Psychological and Social Effects of Games: Before Azeroth There Was MUD

As the influences of the Internet and of technology in general continue to grow, society becomes increasingly involved in the concept of virtual worlds. Today, virtual environments provide a widespread source of entertainment and socialization, most notably seen in programs such as World of Warcraft, in which players explore the fictional world of "Azeroth", and Second Life, which is used not only for leisure but also as a means of communication for business and education. In understanding how these online realms have gained such importance in modern society, it is important to look back through history to where the idea of virtual worlds started. The answer lies in the word "MUD."

A MUD, or “Multi-User Dungeon,” is a completely text-based game in which players interact with each other and with the environment of a virtual world. The term MUD originates from the title of the first of these games, now referred to as Essex MUD or MUD1. Though there are significant differences between the specific features of these early pioneer games and those of the graphical applications of today, MUDs are widely regarded as important precursors to modern online games, including MMORPGs.^[4] Though Essex MUD is a particularly interesting and outstanding example, it should be noted that most MUDs were similar in nature, and that their effects on society are more prominent when the genre is considered collectively.

The first and most prominent MUDs were born and developed during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, a time characterized by widespread growth in the use and availability of computer technology. The 80s were accompanied by the rise of personal computers, contributed to largely by IBM, which released its first line in 1981. Other models that enjoyed great popularity were the Commodore 64, released in 1982, and the Amiga, released in 1985. The distribution of these machines along with the growth and development of the ARPANET, precursor to the Internet, meant that computers were becoming more accessible to the public and that computer technology was becoming increasingly viable as a means of communication and human interaction.

Inspired by Zork and other popular text-based adventure games, Roy Trubshaw began writing Essex MUD, originally referred to simply as MUD, in 1978 while studying at Essex University. Trubshaw was later succeeded by Richard Bartle, who continued to develop and maintain the game throughout its original eight-year run. For many that wrote, maintained, and played the game, Essex MUD was as much research as it was entertainment. Because of the research aspect of the project, and through a few personal connections, Bartle was able to procure significant resource donations from the university that proved critical to the game’s existence, including computer time for running the game, as well as a free account for users outside of the university, referred to in MUD as “externals.”^[1]

What make Essex MUD and the games that followed it particularly interesting are the ways in which the features and design choices implemented in the games facilitated the natural development of surprisingly complex virtual societies. The virtual worlds created by MUDs are entirely text-based, a property which greatly affects the ways in which players interact. The nature of communication in a textual world is different than that of real life. Players cannot express emotion directly through tone of voice, but are instead forced to convey their actions in writing. For example, if one player takes the time to type that his character “winks mischievously” at another, than that character is using a form of what Bartle refers to as “deliberate body language,” allowing him to emote effectively though differently from how he might in real life.^[5] Therefore, these restrictions do not necessarily make a player’s actions any less meaningful.

In addition to displaying emotions textually, players within the virtual world of a MUD generally adopt a distinct vocabulary of words and names referring to actions, players, and situations within the game, often referred to as “MUDspeke.” Examples from Essex MUD that Bartle cites throughout his articles include “wiz,” used as a genderless term for witch or wizard, “internal,” used to describe a player located within the University, and “spectacular,” a large organized battle in which players fought to be the last character standing.^[2] Even more interesting is that some of these terms were carried beyond the virtual society of Essex MUD and into others. For example, the term “proc,” used commonly in almost every modern MMORPG to describe the activation of a special ability associated with a game item, was originally derived from “spec_procs,” a term used by MUD programmers as an abbreviation for “special procedure.”^[3] The natural development of this specialized language set provides an important glimpse into the concept that the virtual society surrounding a MUD is capable of developing culture, which is significantly influenced by features of the game and yet in some cases is capable of spreading.

Another way in which MUDs facilitated the development of virtual societies is by providing players a degree of freedom to interact as they choose and by rewarding players for performing a variety of social roles. A competitive player, for example, is directly rewarded by the game in the form of “points” whenever he succeeds in combat or in acquiring treasure, often at the expense of others. However, in many situations players benefit from acting cooperatively as well. By exchanging information about the game, a player is more likely to master its secrets, and by working together players can overcome some of the most devious obstacles, such as collectively mapping out a twisted maze or mounting a united attack against the formidable dragon.^[2] Thus, just like the obstacles of the real world, the virtual challenges found in MUDs provided a natural setting for complex player interaction and resulted in a key balance between cooperative and competitive behaviors.

A significant effect of the virtual worlds associated with MUDs that constitutes one of the reasons why many players found them so appealing is the fact that each MUD provided a social structure in which an individual earned recognition based primarily on personality and on skill in gameplay. Within the context of a virtual world, a player’s race, religion, gender, and general status in reality is completely irrelevant. Instead, players built reputations based on their actions in game. Essex MUD supplemented the concept of social standing by rewarding players that reached a certain number of points with the title of “wiz”. Wizzes were given access to a special set of commands that granted them an incredible degree of power over other characters. The result was the formation of an elite group of highly respected individuals, many of whom became quite famous for distinctive personality traits, such as the legendary “SUE the Witch,” who, according to Bartle, “spent hour after hour, night after night, ruling the game with a fair but firm hand.”^[2]

As arguably the most famous player of the original Essex MUD, SUE the Witch provides a perfect yet ironic example of another fundamental feature of MUD society and of most virtual societies that followed it, namely that players can take advantage of anonymity in order to play a role that differs from their own in real life. The irony lies in the fact that, though SUE was known by all within the virtual world of Essex MUD and was originally reported by Bartle in his publications to be the first female player to become a wiz, it was not discovered for many years that SUE was in fact played by a male. Another interesting case is that of “PAULA the Witch”, who was later discovered to be a single character shared by two different players.^[2] As in modern online games, appearances in MUDs could clearly be deceiving.

This sense of anonymity constitutes perhaps the single most important way in which MUDs affected both society and the psychology of the individual players. The effects of this phenomenon have become a subject of study for many, such as Professor Sherry Turkle, who states that “MUDS are a new environment for the construction and reconstruction of self,” which provide “an unparalleled opportunity to play with one’s identity and to ‘try out’ new ones.” Turkle believes that through playing anonymously, players are able to enter a form of immersive role play in which they often create characters to reflect their “ideal” self.^[6] Thus, with the creation of MUDs, for the first time people gained the opportunity to project themselves through technology into an imaginary realm, complete with an intricate, thriving society, in which they were empowered by the ability to portray themselves as they pleased.

Though the modern idea of a graphical virtual environment might make the textual world of Essex MUD seem strange and archaic, the spirit of the game and what makes it truly appealing remains the same. Players turn to MMOs today, as they once did to MUDs, for the same purpose of interacting freely and anonymously in a fictional setting, and it is important to acknowledge where and when this phenomenon truly originated. It began with the hard work of a couple of students, a little imagination, and the promising words of Richard Bartle’s brief advertisement, which announced to the world that, "You haven't lived 'til you've died in MUD."^[2]