what is a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD)?
One of the more popular leisure activities on the Internet is “MUDing, use of a form of “shared-world role-playing.” MUDs–Multi-User Dungeons–are the basis for games and role playing as well as educational services and even serious collaborative research. MUDs are among the most popular online diversions today. MUDs are programs that allow you to interact in real-time with other people in a virtual environment. Just as the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) lets people at different Internet sites share ASCII conversations in real-time, the Internet also lets users at different locations play together in MUDs. Historically, MUDs have been “ASCII-based shared virtual reality,” with conversations and descriptions consisting of ASCII text and possibly ASCII graphic displays. You give commands through ASCII, cursor, or Control-key sequences. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds; if you’ve ever played a computer game such as Adventure or Zork, you are already familiar with it.
