The case for MUDs in modern times
6 hours ago
- MUDs are text-based virtual worlds, often RPG-style, accessed via telnet clients, offering immersive environments with simulated systems like time, weather, and economies.
- They provide a unique sense of telepresence, including social richness, realism, transportation, immersion, interactivity, and the medium as a social actor.
- MUDs are accessible to visually-impaired players through screenreaders, allowing them to fully participate with customized text settings.
- Text-based MUDs prioritize creativity and description over graphics, enabling limitless world-building with words as the only cost.
- Starting a MUD today can be challenging due to older codebases, but modern engines like Ranvier simplify setup; however, building a quality MUD requires months or years of effort.
- MUD communities are niche and sometimes ephemeral, but many popular MUDs have persisted for decades, offering collaborative storytelling and gameplay.