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\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 Table of Contents\par
\par
\pard\plain \s233\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 1. TrekMUSE, 3:30 AM\tab 1\par
2. Introduction\tab 4\par
\pard\plain \s232\li720\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 2.1 MUDs, MUSEs, MUSHs, and MOOs\tab 4\par
2.2 Adventure-Game-Style MUDs\tab 5\par
2.3 Tiny-Style MUDs\tab 7\par
2.4 Themed MUDs\tab 10\par
\pard\plain \s231\li1440\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 2.4.1 Social Hierarchy\tab 12\par
2.4.2 Participatory Culture\tab 13\par
\pard\plain \s232\li720\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 2.5 Methodology\tab 13\par
\pard\plain \s233\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 3. Identity\tab 17\par
\pard\plain \s232\li720\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 3.1 From the Virtual to the Real: A Party\tab 17\par
3.2 From the Virtual to the Real: A Romance\tab 23\par
\pard\plain \s233\ri720\tldot\tx8280\tqr\tx8640 \f16 4. Gender Swapping\tab 26\par
5. Mud Addiction\tab 32\par
6. Conclusion: TrekMUSE, Two Months Later\tab 36\par
Appendix: Survey of MUD Players\tab 42\par
Acknowledgments\tab 44\par
Bibliography\tab 44\par
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\pard {\fs20 Version history:\par
3/29/92\tab First draft\par
4/5/92\tab Corrected typos; added Foo\rquote s new remarks about the second party\par
}\pard {\fs20 \'a9 Copyright 1992 by Amy Bruckman.\par
}{\b\fs28 \sect }\sectd \pgnrestart\pgnx720\pgny720\linemod0\linex0\cols1\endnhere \pard\plain \qc \f16 {\fs36 Identity Workshop:\par
}\pard \qc {\fs28 Emergent Social and Psychological Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Reality\par
}\pard \par
\par
\pard \qc by\par
\pard \qc {\fs28 Amy Bruckman\par
\par
}\pard \qc MIT Media Laboratory\par
asb@media-lab.media.mit.edu\par
Mara@TrekMUSE\par
jaime@lots-o-places\par
\pard \par
\par
\par
\par
\pard \li1440\ri1440 \ldblquote We offer her a toy situation so that she may reveal and commit herself in its \lquote unreality.\rquote \rdblquote \par
\pard \li1440\ri1440 -- Erik H. Erikson{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }From {\i Childhood and Society} [Erikson 85, p. 52].}}\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 \par
\pard \s5\sl480\keepn {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 1.\tab TrekMUSE, 3\:30 AM}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 It is 3:30 AM EST, and I{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Substantial sections of this paper emply the first person for two reasons. First, the nature of the \ldblquote I
\rdblquote is part of my topic. Second, I believe in the value of situated knowledge.}} am talking to my friend Tao{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }All names have been changed, except where otherwise noted.}}
in my quarters aboard the Federation Starship the USS Yorktown. Actually, I am in Massachusetts and Tao is in South Carolina. We are logged onto a Multi-User Simulation Environment (MUSE) based on a {\i Star Trek} theme.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote
\pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }TrekMUSE is located at excalibur.mit.edu 1701, or 18.80.0.247 1701. To connect to it, type \ldblquote telnet excalibur.mit.edu 1701\rdblquote
from a computer on the Internet. For additional practical information on how to access multi-user games on the network, read the li
st of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regularly posted to the USENET news group rec.games.mud. A current list of available MUDs is also regularly posted to that newsgroup. For all MUDs mentionned in this paper, I will either provide a network addres
s or note that the name of the MUD has been changed for reasons of confidentiality.}}
At this moment, there are thirty-six people logged on from all over the world. My character name is Mara. Anything I say or do is seen by Tao, since he is in the same {\i room}; anything which is {\i announced}
is seen by all thirty-six people logged on.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The transcript has been formatted for clarity. It is otherwise uneditted. The original spelling and punctuation are unchanged.}}
Our private conversation-- about gender roles and the ways female characters are swarmed with attention{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }These issues are discussed further in Section 4, {\i Gender Swapping}.}}
-- is interwoven with a public conversation filled with computational puns and {\i Star Trek} references:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 \par
\pard \s1\li720 Tao says "I have noticed that female char's have that prob ... a friend of mine is playing a female to see if it is true ... and he says it is"\par
\pard \s1\li720 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Krag announces "@set me = Bored Don't tell me I'm gonna have to >work<..."{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
This is a joke based on the MUSE programming language, the computer language in which this virtual world is constructed. For example, to make yourself visible, you would type \ldblquote @set me=visible.\rdblquote }}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
Tao says "You can never be sure ... but I gurantee you I am male"\par
\pard \s1\li720 \par
You say "it doesn't really matter to me"\par
\par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Rev announces "Okay, I won't. :)"{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }This is a smiley face. It is comm
on practice to add faces made out of punctuation marks to news postings to add emotion or emphasis. For example, ;-) is a winking face, which is often used to indicate irony. Emotions may also be expressed with words beginning and ending in asterisks
such as *sigh* or *groan*. }}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Tao announces "Krag, we didn't set you Whine_ok"{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }{\i Whine_ok }is a pun on the flag {\i enter_ok}
used in the MUSE programming language. To allow things to be put inside a box, you would set the box to be enter_ok. Note that in addition to talking to me, Tao is participating in the public discussion.}}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
You say "but it does make ya wonder"\par
\par
Tao nods{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Characters can speak or pose. If I type \ldblquote say hello there,\rdblquote it would appear in this transcript as \ldblquote You say \lquote hello there.\rquote
\rdblquote To Tao, it would appear as \ldblquote Mara says \lquote hello there.\rquote \rdblquote If I type \ldblquote pose laughs!\rdblquote , it would appear as \ldblquote Mara laughs!\rdblquote , as it does below. In this line, Tao typed
\ldblquote pose nods,\ldblquote which appears as \ldblquote Tao nods.\rdblquote }} \par
\par
Tao says "of course it does"\par
\par
Mara laughs!\par
\par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Agora announces "You're gonna have to >work<... >;)"\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Cheech announces "Yeah, I'm bored to but I sort of promised not to make any more trouble for awhile..."\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Krag announces "Hey now. I'm the self-proclaimed Whine Steward. Back off. ;)"\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
Tao chuckles\par
\par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Fitch announces "are you related to Patrick Steward? Oh, sorry."{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Fitch is making a joke that perhaps Krag\rquote s {\i Whine Steward}
, is related to {\i Patrick Steward}, a deliberate misspelling of the name of one of the actors who plays a lead role on the television series {\i Star Trek: The Next Generation}.}}\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Tao was slightly lagged{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Tao is complaining that the computer is slow.}}\par
\par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Public announcement from player #16216 'Edi': "@give Krag = BOOT TO THE HEAD."{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
This is another pun on the MUSE programming language. To give something to someone, you would type \ldblquote give someone=something.\rdblquote To give someone money without their being notified, you would type \ldblquote
@giveto someone=<amount of money>.\rdblquote }}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
You say "so i guess folks do more hanging out than role playing"\par
\par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Rev announces "That's Patrick Stewart."{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Rev probably has not understood Fitch\rquote s joke, and is correcting the spelling of the actor\rquote
s name.}}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Cheech announces "*sigh*"{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Cheech is probably exasperated by Rev\rquote s failure to understand Fitch\rquote s joke.}}\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard\plain \s4\li1440 \f16\fs20 Fitch announces "close enough :-)"\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
Tao says "depends ... at 3:30 am ... we talk and hang ... at 3:30 pm there tends to be a lot of role-playing"\par
\par
Mara nods.\par
\par
Tao says "sometimes late can be more fun ..."\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 \par
The conversation is multi-threaded and multi-layered. The participants have fanciful character names, and may or may not choose to discuss their real identities. This particular environment is organized around a theme: the television show {\i
Star Trek: The Next Generation}. The {\i world} is organized into starships, starbases, and a central place called the {\i hub of intergalactic peace}, a common space where people congregate. References to {\i Star Trek}
and to the programming environment in which this virtual world is constructed help to hold the community together.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 2. \tab Introduction}}\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.1\tab MUDs, MUSEs, MUSHs, and MOOs}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 As of March 6th, 1992 there were 143 multi-user games based on thirteen different kinds of software on the network.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }\ldblquote The network
\rdblquote links computers world wide. The majority of people who have access to the network are university students, computer professionals, and defense contractors; however, network access is becoming more widely available.}} {\fs18\up6 \chftn
{\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Games are constantly being created and destroyed. A current list is regularly posted to the USENET news group rec.games.mud.}} I will use the term \ldblquote MUD,\rdblquote which stands for
\ldblquote Multi-User Dungeon,\rdblquote to refer to all the various kinds.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The abbreviation \ldblquote MU*\rdblquote
is often used to refer to the union of all the different kinds of multi-user games, since the names of most begin with the letters \ldblquote M\rdblquote and \ldblquote U\rdblquote and \ldblquote * \ldblquote
is commonly used to represent a wild card. Strictly speaking, a MUD is a specific type of MU*. Which abbreviation one chooses to use for the generic case can be seen as a political question, since it raises issues of inclusion a
nd exclusion in the community. I have chosen to use the abbreviation \ldblquote MUD,\rdblquote because it is more natural to pronounce.}}\par
When a person first logs onto a MUD, he or she creates a character. The person selects the character\rquote
s name and gender, and writes a description of what the character looks like. It is possible for a character to be male or female, regardless of the gend
er of the player. In many MUDs, a character can also be neuter or even plural. A plural character could, for example, be called swarm_of_bees or Laurel&Hardy.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn MUDs are organized around the metaphor of physical space. When you connect to LambdaMOO{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }LambdaMOO is at lambda.parc.xerox.com 8888, or 3.2.116.36 8888.
}}, you see the description:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 The Coat Closet\par
\pard \s1\li720
The closet is a dark, cramped space. It appears to be very crowded in here; you keep bumping into what feels like coats, boots, and other people (apparently sleeping). One useful thing that you've discovered in your bumbling about is a metal doorknob set
at waist level into what might be a door. There's a new edition of the newspaper. Type 'news' to see it.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Typing \ldblquote out\rdblquote gets you to the living room:\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 The Living Room\par
\pard \s1\li720 It is very bright, ope
n, and airy here, with large plate-glass windows looking southward over the pool to the gardens beyond. On the north wall, there is a rough stonework fireplace, complete with roaring fire. The east and west walls are almost completely covered with large,
well-stocked bookcases. An exit in the northwest corner leads to the kitchen and, in a more northerly direction, to the entrance hall. The door into the coat closet is at the north end of the east wall, and at the south end is a sliding glass door leadi
ng out onto a wooden deck. There are two sets of couches, one clustered around the fireplace and one with a view out the windows.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 This description is followed by a list of objects and characters present in the living room. LambdaMOO is organized around the metaphor of a large, rambling house.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {
\fs18\up6 \chftn }The letters \ldblquote MOO\rdblquote stand for \ldblquote Mud Object Oriented.\rdblquote The MOO programming
language is superior to that of any other MUD that I know of. LambdaMOO is filled with imaginative, well-designed objects. For a general introduction to LambdaMOO and mudding in general, see [Curtis 92].}}
Many MUDs have a medieval setting. For example, in most AberMUDs, players begin in a medieval village church. The compass directions, as well as in, out, up, and down are used to navigate.\par
Each MUD is different. The type of MUD specifies the software in which the MUD is built. Thus, the center of town is similar for most AberMUDs, but the mountains, castles, and forests outside of town are built by the administrators or {\i wizards}
of the specific game. In some kinds of MUDs, all of the players help to build the world. Who has the right to build and how building is monitored is a key feature that distinguishes types of MUDs. Langdon Winner cites Marx and Wittgenstein in making hi
s claim that \ldblquote social activity is an ongoing process of world-making\rdblquote [Winner 86]. In MUDs, this is true in a literal sense.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.2\tab Adventure-Game-Style MUDs}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16
While every MUD is different, there are two basic types: those which are like adventure games, and those which are not. The earliest MUDs such as MUD1 and Scepter of Goth were based on the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, and were written in late 1
978 to 1979.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
The earliest multi-player games existed on stand-alone time-sharing systems. In 1977, Jim Guyton adapted a game called mazewar to run on the ARPAnet. Participants in mazewar could duck around corners of a maze and shoot at one another, but could not comm
unicate in any other fashion [email conversation
with Jim Guyton, March 1992]. Numerous multi-user games based on the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game appeared in 1978-1979 including Scepter of Goth by Alan Klietz and MUD1 by Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle [email conversation with Alan Klietz, M
arch 1992]. Many of the authors of these games can be reached on the network and are pleased to talk about their work. My research into the history of multi-user games is ongoing.}}
They were also based on early single-user text adventure games, such as the original ADVENT by Crowther and Woods [
Raymond 91, p. 31]. Currently popular types of adventure-game MUDs include AberMUDs, DikuMUDs, LPmuds, and UnterMUDs. In adventure-based MUDs, the object is to kill monsters and obtain treasure in order to gain {\i experience points}
. As a character gains experience, he/she/it becomes more powerful. \par
In most adventure-style MUDs, once a character has attained a certain level of experience or completed a set of quests, he/she/it can become a {\i wizard} or {\i god}. It typically takes a player hundreds of hours of pla
ying time to become a wizard. Wizards and gods have the ability to extend the game world, and have almost total power over other players. These communities have a hierarchical social structure. \par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn The MUD-FAQ{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The MUD-FAQ, the list of frequently asked questions for the newsgroup rec
.games.mud, is available via anonymous ftp from moebius.math.okstate.edu (139.78.10.3) in the directory pub/muds/misc/mud-faq.}} contains these entries on wizards and gods:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 \par
"What is a 'Wizard' on TinyMUDs/a 'God' on LPmuds?"\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720 Wizards/Gods are the people who own the database. They can do whatever\par
they want to whomever they want whenever they want. A more appropriate\par
name for them would probably be 'Janitor', since they tend to have to\par
put up with responsibilities and difficulties (for free) that nobody else\par
would be expected to handle. Remember, they're human beings on the other\par
side of the wire. Respect them for their generosity.\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn "What is a 'Wizard' on an LPmud?"\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720 An LPmud Wizard is a player who has 'won' the game, and is now able to\par
create new sections of the game. Wizards are very powerful, but they\par
don't have the right to do whatever they want to you; they must still\par
follow their own set of rules, or face the wrath of the Gods.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 One Saturday in January of 1992, I adventured all day on an AberMUD in Norway called DIRT.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }DIRT is at ulrik.uio.no 6715, or 129.240.12.4 6715.}}
One wizard there enjoyed adventuring with our group of new players and being our big brother and protector-- he got us back our magic items when we died, he kept the party together by magically summoning people when they got cut off from the group, and h
e cast high level spells to help defeat the monsters we encountered. Another wizard logged on played a god-like role. He appeared from the sky and said mysterious things. He took on alternative magical persona such as \ldblquote
Puff the Fractal Dragon.\rdblquote He was aloof and all-knowing.\par
Erik Erikson writes that \ldblquote The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery\rdblquote [Erikson 85, p. 222]. The majority of MUD players are college students.{\fs18\up6 \chftn
{\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }See the Appendix: {\i Survey of MUD Players}.}}
For most players, MUDding is in between these two approaches to play. The drive to become a wizard is part of a desire to achieve mastery. Mastery over the game confers status within the community.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.3\tab Tiny-Style MUDs}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 The other class of MUDs (TinyMUDs, TeenyMUDs, MUSHs, MOOs, MUGs, and MUSEs) have a different philosophy, as the following notice from QWest{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
Qwest is at glia.biostr.washington.edu 9999, or 128.95.10.115 9999.}} makes clear. There is an entry in the help system on the topic \ldblquote goal\rdblquote :\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 GOAL\par
\pard \s1\li720 There is no ultimate goal to this game, except to have fun. There are\par
puzzles to solve, scenery to visit, and people to meet. There are no\par
winners or losers, only fellow players. Enjoy.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Most non-adventure style MUDs a
llow all participants to build onto the world. Players can create objects, and rooms, and write programs to make objects function in interesting ways. My first object was a plate of spaghetti that \ldblquote squirms uneasily\rdblquote
when anyone in the room uses the word \ldblquote hungry.\rdblquote \par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn
In these MUDs, status within the community is achieved by building. People strive to achieve mastery not over the virtual world but over the programming language in which the world is built. Foo, a player we will meet more closely later, found
it disturbing at first that most of the world seemed to be already built. It took him a great deal of thought to find a project that was important, original, and within his programming abilities:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 I wanted to do something everybody could use. I wanted to be important. Everybody gets to that point-- they want to build and they want to show off. \{...\}{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {
\fs18\up6 \chftn }The symbol \ldblquote \{...\}\rdblquote will be used to indicate that text has been ommitted. Three dots without brackets indicates a pause or change of topic in a spoken conversation.}}\par
\par
It's kind of a Freudian phallic thing, I guess-- that need to create. I mean, that's what I very much wanted to do. And to find out that I couldn't was
kind of disturbing. I think that's why when games start up everyone comes on right away, because they can create all these things and say \ldblquote isn't this neat-- this is what I built.\rdblquote \ldblquote I built the combat system on this game
\rdblquote or \ldblquote I built this\rdblquote or \ldblquote I built that.\rdblquote \{...\} \par
\par
That's what I think a lot of the people love to do, and that's why a lot of the games go (*expanding sound*) so fast. But it needs something more to keep it around.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Foo eventually did complete several significant projects, and as a result
was made a wizard on more than one MUD. As Foo points out, MUDs which allow building tend to expand rapidly. Each game has its own mechanism for limiting how much each person can build and monitoring the over all quality of what has been built. MUDs whi
ch grow unchecked tend to overwhelm the capacity of the computer they are running on and eventually get shut down.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn The first MUD of this variety was called \ldblquote TinyMUD,\rdblquote and was written by James Aspnes of Carnegie Mellon University in 1988. The egalitarian a
nd pacifist values of Tiny-style MUDs are quite different from their predecessors. Where did these ideals come from? Did they come from they founding members of the community? I asked this question of James Aspnes:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20
You raise an interesting question about the ideals of the TinyMUD community coming from the few founding members. Most adventure-style games and earlier MUDs had some sort of scoring system which translated into rank and often special privileges; I didn't
want such a system not because of an
y strong egalitarian ideals (although I think that there are good egalitarian arguments against it) but because I wanted the game to be open-ended, and any scoring system would have the problem that eventually each player would hit the maximum rank or leve
l of advancement and have to either abandon the game as finished or come up with new reasons to play it. This approach attracted people who liked everybody being equal and drove away people who didn't like a game where you didn't score points and beat out
other players (I did put in a "score" command early on since almost everybody tried it, but most players soon realized that it was a joke). I think that this effect created a kind of natural selection which eventually led to the current egalitarian ideal
s. I like the egalitarianism, but it wasn't my original goal.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Electronic mail conversation with James Aspnes, February 29th, 1992.}}\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 This is a confirmation of Langdon Winner\rquote s assertion that artifacts have politics [Winner 86]. The change in the software encouraged different styles of interaction, and attracted a differen
t type of person. The ethics of the community {\i emerged}. The design of the software was a strong factor in shaping what emerged. \par
Are values inherent in technology or in the social systems in which technology is embedded? Winner concludes that it depends on the specific situation, saying that \ldblquote
Rather than insist that we immediately reduce everything to the interplay of social forces, the theory of technological politics suggests that we pay attention to the characteristics of technical objects and the meaning of those characteristics\rdblquote
[Winner 86, p.22]. For example, nuclear power requires authoritarian control. Solar power is more compatible with decentralized, democratic control; however, it does not require it. In the case of TinyMUD, the technology {\i is}
a social system. It is therefore remarkable that the social changes TinyMUD caused were not intended by its founder. Aspnes writes that \ldblquote this approach attracted people who liked everybody being equal.\rdblquote
Somewhat accidental features of the artifact combined with a process of {\i self-selection} to create a community with a strong, shared set of values.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.4\tab Themed MUDs}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16
Some Tiny-style MUDs are organized around fictional worlds borrowed from commercial mass culture. These themed MUDs form a special subset of Tiny-style MUDs. Participants take on variations of roles from the fictional theme world. Activity on themed MUD
s includes role playing as well as the usual building and casual socializing. The theme shapes the design of the game and provides a shared body of knowledge and interests for participants.\par
I chose to become a part of the community of a themed MUD: TrekMUSE (see Section 2.5, {\i Methodology}). TrekMUSE is based on themes taken from the television show {\i Star Trek: The Next Generation}
. On TrekMUSE, my character's name is "Mara." I am an Ensign in Starfleet. I interviewed with commanders on multiple ships before I was offered a commission aboard the USS Yorktown. Earlier that day, I received a letter stating that a conference paper
I had submitte
d was rejected. When I logged onto TrekMUSE that afternoon, I was depressed. When I was offered the position on TrekMUSE, I forgot entirely about my conference paper. I had new friends, and new roles to experiment with. Why worry about a minor setback
in real life? I was Ensign Mara of the USS Yorktown, the acting flagship of the Federation!\par
A TrekMUSE player comments in the excerpt at the beginning of this paper \ldblquote At 3:30 am ... we talk and hang ... at 3:30 PM there tends to be a lot of role-playing.\rdblquote
Since I am in the navigation department of the Yorktown, when I role play I control the ship\rquote s navigation systems, obeying orders from the commanding officer on duty.\par
My character is a member of the B\rquote joran race, an oppressed people modeled after the Kurds or Palestinians. In the television series {\i Star Trek: The Next Generation}, B\rquote
joran characters are presented as rebellious and disrespectful of authority. It is therefore part of my job as a good role player to talk-back to authority and occasionally disobey orders!\par
Each ship on TrekMUSE is a community within the community. Each ship has its own communication channel. Anything spoken on the ship's channel is broadcast to all crew members logged on. When anyone from the Yorktown logs onto TrekMUSE, it is customary t
o say hello on the ship\rquote s channel. It is not customary to greet everyone on the MUSE. Everyone on a ship knows one another. When I first joined the Yorktown, I was swarmed with friendly invitations to get acquainted, like \ldblquote Hi Mara! I
\rquote ve heard a lot about you!\rdblquote It is a warm, social environment.\par
Ships are grouped into empires. The Yorktown is a member of the Federation of Planets. Petty rivalries exist amongst ships in the Federation. When one officer on the Federation Starship Enterprise announced that the Yorktown was a \ldblquote bucket o
\rquote junk,\rdblquote this provoked a friendly shouting match, rather like what might occur between rival high schools. When the Federation was attacked by the Romulan Empire, however, such rivalries were forgotten and the m
embers of the Federation joined to fight the common enemy. The community has a complex structure.\par
Perhaps the most popular theme for MUDs is Anne McCaffrey\rquote s {\i The Dragonriders of Pern} series of fantasy books. In McCaffrey\rquote
s fiction, a person bonds for life with a dragon. The dragon and its rider become telepathically linked, and achieve a level of intimacy that is not possible between two humans. The color of a rider\rquote s dragon confers status within the community.
\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl3\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.4.1\tab Social Hierarchy}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 All the themed
MUDs which I have observed have hierarchical social structures. This is perhaps because the fictional worlds in which they are based are hierarchical. In TrekMUSE, participants have ranks in opposing para-military organizations. I asked a director of T
rekMUSE why ranks are necessary. He replied that it gives people something to strive for. The MUSE software was based on the egalitarian MUSH software, but includes a ranking function. This function was originally created for administrative reasons-- ex
perienced players who were willing to help maintain the MUSE were given responsibilities and privileges. On TrekMUSE, the feature was adapted to add social hierarchy back into the system. Thus, social hierarchy was eliminated and then was gradually added
back in.\par
MUDs can be seen as a workshop for exploring issues of social hierarchy. Is a hierarchical structure necessary for coordinating human group behavior? How do people obtain status within communities? The world of MUDs does not mirror reality; ho
wever, it brings the issues to the forefront and helps one to begin to think about them. In Turkle\rquote s terminology, MUDs are {\i evocative objects} [Turkle 84].\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl3\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.4.2\tab Participatory Culture}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Why are these fictional worlds so popular? The world of MUDs here intersects with that of {\i fan culture}. Fans of {\i Star Trek}
attend conventions, write stories and novels, make videos, and write folk songs about the {\i Star Trek} world. In {\i Textual Poachers, Television Fans and Participatory Culture}, Henry Jenkins analyzes fan cu
lture with an emphasis on fan reading and writing practices [Jenkins 92]. Like MUDs, the world of fandom is an alternative reality that many participants find more compelling than their mundane lives. The conclusion of Textual Poachers is called
\ldblquote \lquote In My Weekend-Only World...\rquote : Reconsidering Fandom,\rdblquote and begins with this epigraph from a fan writer:\par
\pard\plain \keepn \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 In an hour of make-believe\par
In these warm convention halls\par
My mind is free to think\par
And feels so deeply\par
An intimacy never found\par
Inside their silent walls\par
In a year or more\par
Of what they call reality.\par
\par
In my weekend-only world,\par
That they call make-believe,\par
Are those who share\par
The visions that I see.\par
In their real-time life\par
That they tell me is real,\par
The things they care about\par
Aren\rquote t real to me.\par
[Burnside 87, quoted in Jenkins 92, p. 277]\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 The boundaries between real life and virtual reality will be discussed further in Section 5, {\i MUD Addiction}.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 2.5\tab Methodology}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 I began this project by investigating issues of cyberspace and the self: Why do people want to be in
cyberspace? Who wants to be in cyberspace? Cyberspace is a term originally coined by the writer William Gibson [Sterling 86]. It can broadly be defined as referring to networked multi-person communications, and is closely related to {\i virtual reality
}, the use of computer technology to create simulated worlds. Fiction about cyberspace is often called {\i cyberpunk}, a term coined by the writer Bruce Sterling [Sterling 86]. What is the relationship between {\i cyber} and {\i punk}
? In what ways are the fiction and the reality of cyberspace compelling visions? How do technology and fantasy shape our construction of ourselves?\par
My inspiration for asking this particular set of questions comes from my studies with Professor Sherry Turkle and her book {\i The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit}
[Turkle 84]. It is also a deeply personal exploration. I learned to program computers my freshman year of high school, 1979, and became part of a community of people who \ldblquote hung out in the computer room.\rdblquote I was the only girl in the
computer room. At that same time, I also began to read science fiction, read fantasy literature such as Tolkein, play video games, play computer games, and play Dungeons and Dragons. Most of the serious programmers shared all these interests. My friend
Jonathan Feldschuh did a survey of the ten computer room regulars, and found that nine of us had read Tolkein. Most of us had read the four-book series more than once. The tenth stopped hanging around the computer room soon after the survey was taken, a
nd became student technical director of the theater instead.\par
Why do all these interests go together? I believe that answering this question is a key to help understand the emotional appeal of cyberspace technology.\par
My methodology is also inspired by Sherry Turkle\rquote
s work. To begin to answer these questions, I posted an electronic mail notice asking cyberspace researchers and readers of cyberpunk fiction to volunteer to be interviewed. I interviewed eleven people for one to two hours each. I began by aski
ng questions about their readings in cyberpunk, science fiction, and fantasy. I asked about their interest in video games, computer games, and computer programming. To attempt to understand their conceptions of themselves, I asked about their hobbies as
a child, their athletic ability, their fashion sense, and their politics. Finally, I asked each person what they would like cyberspace to be like. The interview ran a different course with each subject since I let myself be guided by their interests; how
ever, this is the general form that the conversations took.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn What emerged from these interviews was an understanding that I was working on at least five different papers: \par
\par
\pard \s3\fi-720\li2160 \bullet \tab {\i Why do all these things (computer programming, fantasy literature, science fiction, video games, computer games, role-playing games, and the like) go together?}\par
\par
\bullet \tab {\i The body:}\par
\pard \s3\li2160 Why do people want to escape from their physical bodies and into cyberspace? Can we apply the theories of Michel Foucault and Donna Haraway to the emerging cyberspace?\par
\pard \s3\li1440 \par
\bullet \tab {\i Visions of the future of cyberspace: }\par
\pard \s3\li2160 What do visions of the future of cyberspace reveal about an individual\rquote s psychology and the impact of technology on people?\par
\par
\pard \s3\li1440 \bullet \tab {\i William Gibson\rquote s fiction, the text as read:}\par
\pard\plain \qj\li2160 \f16 Gibson\rquote
s fiction portrays a bleak future. Human relationships are fragmented, and adolescent rather than adult in character. The natural environment has disappeared into one big urban sprawl. The only admirable occupations are stealing other people\rquote
s data or being a simstim{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }In Gibson\rquote
s fiction, simstim is a form of entertainment like television. Rather than merely watching a story, the viewer experiences all the emotions and sensations of the star. This is accomplished by stimulating the viewer\rquote s brain directly.}}
star. The people who actually do legal, productive work in cyberspace are portrayed as drones, and those who use simstim are addicted idiots. Racism and sexism are rampant in Gibson\rquote s writing. Given these facts, why is Gibson\rquote
s writing so popular? Why has it sparked a movement?\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 \par
The fifth paper, the one you are reading, is on Multi-User Dungeons. It became apparent to me that cyberspace and virtual reality {\i already exist} in MUDs, and fascinating social phenomena have emerged from them.\par
To try to understand MUDs, I began to read the USENET news group rec.games.mud,{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
USENET is a distributed bulletin board system. Particpants may read and post articles to news groups on specific topics. There are discussion groups for a wide variety of technical, recreational, and political topics. For example, I read mit.bb
oard (a local group for announcements of events at MIT), comp.lisp.lang.mcl (a group for discussingthe programming language Macintosh Common Lisp), alt.aquaria (one of several groups for discussing fish tanks), and rec.games.mud (a group for discussing MUD
s). For more information on the computer network and network news, see [Raymond 91].}}
and try out various MUDs on the network. After a month of peeking into different communities, it became clear that to understand them, I would have to become an active part of one of these communities. Since I am fond of {\i Star Trek}
, I chose TrekMUSE.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn In making the decision to become part of a community, I dived head-first into the methodological debate about distance from the object of study. Jenkins writes about fan culture both as an academic and as a fan:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20
Does this color what I say about fandom? Almost certainly, which is why I am acknowledging it at the outset. In a recent critique of ethnographic work on audience resistance, David Sholle warns of the dangers of overidentification with the research subje
ct: \ldblquote the stance of the ethnographer... must still to some extent retain a dimension of distance from the situation. There is a danger of taking up the standpoint of a fan and thus confusing one\rquote
s own stance with that of the subject being studied.\rdblquote {\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Sholle, David (1991). \ldblquote Reading the Audience, Reading Resistance: Prospects and Problems.\rdblquote
Journal of Film and Video 43 no. 1-2, 80-89. Cited in [Jenkins 92].}} While conceding that such a risk (media study\rquote s particular version of \ldblquote going native\rdblquote
) is present in writing an ethnography from within the fan community, I must note as well that this danger is not substantially lessened by adopting a more traditionally \ldblquote objective\rdblquote
stance. In the past, scholars with little direct knowledge or emotional investment within the fan community have transformed fandom into a projection of their personal fears, anxieties, and fantasies about the dangers of mass culture. This more di
stanced perspective did not ensure a better understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon so much as it enabled scholars to talk about a group presumed incapable of responding to their representation [Jenkins 92, p. 6].\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Like Jenkins, I choose to study the phenomenon from within the community. The guidance of Sherry Turkle has provided the important counterpoint of a more distanced perspective.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 3.\tab Identity}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 I approached the task of becoming a part of the TrekMUSE community with a mixture of delight
and guilt. As I have loved computer games, pinball, and science fiction over the years, I love MUDs. However, it is a guilty sort of pleasure. When I play, I feel that I {\i ought}
to be doing something else. I worry that I am wasting my time. I fear that I am being a nerd.\par
Many MUD players share these fears. Foo plays MUDs more than forty hours per week. He is logged on all day at work, and is always playing, except when his boss is looking. The name \ldblquote Foo\rdblquote
was originally given to him by his fraternity b
rothers, and he now uses it as his character name. Foo is twenty-two years old, and has been delaying finishing his last few requirements for his undergraduate computer science degree. I interviewed Foo in person, on audio tape.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 3.1\tab From the Virtual to the Real\: A Party}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16
Foo once attended a weekend-long real-life party of people who had met on a MUD. People came from all over the country to meet their net friends in real life. Foo is handsome and well dressed, and tells me that he was depressed by h
ow unattractive everyone else at the party was. He is afraid that if he stays a part of the MUD community, he will become like them. On Friday night of that weekend they had a costume party:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 I had to leave soon, so I stayed half an hour, maybe an hour or something, and I was {\b completely}
uncomfortable there. I've never seen such a group-- this is going to sound really harsh-- of socially inept people in my life. It really seemed like Hal, Greg and I were the only normal people there. It was just--
frightening! (*laughs*) I couldn't fathom it. \par
\par
But for some strange reason I decided I'd go back Saturday. The whole thing didn't get better. So we went back to Tip's apartment, but then we had to go back from Tip's apartment because even us talking was too much noise. So we went over to Roger's h
ouse . Roger wore the klingon costume again on Saturday. Everyone else was wearing normal clothes. He decided he'd wear the costume. My image of that weekend that sticks in my mind and that absolutely
frightens me (*laughs*)... Roger has all of the School-House Rock videos. You know like from when we were kids all the little, you know like the Constition Song and the guy who (*sings*) 'well I'm a bill and I gotta be passed in the law'-- the whole thin
g.\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Oh yeah! I know them well!\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Yeah, I mean, they're great, they're cool. Roger (*laughs hard*) stood there in a Klingon outfit in his house in front of the TV playing school-house rock, singing and dancing to it, for everybody else's entertainment.\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 (*laughs*) In a Klingon costume!\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 It was so sad. And I just couldn't... I...\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 And it wasn't funny, it was more pathetic than funny?\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 (*laughs* ) They were getting a kick out of it! That made it even worse to me! I was just like... Does nobody else find this {\b frightening}
?? I mean, I was just really worried that god, I'm gonna grow up and be like this? I mean it was like if I wanna be a hacker, I'm gonna end up like this? Dancing around in a klingon costume? In front of a TV
? Playing school house rock?! I was so frightenned! God, it was horrible! \par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Foo\rquote
s image of himself is threatened by the poor social skills of his peers. Not all MUD players are computer scientists; however, the MUD culture is sister to the hacker culture. Turkle writes of the hacker culture:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Through these descriptions emerge the large outlines of the hacker culture: a culture of mastery, individualism, nonsensuality. It values complexity and risk in relationships with things, and seeks simplicity an
d safety in relationships with people. It delights in ambiguities in the technological domain-- where most nonscientists expect to find things straightforward. On the other side, hackers try to avoid ambiguity in dealing with people, where the larger cul
ture finds meaning in the half-defined and the merely suggested. [Turkle 84, p. 223]\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Why are people who fit the personality profile Turkle describes attracted to computers and to MUDs? Perhaps one draw is the fact that in virtual reality you can escape
your physical body and create a beautiful, sexually attractive self with a line of text. The non-sensual person is instantly sensual. Social relationships are less threatening: at any time you can always create a new character and start over. \par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn It is important to note that not all MUD players fit Foo\rquote s description of the people at the TINY2 party. Foo himself does not, and his experiences at a second party were quite different:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 I went to another TINY2 party this weekend. Many of those from the dreaded
other party were there, along with over a dozen other people that I have never met before. It would appear that some of my interpretations of the first party were unfounded. Many of the people I met there were a little idiosyncratic, but this time, these
idiosyncracies were _normal_! There were the typical clueless geeks and nerds, but the overall representation more closely resembled that of 'average' society. There were comp sci types, a journalist, a sociologist, a history major, a psych major, art-fag
types (you know, all in black), fashion bugs, metal heads, just a lttle bit of everything. It was much more life-affirming. :)\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Foo\rquote
s description of the people he met at the first TINY2 party captures a common stereotype. The persistent appearance of the stereotype indicates that it has some significance. However, it is unclear what portion of the community fit that description.
\par
Foo tells me more about the people at the first party:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 \par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy: \par
\pard \s1\li720 Did you find a lot of people who were unattractive who had character descriptions that were \ldblquote Tall, handsome, and...\rdblquote ?\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Well, Gayle{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Gayle plays three characters: Renata, Marla, and Susie. One of Foo\rquote
s characters is engaged to Marla. Marriage ceremonies and even divorces often take place on MUDs. A relationship between two people in virtual reality does not imply one in real life. The sto
ry of DePlane and Delilah is an exception. (See Section 3.2, {\i From the Virtual to the Real: A Romance}).}}
is the perfect example. Gayle is... facially, she's attractive, but she's really overweight, and all of her character descriptions-- Renata on Trek is an Orion and the description is \ldblquote
this stunning beautiful green-skinned woman walking around naked.\rdblquote You know, Orions are the Orion slave girls, that's the whole point.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
Orions are a race on the television series {\i Star Trek}.}}\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Oh, right, of course!\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 So, that's her description there. One of the things that she says a lot on TINY2{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The name of this MUD has been changed.}} as Marla, she's like always \ldblquote
You don't like me because I'm flat chested." And she is the {\b farthest} thing from flat chested, but she says that all the time, just to... I have no idea why! \{...\} \par
\par
To the people who know her in real life she always throws a little smile up on the end, you know- the little :), and we're all like 'yeah, yeah, sure, whatever' and, but to everyone else, I mean like Hal when he first met her, he was absolutely convinced s
he was going to be flat chested from the way she kept talking about being flat chested. So he envisionned this kind of short, petite, little woman of nothing, basically. And he's like \ldblquote Well!'\ldblquote
(*laughs*) So, maybe that's why in most of my descriptions I try to keep them, kind of something similar. \ldblquote Foo is 6'1", Vulcan with black hair, straight black hair, and pointy ears\rdblquote or something, and \ldblquote
kind of a red tint about his skin.\rdblquote \par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Are you supposed to be a Vulcan?\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720 Yeah, I related to the character immediately when I came on, like, I wanna be a Vulcan.\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Amy:\par
\pard \s1\li720 But you're too silly to be a Vulcan!{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }In the television series {\i Star Trek}, Vulcans are a race of purely logical beings who have no emotions.}}\par
\par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn Foo:\par
\pard \s1\li720
I'm Vulcan's first comedian, so that's the way I... I just.... There's something to be said for the.... If you've grown up in a family where, in a situation where you're the kind of person who represses your emotions or whatever, because you feel like y
ou don't, you can't express them to people, or you feel that they won't understand. That's the kind of thing I grew up with, with my family. My parents are great. They're very loving, very understanding paren
ts, but I just couldn't relate to them. I was-- both my parents are blue-collar workers, they graduated from high school, had no collegiate hopes, and I'm just... a freak! I'm a complete freak in the family! \{...\}\par
\par
I never really felt like in my family I had someone I could share with. So Vulcan was just kind of automatic for me, because it's just like-- oh, OK, I'm a Vulcan! (*laughs*) So, I mean it's not like I'm kind of this repressed walking emotional bomb or
anything, because you know everybody's got friends, but it's just that, that's the kind of way I grew up. Until I got here at college where I kind of figured out who the hell I was and stuff.\par
\par
One of the things I found that you'll find a lot in the personalities of people who MUSH is that the person is someone that's kind of like underneath, the person who's underneath and hidden but doesn't want to come out. Like when Gayle is upset and she co
mes on, she comes on as Susie, the Vulcan that's kind of attached to me. So she'll come on and she's just like \ldblquote hi, how ya doin,\rdblquote I'm like \ldblquote oh fine,\rdblquote
and I'll hang out and I'll talk with her. And she's really upset and she doesn't talk to anybody about it, but she'll talk to me. You know, she's the kind of person who doesn't.... She's a lot like me \ldblquote well I'll try to deal with it myself.
\rdblquote And then the person she talks to is me, you know, if she's really feeling upset about something. I mean, I'm sure she has friends down there she talks to as well. But she's like \ldblquote I can't believe I just told you that.'\ldblquote
\par
\par
It seems like the people on the net, the kind of stuff that they do is stuff that they want to do, but for some reason they don't. I don't think I'm anywheres near as silly as I am on the game, you know in real life, I'm just a very kind of in general pre
tty serious person and kind of go through things the right way. On the game I'm just like (*silly sound*) what the hell, let's have fun! Who cares! And if someone pisses me off, I'm just like \ldblquote shut up, punk.\rdblquote
I mean, you saw it last night when I was sitting there ragging on that guy who was saying (*whining*) \ldblquote well, we'll boot you\rdblquote and I was like \ldblquote c'mon, I dare you, you little punk!\rdblquote
And I was laughin my butt off on a channel with Cheech. And he was like \ldblquote dude, man, you're sounding really vindictive!'\ldblquote and I'm like \ldblquote I'm having fun with this guy! I'm toying with him.\rdblquote He goes, \ldblquote
That's not what he thinks! You should see the stuff he's paging me!'\ldblquote And I'm like \ldblquote Oh, OK.\rdblquote \par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Gayle is overweight and has a large chest. She has different characters
for different moods: Renata is gorgeous and sexually desirable. Marla is petite and flat chested. Susie is an emotionless Vulcan. Gayle uses these personalities to help sort out her feelings about her real self.\par
Foo has chosen a character description that is similar to his real self. His character is an emotionless Vulcan. Foo tells me that he has trouble expressing emotions and tends to always try to work things out himself. He has not had any romantic relatio
nships for the last two years, because h
e feels overwhelmed by other people making demands on him. However, on the net, his behavior is entirely different. He is outgoing, cheerful, silly, and loved by all. While he normally represses any anger he feels, on the net he delights in expressing
it. On the net, he is who he wants to be.\par
Examples abound. Jack is a British student studying in America. He logs onto MUDs in the morning when it is afternoon in Britain and many British players are on. He enjoys confusing them-- he tells them he is
in America, but displays a detailed knowledge of Britain. On further questioning, Jack tells me he is trying to decide whether to return to Britain or continue his studies in America. What does it mean to be British or American? Jack is exploring his se
nse of national identity in virtual reality.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn In {\i Childhood and Scoiety}, the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson writes of a four-year-old girl who was brought to him because of a bed-wetting problem:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 The child indicates clearly that I will not get anything out of h
er. To her growing surprise and relief, however, I do not ask her any questions; I do not even tell her that I am her friend and she should trust me. Instead I start to build a simple block house on the floor. There is a living room; a kitchen; a bedroo
m with a little girl in a bed and a woman standing close by her; a bathroom with the door open; a garage with a man standing next to a car. This arrangement suggests, of course, the regular morning hour when the mother tries to pick the little girl up
\ldblquote on time,\rdblquote while the father gets ready to leave the house.\par
\par
Our patient, increasingly fascinated with this wordless statement of a problem, suddenly goes into action. She relinquishes her thumb to make space for a broad and toothy grin. Her face flushes and she runs over to the toy scene. With a mighty kick she
disposes of the woman doll; she bangs the bathroom door shut, and she hurries to the toy shelf to get three shiny cars, which she puts beside the man. She has answered my \ldblquote question\rdblquote : she, indeed, do
es not wish the toy girl to give to her mother what is her mother\rquote s, and she is eager to give to her father more than he could ask for. [Erikson 85, p. 49-50]\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Erikson states that \ldblquote We offer her a toy situation so that she may reveal and commit herself in its \lquote unreality\rquote \rdblquote
[Erikson 85, p. 52]. The virtual world of dolls and blocks created a safe space in which the little girl was able to express her feelings. Virtual worlds, whether they are made of blocks of wood or blocks of text, form a rich psychological play space.
\par
Foo has a good knowledge of who he is as a person, both on and off the net. He is sensitive to the moods and personas of his friends. He clearly understands the concept of identity. MUDs are a workshop for the concept of identity. Many players notice
that they are somehow different on the net than off, and this leads them to reflect on who they are in real life. It helps people to understand the concept of identity and the ways in which we construct ourselves.\par
People with poor social sk
ills, like those that Foo met at the party, find refuge within the world of MUDs. Paradoxically, that world is first and foremost social. One cannot fail to develop a greater understanding of social phenomena through living within it.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 {\v {\tc\tcl2\pard\plain \s2\sl480\keepn \b\f16 3.2\tab From the Virtual to the Real\: A Romance}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16
DePlane tells me he plays MUDs twelve hours a day. He is not exaggerating-- every time I log on, he is there. He is always there, and is always actively participating. The night I first met him, he announced to all present
that he had been logged on for twenty-six hours straight. He asked the crowd to dare him to go for forty-eight. I interviewed DePlane on one of the two MUDs he plays regularly. I asked him how MUDding has affected his life:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 DePlane says "Over the two, I have made very many friends."\par
DePlane says "I fell the friendships are much deeper and have better quality than the ones I ahve made in RL{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The abbreviation "RL" stands for "Real Life."}}."\par
DePlane says "The two have also helped me take my mind off of depressing things..."\par
\par
You say \ldblquote like what?\rdblquote \par
\par
DePlane says "My dorm caught on fir about 4 weeks ago, and I was really upset."\par
DePlane says "So I turned heavily to MUDing.\rdblquote \par
\par
You say "did you lose all your stuff?"\par
\par
DePlane says "Yes, almost everything."\par
\par
Mara frowns. "That's awful."\par
\par
DePlane says "That was a time when my friends in VL{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The abbreviation \ldblquote VL\rdblquote stands for \ldblquote Virtual Life,\rdblquote which is the opposite of \ldblquote RL
\rdblquote or \ldblquote Real Life.\rdblquote }} helped alot."\par
DePlane says "I also used to be somewhat suicidal, and used to abuse alcohol quite a bit."\par
DePlane says "But now I have something much more fun and safe to do!"\par
DePlane says "I really enjoy helpin people on this, it gives me a feelin that I'm doin something useful with my time."\par
DePlane says "And gettin totally lost in my character is ALOT of fun, too."\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 DePlane is a freshman in college. He tells me that he is getting at least B\rquote
s in all his classes. He has lots of free time, because he likes to sleep only four hours a night. He has few successful relationships with people in real life. Like Foo, he has difficulty expressing his feelings:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Deplane says \ldblquote My father was an alcoholic, we never got along, and I became very closed off from the world... always hidin my feelings inside.\rdblquote \par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16
On the network he has made friends which seem more real to him than those he has made in real life. He even made a network girlfriend, Delilah. DePlane and Delilah exchanged photographs, talked on the phone, and finally agreed to meet in real life. Depl
ane flew across the country to meet her in person over spring break. The body of this paper was written while he was away; I left this section temporarily blank, eagerly awaiting his return. I expected disaster, but was glad to be proved wrong:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 DePlane says "Yes, she was so sweet, and kind, and loving...I felt so wonderful\par
next to her...she was even nicer in person than over the net."\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16
It seems at first remarkable that their real-life encounter was not a disappointment. However, perhaps it becomes less surprising when one considers that Delilah spends as much time as DePlane on MUDs. The two spent enormous amounts of time talking in vi
rtual reality before they met in real life. One of the ways in which DePlane and his new girlfriend Delilah are alike, he feels, is that they both \ldblquote give to others but take so little for [themselves] in return\rdblquote :\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Deplane says "Hmmm...well..like when my Dorm burnt down...yet I had some friends\par
with problems, and I just helped them with their problems, and didn't even\par
mention that....and she does it all the time..when she was havin probs\par
deciding what to do, she was almost in tears one nite I was there, one of her\par
friends called, and she totally pushed her problems out of her mind to help\par
him."\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Delilah\rquote s \ldblquote prob[lem]s deciding what to do\rdblquote
concern her other virtual boyfriend, Nick, a British student she met over the net before meeting DePlane. Nick planned to come meet her over his summer vacation. While DePlane visited Delilah, she worried about w
hat to do about her relationship with Nick. In the end, the now embodied DePlane beat out his still virtual rival.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn Delilah is going to fly to visit DePlane in Pennsylvania in a few months, and is considering moving
there permanently. Will their relationship withstand more than a vacation visit? Will DePlane and Delilah return to the non-virtual world together? DePlane believes that he will MUD much less if Delilah comes to live near him:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 You say "do you think your life will change if she moves to be with you?"\par
You say "I mean your daily life -- the way you spend your day"\par
\par
DePlane says "Yeah, I will wanna be with her more...I would probly give up\par
one of the two MU*s I play."\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Is a real-world friendship more valuable than a virtual one? DePlane states that his MUD friendships \ldblquote are deeper and have better quality\rdblquote
than the ones he has made in real life. Paradoxically, he prepared for his visit to see Delilah in real life with tremendous enthusiasm. Although sexual
interest may be part of his enthusiasm, the situation is not simple. Before they ever met in reality, DePlane and Delilah had text-based sexual relations. \ldblquote TinySex\rdblquote is a common occurrence on MUDs. \par
I asked DePlane whether he now feels differently about the relative merits of virtual and real friendships. He stills feels that his best friends are ones he has made over the network, but he agreed that after meeting Delilah in person \ldblquote
both of [their] feelings intensified strongly,\rdblquote and \ldblquote the actual physical being there seems to heighten things.\rdblquote \par
Regardless of the fate of their romance, it is clear that DePlane has grown as a person through his experience with MUDs. He is no longer alcoholic or suicidal, and he is no longer lonely. He has a large group of n
et friends, and one of those virtual friendships has become a real romance.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 4.\tab Gender Swapping}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16
The impact of gender on social interactions is sometimes subtle in real life, but is obvious in MUDs. New female players are often swarmed with male players vying for their attention. The male players offer technical assistance and gifts of money or obje
cts to help the female player get started. A male player on an LPMud{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }LPMuds are a type of adventure-game-style MUD. See Section 2.2, {\i Adventure-Game-Style MUDs}.}}
spontaneously gave me a bunny-skin helmet and a black cocktail dress. (The dress functioned as armor. ) A male player on TrekMUSE demanded a kiss after answering a technical question. Suggestive comments and winks are common.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn
Most people would acknowledge that gender affects human interactions. Gender swapping on MUDs allows people to experience rather than merely observe this phenomenon. On the USENET news group rec.games.mud, a discussion about practical jokes in MUDs event
ually turned to the topic of gender switching:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 From: Andrew{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
Postings to USENET have an ambiguous status: are they publications in the traditional sense? Can an author be cited by name without permission? Network news is an informal mode of communication, and most people post articles kn
owing that they are available for a limited period of time; postings older than a few weeks are deleted. However, in January of 1992, Sterling Software of Bellevue, Nebraska announced the product Netnews/CD. Subscribers to Netnews/CD receive a CD ROM dis
c each month with all of the previous month's network news postings. As a result, postings are stored permanently and can be searched. This development has alarmed some users. For example, could a potential employer search for all of a person's postings
? Could an employer refuse to hire someone based on what he or she posted to talk.politics or alt.sex.bestiality? In this paper, I have chosen to change the names of both people and characters cited. The postings have been otherwise unchanged. Original
spelling and punctuation are preserved.}}\par
Subject: Re: MUD practical jokes?\par
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1992 10:01:26 GMT\par
\par
Bill writes:{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
When one person quotes another's posting, most news programs automatically insert a ">" before each line and add a preceding attribution line, such as this one. I have simplified the attribution lines for confidentiality and clarity. }}\par
\pard \s1\li720 >Of course, the "bestest" of all practical jokes is for a guy to play a\par
>female character, pretending that he's female in real life, and getting\par
>loads of help in the meantime. :) I know, I have done it. Got as far\par
>as the guy wanting me to give him my real phone number, etC. I put it off for\par
>weeks until the guy was near suicidal stage (don't know if he's roleplaying\par
>also though :) Then, I finally told him the truth. \par
>\par
>Accomplished the same thing to several other "guys" also. There was even\par
>this guy from my campus trying to pick me up on mud. Little did he know\par
>that I live several rooms down the hall from him in the same dorm.\par
\par
Back when I had time for MUD, I, too, played female characters.\par
I found it extraordinarily interesting. It gave me a slightly more\par
concrete understanding of why some women say, "Men suck."\par
It was both amusing and disturbing.\par
\par
But there were male players who did impress me. One most gallant\par
player I met, coincidentally, on HoloMUD{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The name of this MUD has been changed.}}. He was\par
courteous and eloquent; such traits were uncommon among the\par
male MUDders I encountered in my masquerade. By chance, we both met\par
on another MUD under different names. When I said I could be reached\par
on HoloMUD, he asked who I was, and we both had a good\par
laugh when the truth was revealed. Sadly, my poor character lost\par
his attention thereafter, but she's resilient...\par
\par
Another person I encountered did not take such revelation nearly\par
so well. Upon our first meeting, he'd told me of his sorrow at \par
breaking up with a girlfriend, and I tried to be kind and supportive.\par
When it became evident that he was seeking more than friendship, I was\par
faced with a difficult choice. I couldn't lie to him further, but the\par
truth would be painful at a time when he really did not need pain.\par
I couldn't keep dodging his questions about RL. RL intervened\par
by occupying all of my MUDtime, and when we met later on a different\par
MUD, I reluctantly told him the truth. He was understandably hurt\par
and angry, but he got over whatever pain he felt, and our relationship\par
remained amiable.\par
\par
This taught me a well-deserved lesson, however. It's dangerous to\par
tamper with others' visions of reality. You can distort them\par
much more easily than you think, and you can hurt people. \par
Please note that this observation applies to myself only.\par
I won't presume to inflict my beliefs on others. \par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Andrew's masquerade is a psychological exploration. Bill takes a mischievous delight in deception for profit. Each in his own way has come to understand better how gender structures human interactions. \par
It is worth noting that the way women are treated in MUDs is not the same as the way women are treated in real life. Men at cocktail parties have never given me skimpy black dresses or requested kisses in exchange for directions to the refreshments-- it i
s rarely that blatant. However, the treatment of women in MUDs and in real life are not entirely unrelated. Being able to experience rather than merely observe the differences in virtual reality helps people to understand the phenomena in real life.
\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn Carol offers a different response to Bill's posting:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 \par
From: Carol\par
Subject: Re: MUD practical jokes?\par
Date: 27 Jan 92 09:27:18 GMT\par
\par
Bill writes:\par
\pard \s1\li720 >Of course, the "bestest" of all practical jokes is for a guy to play a\par
>female character, pretending that he's female in real life, and getting\par
>loads of help in the meantime. :) I know, I have done it. Got as far\par
>as the guy wanting me to give him my real phone number, etC. I put it off for\par
>weeks until the guy was near suicidal stage (don't know if he's roleplaying\par
>also though :) Then, I finally told him the truth. \par
\par
I don't think that's particularly funny - but then I play in Britain, so\par
I think that summoning high levels out of peaceful rooms into the midst of\par
hordes of vicious first-levels *is* funny.{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
Behavior that would be considered inappropriate on most United States MUDs-- practical jokes, player killing, and stealing from other players-- is the norm on British MUDs. Why this is true is a question worth further exploration.}}\par
\par
WHat I *do* think is funny is this misconception that women can't play\par
muds, can't work out puzzles, can't even type "kill monster" without help.\par
(Okay, I admit we have it on this side of the Atlantic too...) Thanks, guys.\par
When we get JIPS,{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }I have been unable to find out what \ldblquote JIPS\rdblquote stands for. If you know, please send me email! I can be reached at asb@media-lab.media.mit.edu.}}
remind me not to waste my time on Atlantic muds - they\par
obviously suffer from the same defect as those over here. I log on, they\par
work out I am female, and then the fun begins. Oh joy! After all, I don't\par
log on to see whether people have found bugs with my little area, or to\par
dispense arbitrary justice ("Please, Miss, he stole my sword!") or to\par
find a friend. I call Aber-o-rama{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The name of the MUD has been changed.}} (for this is the place) expressly to meet\par
little spods who think (I assume) that because I am female I need help.\par
People offering me help to solve puzzles *I* wrote are to going to get\par
very far.\par
\par
Do you think all women in real life too are the same? We don't squeak\par
and look helpless *all* the time (in my case, only when I am tired and\par
can't be bothered to wire the plug, change a fuse or remove the centipede\par
from the bath (I really should move house...)).\par
\par
Fortunately things are not that bad on Aber-o-rama. Usually. But if Anarchy \par
carries out his threat of putting the machine running it onto internet,\par
then look out for me...I shall forget my wizard, sign the assassins' \par
handbook, and be out for justice on behalf of all other women who have\par
had their time wasted by people thinking all women behave the way Bill\par
plays his characters :-)\par
\par
For the humour-impaired: Now don't get on your high horses. All stroppy\par
mail will be cheerfully junked (I haven't that much quota) But remember:\par
that woman you are chatting up happily may one day turn out to Bill -\par
or, worse yet, it may be me, wasting your time. I'll sit there and chat\par
you up too, gauge what you know about the game, and then drop you in any\par
area of the game you don't yet know. If there ain't one, I shall make one\par
first :-)\par
\tab \tab \par
\tab \par
\pard \s1\li720\keepn PS No doubt Bill was already replied to. Possibly in spades - which\par
would explain the size this newsgroup grew to over the weekend. If so,\par
then you'll have hit 'k' on the subject anyway if you have any sense{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }It is possible to eliminate all postings with a particular subject by using the {\i kill} command.}}. I've
\par
read this group for a year or so now, and watched the flamings with \par
interest...how *can* you get so het up about what is, after all, only a \par
\pard \s1\li720 game?\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Dennis concurs with Carol:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 \par
From: Dennis\par
Subject: Re: MUD practical jokes?\par
Date: 27 Jan 92 20:27:50 GMT\par
\par
Carol writes:\par
\pard \s1\li720 >WHat I *do* think is funny is this misconception that women can't play\par
>muds, can't work out puzzles, can't even type "kill monster" without help.\par
\par
I played a couple of muds as a female, one making up to wizard level.\par
And the first thing I noticed was that the above was true. Other\par
players start showering you with money to help you get started, and I\par
had never once gotten a handout when playing a male player. And then\par
they feel they should be allowed to tag along forever, and feel hurt\par
when you leave them to go off and explore by yourself. Then when you\par
give them the knee after they grope you, they wonder what your problem\par
is, reciting that famous saying "What's your problem? It's only a\par
game". Lest you get the wrong idea, there was nothing suggesting\par
about my character, merely a female name and the appropriate pronouns\par
in the bland description. Did I mention the friendly wizard who\par
turned cold when he discovered I was male in real life? I guess some\par
people are jerks in real life too.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Ellen provides an interesting counter point:\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720\keepn \f16\fs20 \par
From: Ellen\par
Subject: Genderbending (was Re: MUD practical jokes?)\par
Date: 28 Jan 92 20:00:24 GMT\par
\par
Dennis writes:{\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Ellen is quoting Dennis quoting Carol. In most news programs, quoted material is preceded by angle brackets. Two angle brackets indicate a quotation of a quotation. }}
\par
>Carol writes:\par
\pard \s1\li720 >>WHat I *do* think is funny is this misconception that women can't play\par
>>muds, can't work out puzzles, can't even type "kill monster" without help.\par
\par
>I played a couple of muds as a female, one making up to wizard level.\par
>And the first thing I noticed was that the above was true. Other\par
>players start showering you with money to help you get started, and I\par
>had never once gotten a handout when playing a male player.\par
\par
This is very odd. I played LPmud once, just to find out what it was\par
like. Since most LP'sdo something hideous with my preferred\par
capitalization of my preferred name, I chose a different name, and\par
thought, what the heck, I'd try genderbending and find out if it was\par
true that people would be nasty and kill me on sight and other stuff\par
I'd heard about on r.g.m{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The abbreviation \ldblquote r.g.m\rdblquote stands for \ldblquote rec.games.mud,\rdblquote
the USENET news group on which this discussion is taking place.}}. But, no, everyone was helpful (I was truly\par
clueless and needed the assistance); someone gave me enough money to\par
buy a weapon and armor and someone else showed me where the\par
easy-to-kill newbie{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }
A newbie is a new player with little experience. According to [Raymond 91], the term comes from British slang for "new boy," and first became popular on the net
in the group talk.bizarre. A newbie monster is a monster that a low-level player could defeat.}} monsters were. They definitely went out of their\par
way to be nice to a male-presenting newbie... (These were all\par
male-presenting players, btw.)\par
\par
One theory is that my male character (Argyle, description "A short\par
squat fellow who is looking for his socks") was pretty innocuous.\par
Maybe people are only nasty if you are "A broad-shouldered perfect\par
specimen of a man" or something of that nature, which can be taken as\par
vaguely attacking. People are nice if they don't view you as a threat.\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 \par
Ellen's point is intriguing, and takes the discussion to a new level of sophistication. In {\i Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego}, Sigmund Freud suggests that \ldblquote love relationships... constitute the essence of the group mind\rdblquote
[Freud 89, p. 31]. Issues of sexual power structure interpersonal interactions, and are more complex than \ldblquote boy chases girl.\rdblquote
Argyle's description invites a phallic interpretation-- he is short and squat, and the reference to socks carries a connotation of limpness. Since Argyle is clearly not a sexual threat, he receives kinder treatment. \par
One cannot fail to be impressed by the quality of the netnews discussion, as Sherry Turkle was impressed by listening to small children discuss whether a computer could cheat [Turkle 84]. MUDs are an evocative object for issues
of gender and identity in general.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 5.\tab Mud Addiction}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16
MUDs were banned at Amherst college in early 1992, a step that many colleges and universities have chosen to take. In most cases, MUDs are banned because system administrators are concerned about the drain the games are putting on their limited computing
resources. However, there is also often a concern that some students are becoming addicted to MUDs. Felix, an Amherst student, writes on rec.games.mud:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 As to comments about my personal attachment to MUD: If you think I was freaked\par
at the loss of MUD (and when I wrote that article), you are right. If you\par
think I now lay under the covers of my bed, afraid to face the world, you are\par
WRONG. I have as much of a non-MUD life as anyone! In fact, among the Amherst\par
MUDders, I spent comparatively little time on the system- about 20 hours per\par
week. Some of my friends spent four times as much.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Felix\rquote s tone is defensive; he appears to be worried about how much of a \ldblquote non-MUD life\rdblquote he has. He appears to be trying to convince himself as much as others that he has a life outside of MUD.
\par
In the world of MUDding, 20 hours a week is not much time. Foo MUDs more than 40 hours per week, and DePlane MUDs over 80. This is shocking when one compares that time investment to the hours it would take to play a varsity sport, be on the staff of a sc
hool paper, or have a typical social life. For many players, MUDding substitutes for all other social activities.\par
\pard \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn For some, virtual reality becomes more \ldblquote real\rdblquote than real life. Jean Baudrillard called this phenomenon the {\i hyperreal}
. Disneyland is more American than America itself could ever be [Baudrillard 88]. Representations of reality can be more compelling than the real thing. MUDding is not \ldblquote just a game,\rdblquote as Geoff eloquently argues on rec.games.mud:
\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 But the simple fact of the matter is that, to MANY players, it is NOT\par
"just a game". Everybody mouths that phrase (usually when it protects\par
their own actions) -- but it's clearly false. Oh, to *some* people,\par
it *might* be just a game... but to many -- perhaps most -- it is\par
not.\par
\par
People spend _hours_ in front of terminals working on their\par
characters, their objects, or making wiz, or whatever. When people\par
spend _that_ much of their lives devoted to building something, it is\par
no longer "a game". Also, the interactions that take place between\par
human beings using the computer as a medium are every bit as real as\par
those that take place in person, over the telephone, or whatever.\par
Yet, many people do many things in VR{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The abbreviation \ldblquote VR\rdblquote stands for \ldblquote Virtual Reality.\rdblquote }} that they would never do in RL\par
(I'm not talking about hacking at fake monsters, I mean in their\par
interactions with other "players", who are really people on the other\par
end).\par
\par
Some people get their kicks out of having the sort of petty power over\par
other people that high-level chars on LPs, wizzes, gods, etc, have\par
(many use it well, of course, and *someone* has to do it -- I'm not\par
knocking admins -- I was a wiz myself on a now-dead mud). But\par
sometimes they use it by simply bashing all the player files and\par
starting over, for who knows why, just 'cuz it doesn't bother them,\par
and maybe it might be fun to watch all these people squirm and whine.\par
Now I don't know anything about what happened on Orlith, and I'm not\par
trying to make commentary about that specific situation -- but the\par
fact is that this sort of thing happens.\par
\par
But if you knew someone, who, in RL, suddenly came along and, on a\par
whim, just deleted, say, your 20-page paper, you'd think that person\par
was a jerk -- even if you were writing it on *their* computer and had no \par
"right" to keep it from being deleted.\par
\par
To say that players on a mud are a dime-a-dozen is to say that\par
*people* are worth no more than a dime-a-dozen. When I was a wiz, I\par
ran into this attitude among my compatriots all too frequently.\par
Whether you're a mortal or not, you need to realize that the "players"\par
on muds have feelings and lives just as real as yours. I've seen far\par
too many people be needlessly hurt.\par
\par
If you think someone in RL might get upset if you started cursing at\par
them in public -- guess what? They'll probably get upset on the mud,\par
too. <shock -- it's only "just a game"!> The sad part is that people\par
who have too much self-respect and restraint to do those sorts of\par
things in RL often do it through muds, where anonymity and distance\par
protect them.\par
\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Is MUD addiction a serious problem? For some people, it is. In the course of a discussion about stealing and killing other players on MUDs, Peter posted this warning to rec.games.mud:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 This is really kind of a warning to Mudders everywhere. If you are already\par
totally addicted, this isn't going to help one bit (I know, I've been there),\par
because you're going to have to become disillusioned yourself before you are\par
satisfied with what I am about to say. Mudding is an absolute waste of time\par
and energy.\par
\par
Now you may say that you are having fun, and you may have some goals in your\par
mind (to become a wizard is the usual), but it's a neverending thing, and once\par
you know what goes on behind the scenes, it's no longer fascinating. The final\par
step you may try to take is to try to start your own Mud. This I STRONGLY\par
advise against. If you think Mudding takes up alot of your time, imagine that\par
amount of wasted time multipled by four.\par
\par
My suggestion, if things like "stealing" and "killing" offend you, is to get\par
as far away from anything resembling a Mud as possible as quickly as possible.\par
There is no future in it, it won't ever provide any satisfying return on your\par
time investment, and you get to meet people who actually introduce themselves\par
to you by their character names. Talk about going off the deep end...\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Is MUDding really \ldblquote addictive\rdblquote ? Peter {\i was} able to stop MUDding when he chose to. Are there players who would like to stop but don\rquote
t have the will power? Turkle writes of computer programmers:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20
The issue of mastery has an important role in the development of each individual. For the developing child, there is a point, usually at the start of the school years, when mastery takes on a privileged, central role. I t becomes the key to autonomy, to
the growth of confidence in one\rquote
s ability to move beyond the world of parents to the world of peers. Later, when adolescence begins, with new sexual pressures and new social demands from peers and parents, mastery can provide respite. The safe microworlds the child master
has built-- the microworlds of sports, chess, cars, literature, or mathematical expertise-- can become places of escape. Most children use these platforms from which to test the difficult waters of adolescence. They move out at their own pace. But for s
ome the issues that arise during adolescence are so threatening that the safe place is never abandoned. Sexuality is too threatening to be embraced. Intimacy with other people is unpredictable to the point of being intolerable. As we grow up, we forge o
ur identities by building on the last place in psychological development where we felt safe. As a result, many people come to define themselves in terms of competence, in terms of what they can control.\par
\par
Pride in one\rquote s ability to master a medium is a posi
tive thing. But if the sense of self becomes defined in terms of those things over which one can exert perfect control, the world of safe things becomes severely limited-- because those things tend to be things, not people. Mastery can cease to be a grow
ing force in individual development and take on another face. It becomes a way of masking fears about the self and the complexities of the world beyond. People can become trapped.\par
\par
The computer supports growth and personal development. It also supports entrapment. Computers are not the only thing that can serve this role; people got \ldblquote stuck\rdblquote
long before computers ever came on the scene. But computers do have some special qualities that make them particularly liable to become traps. [Turkle 84, pps. 207-8]\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Not all MUD players are adolescents. However, Allucquere Rosanne Stone observes that \ldblquote
It seems to be the engagement of the adolescent male within humans of both sexes that is responsible for the seductiveness of the cybernetic mode\rdblquote [Stone 91, p. 108]. Turkle\rquote s thesis is that \ldblquote people are not \lquote addicted
\rquote to test piloting or race-car driving or computer programming. They are addicted to playing with the issue of control\rdblquote [Turkle 84, p. 210]. People of both sexes and all ages play with issues of control and of identity.\par
There is an important difference, however, between Turkle\rquote s isolated computer programmer who relates better to things than people and MUD players: the world of MUDding is first and foremost social. Virtual reality is in between the world
of things and the world of embodied people.\par
However, not all MUDders are adolescents going through a developmental phase, and not all those who stay in virtual reality are \ldblquote stuck.\rdblquote
Do people who spend most of their time in virtual reality necessarily have a problem? It is difficult but important to make a distinction between issues of addiction and value judgments about how people should spend their time. Peter\rquote
s warning indicates that MUDding may be habit forming. MUDs can absorb huge amounts of a person\rquote s time. If a person begins to feel that the time is \ldblquote wasted\rdblquote
and regret that MUDding is forcing other activities out of his/her life, but has difficulty stopping, then this is a problem of addiction. \par
It is tempting but dangerous to impose value judgments on MUD players who are happy with how they are spending their time. Certainly, Foo is courting danger because he is neglecting his responsibilities at work. However, DePlane, despite MUDding 80 hours
a week, still gets above average grades and holds down a part-time job to make his spending money.\par
Jenkins writes about the fan folk song \ldblquote Weekend-Only World\rdblquote (quoted in Section 2.4.2, {\i Participatory Culture}) that it \ldblquote expresses the fans\rquote
recognition that fandom offers not so much as an escape from reality as an alternative reality whose values may be more humane and democratic than those held by mundane society.\rdblquote The author of the song \ldblquote gains power and ident
ity from the time she spends within fan culture; fandom allows her to maintain her sanity in the face of the indignity and alienation of everyday life\rdblquote [Jenkins 92, pps. 280-281].\par
Jenkins\rquote
claims here are strong, and I do not know whether they are true for fandom or whether they translate to the world of MUDding. However, it is important to recognize that when one makes statements about what is a constructive use of another person\rquote
s time, one is making a value judgment. Such judgments often masquerade as \ldblquote taste,\rdblquote and their political and ethical nature can be obscured.\par
\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 6.\tab Conclusion\: TrekMUSE, Two Months Later}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 You paged{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }The page command sends a message to someone not present in the same room.}} Tao with "hi Tao!".{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain
\s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }This transcript has been formatted for clarity. Public announcements have been removed. It is otherwise unedited.}}\par
\par
Tao pages: hi, your paper looks great\par
\par
Tao has arrived.\par
Tao enters from Deck 5A.\par
\par
Tao says "hi"\par
\par
Mara smiles. "Hi Tao!"\par
You say "did you read the old version or the new one?"{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }My character is Mara. Both \ldblquote Mara\rdblquote and \ldblquote you\rdblquote are me.}}\par
\par
Tao says "both"\par
\par
You say "wow! Thanks!"\par
\par
Tao says "I liked it"\par
Tao says "I learned a lot about myself"\par
\par
You say "Really? In what way?"\par
\par
Tao says "Well, in addition to your paper I have been depressed about how lonely I am in RL"\par
Tao says "and I saw a lot of myself in the people you mentioned and quoted"\par
\par
You say "In what way?"\par
\par
Tao says "Well, I realized how much time I do spend mudding ... and how I do sometimes use it as a substitute for RL ... "\par
\par
Mara nods.\par
\par
Tao is very lonely{\fs18\up6 \chftn {\footnote \pard\plain \s246 \f16\fs20 {\fs18\up6 \chftn }Tao here typed \ldblquote pose is very lonely,\rdblquote which appears on both our screens as \ldblquote Tao is very lonely.\rdblquote It is common prac
tice to use pose commands to make statements about oneself.}}\par
\par
Mara frowns. "I'm sorry to hear that!"\par
\par
Tao says "I just have to do something"\par
Tao says "I need love and companionship in RL"\par
Tao sighs\par
\pard\plain \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 Tao and I talk about romantic relationships, friendships, sense of self worth, and the ways in which interpersonal relationships are somehow easier in virtual reality. Our
conversation lasts three hours and fills twenty-seven pages of transcript.\par
\pard\plain \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Tao says "That is one reason I really enjoyed your paper ... it proved that\par
I am not the only one ... and that i can change"\par
\par
You say "you need a hobby"\par
You say "something that will get you meeting new people at school"\par
\par
Tao says "I have a hobby ... VR remember :)"\par
\par
You say "Well, you have tons of friends in VR, right?"\par
\par
Tao says "you are correct ... diane says the same thing"\par
Tao nods\par
\par
You say "So what I'm hearing from you is that you want more EMBODIED friends"\par
\par
Tao says "exactly"\par
\par
You say "who is diane"\par
\par
Tao says "things are so much easier in VR ... Diane is a friend of mine in\par
RL ... we are very good friends"\par
\par
Mara nods.\par
\par
You say "in what ways are things easier in VR?"\par
\par
Tao says "not lovers ... but friends ... a lot of people seem to believe\par
that a guy and a girl can't just be friends ... but we are"\par
\par
You say "they can!"\par
\par
Tao says "I'm not sure why things are easier here ... but they are ...\par
maybe because of the anonymity factor"\par
\par
You say "It's a hard question"\par
\par
Tao nods\par
\par
You say "Because you have a persona here that you wouldn't just discard"\par
\par
Tao says "what, you lost me"\par
\par
You say "so the anonymity isn't because you could become someone else tomorrow"\par
You say "it isn't easier because you can discard your character"\par
You say "most people's characters are important to them"\par
You say "and what people think about the character is important"\par
\par
Tao says "true ... I never really thought of that"\par
\par
You say "so then why is it easier?"\par
\par
Tao says "I have only one active character that is not named Tao and I\par
dont' like him as much"\par
\par
Mara laughs!\par
You say "it's kind of funny... why didn't you like your other self as well?"\par
\par
Tao says "I don't like Gregory as much because he has no really developed personality ... I guess I jsut feel kind of fake in him"\par
Tao says "It is strange"\par
\pard\plain \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 Tao and I talk about the relationship between having multiple selves in virtual reality and being a different person in different contexts in real life. We talk about the imp
act of attractiveness on interpersonal relationships, about body image, about the transition to an adult relationship with one\rquote s parents, and about projections of intimacy-- the illusion that you know someone well in virutal reality:\par
\pard\plain \keepn \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Tao says "you see, I feel I know the person who is 'Mara' ... It took awhile to get to know the true diane"\par
\par
You say "ah, but you don't really know Mara... it's an illusion!"\par
You say "I guess you can project intimacy on people"\par
\par
Tao says "But I do ... Amy Bruckman is the illusion from this point of view"\par
\pard\plain \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 At last Tao asks a difficult question:\par
\pard\plain \keepn \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 Tao says "may I ask you a question?"\par
\par
You say "sure"\par
\par
Tao says "Are you going to keep mu*ing now when your paper is complete...?"\par
\par
Mara looks at her toes.\par
You say "I don't know...."\par
\par
Tao looks at Mara's toes too :)\par
\par
You say "I'm going to still be working on the paper over the summer"\par
You say "you know the section where I wrote about my mixed feelings about\par
MU*ing..."\par
\par
Tao doesn't know what he will be doing over the summer\par
\par
You say "I always feel guilty after I MU* a lot"\par
\par
Tao says "wHy?"\par
\par
You say "it's a mystery"\par
You say "which is I think pretty central to the issues I'm exploring"\par
You say "I went out dancing Thursday night"\par
You say "and had a *great* time"\par
You say "and afterwards I felt good about myself"\par
\par
Tao says "Good"\par
You say "I felt, "I'm the kind of person who goes with 6 friends and dances until 2 on a Thursday""\par
\par
Tao can't dance\par
\par
Mara laughs\par
Mara would teach Tao, were he here.\par
\par
Tao says "So, what is wrong with dancing till 2AM ?"\par
\par
You say "but after I MU*, I feel like...."\par
You say "like I'm a loser"\par
You say "and I can't explain why I feel that way"\par
\par
Tao says "No, you are exploring your own personality"\par
Tao says "At least that is part of the way i look at it"\par
\par
Mara nods. "Yes. That's the good part."\par
\par
Tao says "I have learned about myself since I have been mu*ing"\par
\par
You say "Oh? In what ways?"\par
\par
Tao watches Mara's psychiatrist light kick on :)\par
Tao smiles\par
\par
Mara looks at her toes again. *blush*\par
\par
Tao says "Well, I have learned some of my likes and dislikes and why"\par
Tao says "I have had situations here that I have never had in RL and have had to deal with them"\par
Tao says "I have learned what I think is right and wrong in places"\par
Tao says "see what I mean?"\par
Tao says "err read what I mean :)"\par
\par
You say "Really? Give me an example." \{...\}\par
\par
Tao says "For example ... I have had to solve problems with , give orders\par
too, and deal with subordinates"\par
\par
You say "That's an important experience."\par
You say "The time I spent as a manager in RL was very important to my understanding of people"\par
\par
Tao says "I was faced with the idea of having to serve as defense council for a friend in a situation I didn't like"\par
Tao says "These experiences have helped me know my self better"\par
\par
You say "defense council? Is there a court here?"\par
\par
Tao says "This is on another MUSE"\par
\par
Mara nods.\par
\par
Tao says "And they are going through a mock trial that now that I no all of the details of I don't like"\par
\par
You say "what's the charge?"\par
\par
Tao says "I am not sure ... "\par
Tao says "No one seems to really know"\par
Tao says "That is one reason I didn't really like the situation"\par
\par
You say "hmmmn. There's a clause in the Constitution about that!"\par
You say "you've gotta be charged with something!"\par
\par
Tao says "The 2 people running the trial are not playing by any known rules.. .that is another reason I don't like the situation"\par
\par
Mara nods. "And people really do take this stuff very seriously."\par
\par
Tao says "It is said it has to do with Rape and sexual assault/harrassment"\par
Tao says "But those 2 things are difficult if not impossible in VR"\par
\par
You say "You're kidding!"\par
You say "sexual assault in vr????"\par
\par
Tao says "people are taking it seriously, the only problem is that the\par
charges are not serious ... they began as a joke that someone pushed public"\par
\par
You say "is the accused upset?"\par
\par
Tao can only think of one way someone could successfully Rape or sexually\par
assault soemone in VR\par
Tao says "No, both the accused and the accuser want to come out unscathed... and both parties know that nothing occured ... But at this point neither can withdraw with out being scathed by public opinion"\par
\par
You say "wow. It's fascinating"\par
You say "I suppose virtual rape is still a violation...."\par
You say "but so much less so"\par
\par
Tao says "The accused would be thought guilty ... the accuser would be\par
thought promiscuous"\par
\par
You say "A lot like real life!"\par
\par
Tao says "Virtual rape is a virtual impossibility ... like I said I can only think of one way for it to occur ... and then the person can always type QUIT"\par
\par
Mara nods.\par
\par
Tao says "This would probably make an interesting psychology paper"\par
\par
Mara laughs. "Yes!\rdblquote \par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480 \b\f16\fs28 \page {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480 \b\f16\fs28 Appendix\: Survey of MUD Players}}\par
\pard\plain \f16 \par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480\keepn \f16 In March of 1992, a discussion began on rec.games.mud about the ages of MUD players. I posted a message proposing that people respond to me with the answers to these questions:\par
\par
\pard\plain \s1\li720 \f16\fs20 1) How old are you?\par
\par
2) What is your gender?\par
\par
3) How long have you been playing MU*s?\par
\par
4) How many hours per week do you play? If the amount you play\par
has changed substantially over time, describe the changes.\par
\par
5) How many different MU*s do you play regularly (every week)?\par
\par
6) Do you play primarily adventure-game-style MU*s (Aber, Diku, LP, etc.)\par
or tiny-style MU*s (Tiny, MUSH, MUSE, etc.) or both?\par
\par
7) Are you a wizard/god/director on any MU*?\par
\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 I received 57 responses. The data is not a representative sample, because more casual players won\rquote
t be included. The responses come from people who both read rec.games.mud and bothered to respond to my message. Whether a person is a wizard or
god is perhaps an indication of how serious they are about MUDding. Although only a small percentage of MUD players are wizards, 67% of respondents to this survey are. Despite these limitations, the results are interesting:\par
\pard \s3\ri2160\sl480 \par
\pard\plain \s1\li2160\ri1440\keepn\tx2520\tx3240 \f16\fs20 GENDER\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\tx2520\tx3240 \tab women\tab \tab 16% \tab (9/57)\par
\tab men\tab \tab \tab 84% \tab (48/57)\par
\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\keepn\tx2520\tx3240 WIZARDS\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\tx2520\tx3240 \tab wizards\tab \tab 67% \tab (38/57)\par
\tab non-wizards\tab 33% \tab (19/57)\par
\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\keepn\tx2520\tx3240 AVERAGE AGE\par
\tab all\tab \tab \tab 22.3 \'b1 5.2 years\par
\tab women\tab \tab 25.2 \'b1 5.7 years\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\tx2520\tx3240 \tab men\tab \tab \tab 21.8 \'b1 4.9 years\par
\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\keepn\tx2520\tx3240 COLLEGE AGE (17 to 21)\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\tx2520\tx3240 \tab all\tab \tab \tab 54% \tab (31/57)\par
\tab women\tab \tab 22% \tab (2/9)\par
\tab men\tab \tab \tab 60% \tab (29/48)\par
\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\keepn\tx2520\tx3240 YEARS MUDDING\par
\pard \s1\li2160\ri1440\tx2520\tx3240 \tab all\tab \tab \tab 1.7 \'b1 2.0 years\par
\par
HOURS PER WEEK SPENT MUDDING\par
\tab all\tab \tab \tab 20.2 \'b1 16.9 hours\par
\tab wizards\tab \tab 21.4 \'b1 19.2 hours\par
\tab non-wizards\tab 17.7 \'b1 11.1 hours\par
\par
HOURS HAVE DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY\par
\tab \tab \tab \tab 32% \tab (18/57)\par
\par
TYPE OF MUD PLAYED\par
\tab adventure-style\tab 43.9% (25/57)\par
\tab tiny-style\tab \tab 45.6% (26/57)\par
\tab both\tab \tab \tab 10.5% (6/57)\par
\pard \s1\li720 \par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 The majority of players are college-student age. However, those who are not in the 17 to 21 age range are more likely to be older than younger. Few younger people MUD, because most people obtain network a
ccess through universities or corporations. Therefore, the average age is above that college age, 22.3 years.\par
Men greatly outnumber women. However, women are just as likely as men to play the more-violent adventure-style MUDs. However, women players appear to be slightly older and are less likely to be of college student age. The total number of women who respo
nded is small; however, these results are consistent with my anecdotal observations.\par
There is a tremendous variability in the number of hours people play per week. Thirty-two percent of respondents said that real world concerns have led them to MUD much less than they used to.\par
Adventure-style MUDs and tiny-style MUDs are equally popular.\par
\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 \page {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 Acknowledgments}}\par
\pard\plain \s3\fi720\sl480 \f16 I\rquote
d like to thank my advisor, Professor Glorianna Davenport, for her support in all of my intellectual endeavors. Professor Sherry Turkle provided the inspiration for this paper, and has been generous with her time and her ideas. The narrative-intelligen
ce reading group at the Media Lab has provided a forum for the development of these ideas. I\rquote d like to thank all the people I interviewed for sharing with me a part of themselves. Lastly, thanks go to the players and characters of TrekMUSE.\par
\pard\plain \f16 {\b \par
\par
\par
\par
}\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 {\v {\tc\tcl1\pard\plain \s5\sl480\keepn \b\f16\fs28 Bibliography}}\par
\pard\plain \fi-2160\li2160\keepn \f16 {\b \par
}\pard \fi-2160\li2160 [Baudrillard 88]\tab Baudrillard, Jean. \ldblquote Simulacra and Simulations.\rdblquote In {\i Jean Baudrillard, Selected Writings}, edited by Mark Poster. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1988.\par
\par
[Curtis 92]\tab Curtis, Pavel. \ldblquote Mudding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities.\rdblquote Proceedings of DIAC \lquote 92. Available via anonymous ftp from parcftp.xerox.com, pub/MOO/papers/DIAC92.\{ps, txt\}.\par
\par
[Erikson 85]\tab Erikson, Erik H. {\i Childhood and Society}. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1985.\par
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[Freud 89]\tab Freud, Sigmund. {\i Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego}. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989.\par
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[Jenkins 92]\tab Jenkins, Henry. {\i Textual Poachers, Television Fans and Participatory Culture}. New York: Routledge, 1992 (forthcoming).\par
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[Papert 80]\tab Papert, Seymour. {\i Mindstorms: Children Computes, and Powerful Ideas}. New York: Basic Books, 1980.\par
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[Raymond 91]\tab Raymond, Eric. {\i The New Hackers Dictionary}. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991.\par
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[Reid 91]\tab Reid, Elizabeth. "Electropolis: Communication and Community on Internet Relay Chat." Bachelors thesis, University of Melbourne, 1991. Available via anonymous ftp from freebie.engin.umich.edu: pub/text/IRCThesis/electropolis\{ps,text\}.Z.
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[Sterling 86]\tab Sterling, Bruce. Preface to {\i Mirrorshades, The Cyberpunk Anthology}. New York: Ace Books, 1986.\par
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[Stone 91]\tab Stone, Allucquere Rosanne. \ldblquote Will the Real Body Please Stand Up?: Boundary Stories about Virtual Cultures.\rdblquote In {\i Cyberspace, First Steps}. Michael Benedikt, editor. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991.\par
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[Turkle 84]\tab Turkle, Sherry. {\i The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit.} New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984.\par
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[Winner 86]\tab Winner, Langdon. \ldblquote Technologies as Formas of Life,\rdblquote and \ldblquote Do Artifacts Have Politics?\rdblquote In {\i The Whale and the Reactor}. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.\par
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\sect \sectd \linemod0\linex0\cols1\endnhere \pard\plain \qc \f16 {\fs48 \par
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Identity Workshop:\par
}{\fs36 Emergent Social and Psychological Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Reality\par
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\pard \qc by\par
{\fs28 Amy Bruckman\par
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}MIT Media Laboratory\par
asb@media-lab.media.mit.edu\par
Mara@TrekMUSE\par
jaime@lots-o-places\par
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{\i Comments welcome via electronic mail.\par
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April 5th, 1992\par
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