MMORPGs Have Been Around for Much Longer Than You Realize

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Video games come in many different types, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games, or MMORPGs, are particularly popular. While games like World of Warcraft are well-known examples, they weren’t the first of their kind. MMORPGs actually have a long history, and the genre itself is quite old. Its origins can be traced back to text-based games called Multi-user dungeons, or MUDs. These early MUDs paved the way for the graphical MMORPGs we enjoy today and are an important part of video game history.

Modern online games, even MUDs, have roots in older text-based adventures like Colossal Cave Adventure and Zork. These early games proved that computers could offer interactive experiences similar to Dungeons & Dragons, relying on players’ imaginations to bring the worlds to life. MUDs then built on this foundation, adding a key element: the ability to play with others online. In fact, MUDs were the first online games, appearing well before popular titles like Doom became available in the 1990s.

Modern Gaming Owes Its Roots to MUDs

If you’ve ever played online games, you actually owe a bit of thanks to something called a MUD, even if you’ve never heard of it. It all started in 1978 with a student named Roy Trubshaw at the University of Essex. He created the first MUD – short for Multi-User Dungeon – as he and other programmers explored what early computer languages could do. He then passed the game on to another student, Richard Bartle, who continued to develop it. This original MUD went through a few names, including Essex MUD and MUD1, and ran on the university’s computer network. This was before the widespread Internet existed, but Great Britain had a network for universities called JANET.

I first got into MUDs when it showed up on JANET, and it was kinda weird – you could only play during the super early morning hours, like between 2 am and 8 am on weekdays, because that’s when the network wasn’t busy. But it was amazing! It turned out to be the first time anyone could really play a multiplayer RPG online, and honestly, it’s like the great-grandparent of all the MMORPGs we have today. Because it got so popular, people started making their own versions – I remember hearing about AberMud, which was run out of a university in Wales. Throughout the 80s, more and more MUDs popped up all over the world, and eventually, when commercial internet services became a thing, it became way easier for everyone to join in.

Just like with most video game types, modern MMORPGs are vastly different from their predecessors, MUDs. MMORPGs offer a visually rich experience and require much more computer power than text-based MUDs. However, MMORPGs wouldn’t exist without MUDs. As the internet became widely available in the 1990s, MUDs began to incorporate graphics, creating more immersive online worlds. These early experiments eventually paved the way for games like World of Warcraft and many other popular MMORPGs we enjoy today.

MUDs May Have Evolved, but They Haven’t Gone Anywhere

Over time, MUDs became less popular as games with graphics took their place. However, quite a few text-based MUDs are still active today. For example, Aardwolf has been running since 1996, and others like Alter Aeon, Discworld MUD, Legends of the Jedi, BatMUD, Wheel of Time MUD, and Dune MUD are also still available. Beyond these older games, new ones are constantly being created – several even launched in the 2010s. While they aren’t as widely played as more modern online games, these text-based adventures continue to be enjoyed by a dedicated group of players.

Have you ever played MUDs, either back in the day or currently? Share your experiences and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-19 22:40