text-based MUDs

In 2007-08 I was a freshman and I lived in Couzens Hall. In each dorm there is a community computer lab. I would go there [sometimes] to print things. Frequently, I saw the same boy in there. He mostly wore a forest green button down shirt. It seemed like he was always typing quickly into a chat room. This chat room had a black background. I did not know what he was doing. For 4 months I did not pay attention, really.

Over time, I developed a crush on this boy. I would talk about it with my girlfriends and they thought I was "being fucking weird" and "was being a stalker." I would talk about how cute I thought he was and I think they might have disagreed with this.

I began to go to the the computer lab more frequently. One day I sat in the row behind the boy. I squinted and noticed that he was on a website with this logo:



I went home and did a little bit of research. Here is what I found:

"Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands is a roleplay-intensive, text-based multi-user dungeon (MUD) released in 1997."

A MUD IS:

"In online gaming, a MUD (multi-user dungeon), pronounced /mʌd/, is a multi-user real-time virtual world described entirely in text. It combines elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, interactive fiction, and online chat. Players can read descriptions of rooms, objects, other players, non-player characters, and actions performed in the virtual world. Players interact with each other and the world by typing commands that resemble a natural language."

A few days later the boy was in the computer lab playing the MUD. I asked the boy, Excuse me, are you playing Achaea? The boy looked surprised.

I talked to the boy and his friend. Me and the boy formed a friendship. We became facebook friends. Over spring break we hung out in the dorms. We watched and discussed anime. We ate lunch a few times. I quickly realized I did not want a romantic relationship with the boy.

This is how I learned about MUDS. This was not my last interaction with them though I have never actually played so I guess I was/remain a giant MUD POSER. I think MUDs can interact well with the facets of limited fork theory as I currently understand it. I am going to register on the Achaea website tonight.