tend to use this for stress relief and as an escape from reality. One might say an alternative for drugs, a safer but still costly experience if you buy credits, which earns you lessons or gold. Often, people will buy credits to help support the mud they are playing.
The Administration teams of these MUDs are often played on the games as Gods, or sometimes, Administration. On Lusternia, an Iron Realms MUD, the Gods have dual roles, they are both Gods in-game, they are coders and they are also Administrators who take care of game mechanics and day-to-day problems sent through the issue system. They are the reason the game keeps going and why so many bugs are solved, and ideas and events happen. These workers are often unpaidvolunteers who code and help keep the game fun and stable for players because they want to and they love their job. But its not only the Gods who keep the game going, it is the players. The more players that play the game, the more fun it is for all concerned.
What is so great about these MUDs? After speaking with players of some MUDs, the general answers were the game play, the social interaction, politics, environments, the stories, backgrounds, and possibly the multi-planar aspect. They enjoy being with friends that they have gained, the in-depth character development, and all sorts of things which drawn them and kept them playing muds.
"The in-depth roleplay and ability to make true friendships through a game, where we all share so much in common, and the ingame events and feelings really get to us outside the game. I love the fact that I can be hurt out of the game by things that happen inside the game,†said one player, Simmi from Lusternia.
"Having played many, many MUDs in my lifetime, I seek novelty, a relatively active playerbase, and signs of care and dedication from the people who build and run the MUD. I also prefer roleplaying encouraged environments, though I've been known to be actually scared away from some roleplay intensive MUDs and been known to enjoy some non-roleplaying MUDs. Being free to play is nice, too,†said Casey, a player of Imperian.
After just being a bit on the playful side and asking if the MUDs they play have stolen their souls the answer pretty much along the lines of “you have to have a soul for it to be taken.†So many of the players are without souls? It can not be true!! And it isn’t.
Victoria Sheppard, a Lusternian player, said, when asked if her soul had been taken, “"I would prefer to think of them as an extension of my soul. Penelope and my achaean character are parts of me that I cannot be for whatever reasons OOC. They are who I truly am and I am grateful to Achaea and Lusternia for allowing me to share my soul with the rest of the world, albeit a small percentage of the world.â€
So playing muds isn’t just about playing a game, its often much more than that. Its about being able to show yourself, or parts of yourself to the world and others. It's often about just wanting to get away from reality to relax and have a good time. Even though, after playing a mud you often get addicted to playing. Some of the players play over eight hours a day and spend over $1,500 buying credits. Many of the players of these games have problems because of their life outside of muds.
Avi, a player of Lusternia, said “I have been forced to Withdraw from college for a year because of Muds, however, dropping out of college for that one year allowed me to meat my fiancée. They have also made me late for class and meetings innumerable times.â€
Another player, Kevin from Achaea stated that he did not exactly lost a girlfriend (nor a boyfriend), but rather dumped them for someone from the MUD. And it did not exactly help his sleeping patterns either. A few people, luckly, have not had problems with muds while others have had their parents hate it with a passion. Several others have had their grades and performances in school plummet.
While one may say that playing a mud can be a healthy addiction, others may find it to be…a little worse. Playing a mud will probably never be an horribly bad thing, the players just need to realize when to quit playing and move themselves in the real world instead of their characters. A good side to playing muds is that there has been several who have found the love of their life over muds, while possibly others had managed to get rid of the girlfriend/boyfriend that has been nagging them.
Overall, though there may be problems with playing a mud, such as having no soul anymore or slowly reclaiming what they can, the players of muds have very positive attitudes of the mud(s) that they play and there is no doubt that they will continue to play them until something wipes it from the face of the Internet or they happen to have something happen to them.
I put in a few corrections. Initially, I italised them.. but then I got bored of doing that. I hope it's helpful. Basically, I'm just procrastinating.
I think you need to better define what a MUD actually is. I'm presuming there will be people reading your article who have never heard of one.. and your explanation is a little insufficient I think. My only other point would be that 'often times' is a ghastly expression which I loathe. Call me pretentious and British if you will.. just a pet nark.
Unknown2006-02-12 22:58:35
Thanks, Aiakon! I'll go change it, since I've got timeeee!
Aww, I'm sorry Joli, that's just how it happens. There's not aetolian quotes either soo....meh. I choose the ones that I felt fit.
Aww, I'm sorry Joli, that's just how it happens. There's not aetolian quotes either soo....meh. I choose the ones that I felt fit.
Unknown2006-02-13 00:07:17
1) Zach D - Dorn
2) I've been playing for roughly a year now. Started playing Achaea and fell in love, then my neighbor introduced me to Lusternia, and it's like love all over again.
3) Since I'm broke, nothing yet. Being the youngest Lusternia player has it's downfalls... like lack of fundage
4) At least 4-5 hours a day, if I can.
5) Just one
6) No one, but my neighbor's 40, and he plays online RPG's all the time... Creapy.
7) I've been grounded once for it, and I'm not realy good with the ladies... so I guess that can't be a problem.
8) I never had a soul, so I can't lose something that I never had.
9) The depth and the fun!
10) The depth and being able to make friends around the world. Plus, I feel most comfortable away from everyone in the Real World, and this is my escape.
11) Achaea's not indepth, and I've got a short intention span
12) My life is all drama, this has just lain a small amount more to it!
2) I've been playing for roughly a year now. Started playing Achaea and fell in love, then my neighbor introduced me to Lusternia, and it's like love all over again.
3) Since I'm broke, nothing yet. Being the youngest Lusternia player has it's downfalls... like lack of fundage
4) At least 4-5 hours a day, if I can.
5) Just one
6) No one, but my neighbor's 40, and he plays online RPG's all the time... Creapy.
7) I've been grounded once for it, and I'm not realy good with the ladies... so I guess that can't be a problem.
8) I never had a soul, so I can't lose something that I never had.
9) The depth and the fun!
10) The depth and being able to make friends around the world. Plus, I feel most comfortable away from everyone in the Real World, and this is my escape.
11) Achaea's not indepth, and I've got a short intention span
12) My life is all drama, this has just lain a small amount more to it!
Iridiel2006-02-14 09:43:00
You're focusing the article on IRE games, so you should point out that they're not all the muds in existence.
Specially since there's free muds, subscription muds, muds with older or younger population, muds for kids under 13, educative muds with no violence...
In fact, the idea about credits is IRE only I think, even if other Muds use different pay-per-perks systems.
Specially since there's free muds, subscription muds, muds with older or younger population, muds for kids under 13, educative muds with no violence...
In fact, the idea about credits is IRE only I think, even if other Muds use different pay-per-perks systems.
Richter2006-02-14 16:56:59
1.) What’s your name? Your character(s)’s?
Marc, Richter
2.) How long have you been playing MUDs?
Started summer after high school, so about three years
3.) How much or roughly how much money do you spend a year on your mud(s)? A month?
$20-$200 a month. A year? Multiply that by 12, and don't tell me the number. It's bound to make me sad.
4.) How much time do you spend playing your mud(s)?
Normally, 2-3 hours a day, more on weekends. If I'm beating a console game, usually under half an hour. If I'm dealing with something like a breakup, usually not at all for a week or so.
5.)How many people do you know that play a mud and are between the ages 13-18?
Do you all count? Other than that... I guess there's two guys from here that play Imperian, my cousin is Shishi, I know Arlent personally, one more here that plays/played Aetolia... So, personally, like six.
6.) How many people do you know that play a mud and are between the ages 20+?
Again, personally? Zero, I think.
7.) Has playing a Mud become a problem for you? (E.i. You lost a girlfriend/boyfriend, your parents have grounded you, etc.)
Yes, in college I did rather poorly, though the general slacking off contributed much to it. As most of you know, I'm no longer in college (though, I think it was more the girls/parties/video games/not doing any work).
8.)Has it stolen your soul? (J/k, answer only if you really want too.)
Yes, yes it has. Your soul will be mine, however.
9.) What drew you to the mud(s) you currently play?
There was this really awesome girl at high school that I liked, about two years younger than me, and she had an internet boyfriend. Said girl and I started being a little more friendly than usual (okay, a lot more), and I wanted this stupid thing to end. I don't put much stock into e-relationships if you've never met the person. Anyway, I joined Aetolia so I could go kill the guy on the game they played together. Petty? Yes. Was I a jerk? Yeah. I logged on, thought it was the most stupid thing I'd ever seen, saw that he was 500,000 or so % of my might, and decided against fighting him. I slowly forgot about him, she and I drifted apart, and I got hooked.
10.) What about your mud(s) do you enjoy the most?
Roleplay, interaction, a living world that you can influence.
11.) What repelled you from the mud(s) you used to play?
Idiocy. Lack of roleplaying. Idiocy while not roleplaying.
12.) Has anything started, drama per se, from playing a mud?
Not too terribly, I ended up liking a girl who was engaged, and that might have caused a bit of turmoil, but nothing major.
Marc, Richter
2.) How long have you been playing MUDs?
Started summer after high school, so about three years
3.) How much or roughly how much money do you spend a year on your mud(s)? A month?
$20-$200 a month. A year? Multiply that by 12, and don't tell me the number. It's bound to make me sad.
4.) How much time do you spend playing your mud(s)?
Normally, 2-3 hours a day, more on weekends. If I'm beating a console game, usually under half an hour. If I'm dealing with something like a breakup, usually not at all for a week or so.
5.)How many people do you know that play a mud and are between the ages 13-18?
Do you all count? Other than that... I guess there's two guys from here that play Imperian, my cousin is Shishi, I know Arlent personally, one more here that plays/played Aetolia... So, personally, like six.
6.) How many people do you know that play a mud and are between the ages 20+?
Again, personally? Zero, I think.
7.) Has playing a Mud become a problem for you? (E.i. You lost a girlfriend/boyfriend, your parents have grounded you, etc.)
Yes, in college I did rather poorly, though the general slacking off contributed much to it. As most of you know, I'm no longer in college (though, I think it was more the girls/parties/video games/not doing any work).
8.)Has it stolen your soul? (J/k, answer only if you really want too.)
Yes, yes it has. Your soul will be mine, however.
9.) What drew you to the mud(s) you currently play?
There was this really awesome girl at high school that I liked, about two years younger than me, and she had an internet boyfriend. Said girl and I started being a little more friendly than usual (okay, a lot more), and I wanted this stupid thing to end. I don't put much stock into e-relationships if you've never met the person. Anyway, I joined Aetolia so I could go kill the guy on the game they played together. Petty? Yes. Was I a jerk? Yeah. I logged on, thought it was the most stupid thing I'd ever seen, saw that he was 500,000 or so % of my might, and decided against fighting him. I slowly forgot about him, she and I drifted apart, and I got hooked.
10.) What about your mud(s) do you enjoy the most?
Roleplay, interaction, a living world that you can influence.
11.) What repelled you from the mud(s) you used to play?
Idiocy. Lack of roleplaying. Idiocy while not roleplaying.
12.) Has anything started, drama per se, from playing a mud?
Not too terribly, I ended up liking a girl who was engaged, and that might have caused a bit of turmoil, but nothing major.
Unknown2006-02-14 22:31:58
Ok..now someone want to give me a qoute on what a mud is to them?? BEFORE tonight..thank you!!
laith2006-02-15 17:05:33
I found a mistake, a very small one, but I just thought it would help you to fix it
Avi, a player of Lusternia, said “I have been forced to Withdraw from college for a year because of Muds, however, dropping out of college for that one year allowed me to meat my fiancée. They have also made me late for class and meetings innumerable times.â€
sorry, this isn't letting me bold or italicize- but, the part where it says "meat my fiancee" should actually be "meet my fiancee"
meat- meat product
meet- meet someone
I hope you didn't publish yet, otherwise, it is a very good article.
Unknown2006-02-16 05:19:35
Dunn worry, I've gotta go through 3 drafts before its published, and its still be edited, because my teacher full paper drafts for the editors. Put yeah..I noticed some of the mistakes the day of the 1st article.
