Quite by accident, and quite independent of my return to the gopherspace, I've started getting back into MUDs.

20+ years ago I alternated between grindy loot-heavy fantasy MUDs and a few role play-centric games. I always got bored with them before reaching any kind of elite status, but the trip up the level ladder was always enjoyable. Like Final Fantasy but with more of my own imagination involved.

The MUD scene today is shockingly similar to the MUD scene of yesterday, right down to the green-on-black HTML home pages. A lot of projects from the '90s are actually still running. A few quality of life improvements have come about, including crude auto-mapping systems and telnet alternatives, but otherwise it's the same old MUD.

MUD creators don't seem as concerned with attracting huge player bases or generating buzz about their titles as mainstream or even indie designers. They make what they're interested in making, they refine as they see fit, and people enjoy what they produce as a result.

There's a lot to like about the MUD world, even as an adult who isn't interested in typing >kill skeleton 300 times in an afternoon in order to reach the next level.

Another coincidence is a new MUD-building event kicks off Oct 1: NaMuBuMo, National MUD Building Month[0]. Make 100 rooms and 10 NPCs in 30 days, simply because you can.

I'm doing it. I don't know how, but I'm doing it.

[0] https://namubumo.com/