Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I
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Players have been experiencing graphical MMOs for nearly two decades now, but before we get into those -- a preface.
The MUD, or Multi-User-Dungeon, is where it all began. The first MUDs were all text, accepting commands and responding with descriptions (along with possible directions the player could travel) in the style of text adventure games like Zork.
The first MUD was developed by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw at Essex University in 1978. Thousands of others followed over the years, and many of them are still operating today. You can even still play Bartle and Trubshaw's original MUD at its website.
It's important to acknowledge these text games in any discussion about the history of MMOs. After all, EverQuest is basically DikuMUD in fancy clothing!
