Larsen's article in particular interested me because he discusses a form of mu*ing that I've overlooked: the purely social muds, where the whole point is not to roleplay, but to 'talk'. Larsen addresses several reasons why people might enjoy text-based conversation more than face-to-face. First is the lack of preconceived behavior based on sex, race, etc. Second is humorous overtones of much of the conversation, helped along by 'inside' jokes among the regular chatters. To these I'd add a third: the control the user exercises over when and to whom to talk. By checking the 'WHO' list upon login, pagelocking, @idle messages, the social MUD allows the user to manipulate the environment of the chat in a way hard to match offline.
Not everything is easier online, though. The lack of cues from body language and tone of voice can lead to misunderstandings that develop into serious flamewars in the space of a few minutes. And the rapidity with which intimate friendships develop in a MU* environment does nothing to alleviate the disappointment when, due to RL circumstances, an online friend vanishes just as fast.
Well, that's a brief preview of this edition of the JMR. Check it out and let us know what you think. RP on!
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