Reading: Sherry Turkle ‘Who Am We? thoughts on MUD roleplaying

In regards to the motives behind MUD players I believe many can be put down to a form of escapism. From the examples shown, it seems many of the subjects found real life social situations difficult. I believe that it is a basic need to have some sort of communication with others. It is then understandable that such MUDer's would choose to interact in a less personal and demanding virtual world. The need for escapism however, I believe to be personal.

It was shown that many choose to show parts of their hidden personality, or create a new persona for themselves. It is then understandable why this is theorised as a type of self-improvement or adjustment. The role playing elements of MUD's allow for one to become whoever they want to be - a sort of secret life if you will.

However, when the issue of gender swapping was brought up, I disagree with such a straightforward 'cross dressing' idea. From a personal perspective, I'd say 3/4 of the male gamers I know play as female characters. This is not something they feel embarrassed about or try to hide. It is generally agreed that if one is going to spend a considerable amount of time looking at a character, they'd prefer it to be attractive. If a male finds another male character attractive, surely that is more homosexual than wanting to see a female character?

As I believe it is important to give a personal point of view to issues that effect oneself, I shall discuss my own MUD habits.

I know many MUDer's that play online MMO RPG's (Massively Multi player Online Role-Playing games) regularly. Their general view of their gaming habits is as a form of addiction. With so much to do, it is hard to prioritise real life activities over gaming ones. This is a point I'm inclined to agree with.

I personally do not play MMO's. I find them too time (and money) consuming and do not have time to commit to such demanding hobbies. The closest I have to MMO practises is Guild Wars.

Guild Wars is similar to an MMO in that it allows you to play and role play with people from all over the world. You can create characters with different professions, travel over continents, fight with other gamers or simply role play in the virtual world. In reflection with creating a 'new you' or 'real you', my gaming experience differs slightly. My characters are based on what profession they are. My monk is a simple blonde Asian character, my assassin is a small, dark haired ninja type character. I have never created a character that reflects myself or my personality. However, as I have low self esteem, it could be argued my form of escapism is by becoming all these different characters.

Where my MUD habits differ is that I don't play for communication. I have only ever experienced males wishing to 'cyber-sex' in online chat rooms and find them pointless unless you are meeting someone specific.

In conclusion, I believe the theory of MUDers practising a form of escapism to be correct, however it is always important to see the difference in personality and desire between each subject.