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Center) and installed and run there since 1990 by Pavel Curtis. This site is structured like a large house with nearby grounds and community. It forms a paradigm within which participants can log on via telnet from different locations around the globe, adopt character names ranging from "real" to, more commonly, some form of fantasy, and converse directly with one another in real time. In this house, one may move from room to room by indicating directions to "walk" or by "teleporting" directly, create one's own personalized abode, and entertain discussion with the vast population—over 8000—of inhabitants. interactions within the LambdaMOO commons, the Living Room, acclimate one quickly
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of the house in The Living Room, a common hangout and place for conversation; its fixtures include a fireplace (where things can be roasted), The Living Room Couch (which periodically causes players' objects to 'fall through' to underneath the couch), and a pet
Cockatoo who repeats overheard phrases (which is sometimes found with its beak gagged). Occasionally, the Cockatoo is replaced with a more seasonal creature: a Turkey near Thanksgiving, a Raven near Halloween, et cetera.
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players, and may then be submitted for administrative 'vetting'. Once vetted, the petition has a limited time to collect enough signatures to become valid and be made into a ballot. Ballots are subsequently voted on; those with a 66% approval rating are passed and will be implemented. This system suffered quite a lot of evolution and eventually passed into a state where
171:(MUD) – virtual communities. Around 1987–1988, the expansion of the global internet allowed more users to experience the MUD. Pavel Curtis at Xerox Parc noted that they were "almost exclusively for recreational purposes." Curtis determined to explore whether the MUD could be non-recreational. He developed
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In come into LambdaMOO through the closet. The closet is the port of entry, the Ellis Island for all immigrants to this virtual world. It's a dark, cramped space and I keep bumping into coats, boots, and the bodies of sleeping, huddled masses. That's what's happening at LambdaMOO, a 3-year-old MOO
205:
To the north of the Living Room is the
Entrance Hall, the Front Yard, and a limited residential area along LambdaStreet. There is an extensive subterranean complex located down the manhole, including a sewage system. Players walking to the far west along LambdaStreet may be given the option to 'jump
215:
To the east of the entry hall, hallways provide access to some individual rooms, the Linen Closet, and to the eastern wing of the house. In the eastern wing can be found the
Library of online books, the Museum of generic objects (which account-holders may create instances of), and an extensive area
201:
central geography was based on Pavel Curtis's
California home. New players and guests traditionally connected in "The Coat Closet", but a second area, "The Linen Closet" (specially programmed as a silent area) was later added as an alternative connection point. The coat closet opens onto the center
235:
implemented a petition/ballot mechanism, allowing the community to propose and vote on new policies and other administrative actions. A petition may be created by anyone eligible to participate in politics (those who have maintained accounts at the MOO for at least 30 days), can be signed by other
634:
The original designers only create the core of the world and the means by which it can be extended; thereafter, they hand it over to the players to do with as they wish (although there's a problem if what the players wish for is that the designers will take back control, as they famously did with
512:
I will examine this spectrum of practices with reference to a specific chat and role-playing site on the
Internet, one of the numerous MUDs (multi-user dungeons or dimensions) known as LambdaMOO (MOO referring to MUD-Object-Oriented programming language), located at Xeroc PARC (Palo Alto Research
478:
One PARC researcher, Pavel Curtis, is looking closely at MUDs Curtis built on the work of Steven White, a student at the
University of Waterloo (Canada). In January 1991, he opened LambdaMOO. Hundreds of players flocked to
338:
set up by Pavel Curtis at Xerox's Palo Alto
Research Center (see WIRED 2.02, page 90). Curtis, a programming language designer and implementer, put the MOO together as an experiment; it has turned into a real community.
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To the south of the Living Room is a pool deck, a hot tub, and some of the extensive grounds of the mansion, featuring gardens, hot air balloon landing pads, open fields, fishing holes, and the like.
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took back the power they'd passed into the hands of the people, but still maintain the ballot system as a way for the community to express its opinions.
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To the northwest of the living room are the laundry room, garage, dining room, smoking room, drawing room, housekeeper's quarters, and kitchen.
127:, it is operated and administered entirely on a volunteer basis. Guests are allowed, and membership is free to anyone with an e-mail address.
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Since the creation of the original LambdaMOO map, many users have expanded the MOO by making additional rooms with the command "@dig."
179:. This software was subsequently made available to the public. Several starter databases, known as cores, are available for MOOs;
404:
opens, hosted at Xerox PARC, where it promptly becomes a major influence in the development of social issues in virtual spaces.
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Pavel Curtis and David A. Nichols. "MUDs Grow Up: Social
Virtual Reality in the Real World". Xerox PARC, May 5, 1993.
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Stivale, Charles J. (1997). "Spam: Heteroglossia and
Harassment in Cyberspace". In Porter, David (ed.).
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Definitely the leading candidate for the title of largest MOO (more than 8,000 residents),
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off the edge of the world', which disables access to their account for three months.
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numbered close to 10,000 around 1994, with over 300 actively connected at any time.
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1990 Pavel Curtis does substantial modifications to White's MOO code, creating
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444:(which was to become a favorite of journalists, academics, and social misfits)
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has been highly influential in the examination of virtual-world social issues.
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LambdaMOO can refer to the software, the server, or the community of users.
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563:"Public Literature: Narratives and Narrative Structures in LambaMOO"
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While most MOOs are run by administrative fiat, in summer of 1993
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Art and
Innovation - The Xerox PARC Artist-in-Residence Program
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software to run on the LambdaMOO server, which implements the
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187:" name is from Curtis's own username on earlier MUD systems.
659:. Random House / Michael Wolff & Company, Inc. pp.
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is a veritable universe, centering on a cavernous mansion
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106:
45:
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Maloni, Kelly; Baker, Derek; Wice, Nathaniel (1994).
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652:
596:"G4 - Feature - The Incredible Tale of LambdaMOO"
491:
489:
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159:LambdaMOO has its roots in the 1978–1980 work by
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380:Mulligan, Jessica; Patrovsky, Bridgette (2003).
650:
738:
484:
724:
500:(pbk. ed.). Routledge. pp. 94–95.
440:had two important offspring: Pavel Curtis'
382:Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide
183:itself uses the LambdaCore database. The "
1104:Video games developed in the United States
1063:
731:
717:
320:"Johnny Manhattan Meets the Furry Muckers"
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167:to create and expand the concept of
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534:. London: Fourth Estate Limited.
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841:Bartle taxonomy of player types
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109:. It is the oldest MOO today.
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123:. Now hosted in the state of
1:
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7:
384:. New Riders. p. 452.
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133:gained some notoriety when
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1125:
622:. New Riders. p. 60.
425:. New Riders. p. 11.
352:"Escape From the Internet"
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147:there. Over its history,
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1017:Iron Realms Entertainment
1002:
970:
916:Player versus environment
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469:. Vol. 2, no. 2
328:. Vol. 2, no. 3
84:
71:
63:
51:
39:
26:
21:
979:Designing Virtual Worlds
619:Designing Virtual Worlds
422:Designing Virtual Worlds
177:MOO programming language
105:of the variety called a
115:was founded in 1990 by
704:LiveJournal community
1042:Mythic Entertainment
986:A Rape in Cyberspace
921:Player versus player
896:Non-player character
781:codebases, libraries
293:A Rape in Cyberspace
137:wrote a book called
58:Platform independent
831:Alternate character
740:Multi-user dungeons
35:, project community
248:The population of
169:Multi-User Dungeon
1086:
1085:
1047:Plaintext Players
1037:The Mud Connector
457:Rheingold, Howard
350:Maragkou, Eleni.
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911:Player character
906:Persistent world
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598:. Archived from
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498:Internet Culture
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103:online community
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1109:Xerox spin-offs
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1004:
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923:, Playerkilling
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779:Minor branches,
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671:
649:
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630:
614:Bartle, Richard
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526:Dibbell, Julian
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461:"PARC Is Back!"
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417:Bartle, Richard
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270:Internet portal
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143:describing his
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16:1990 video game
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866:Hack and slash
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748:Major branches
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688:External links
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602:on 2007-09-29.
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459:(April 1994).
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318:(March 1994).
316:Quittner, Josh
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284:Society portal
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165:Richard Bartle
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135:Julian Dibbell
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1005:organizations
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947:Virtual goods
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881:Kill stealing
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670:0-679-75592-6
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971:Publications
891:Mob, Monster
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617:
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600:the original
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581:
571:, retrieved
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559:Malloy, Judy
531:My Tiny Life
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497:
477:
471:. Retrieved
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397:
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360:. Retrieved
355:
345:
336:
330:. Retrieved
323:
249:
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244:Demographics
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198:
197:
189:
180:
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161:Roy Trubshaw
158:
148:
140:My Tiny Life
138:
130:
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117:Pavel Curtis
112:
111:
97:
96:
95:
33:Pavel Curtis
28:Developer(s)
1052:Simutronics
824:terminology
699:Status blog
569:, MIT Press
145:experiences
89:Multiplayer
53:Platform(s)
1093:Categories
1003:Companies,
993:Terra Nova
962:Zone, Area
573:2008-08-05
473:2010-04-07
332:2008-09-21
300:References
125:Washington
121:Xerox PARC
1099:MU* games
822:Concepts,
694:Home page
655:Net Games
637:LambdaMOO
442:LambdaMOO
402:LambdaMOO
398:LambdaMOO
358:. Het HEM
356:The Couch
250:LambdaMOO
233:LambdaMOO
218:LambdaMOO
199:LambdaMOO
194:Geography
181:LambdaMOO
173:LambdaMOO
149:LambdaMOO
131:LambdaMOO
113:LambdaMOO
98:LambdaMOO
22:LambdaMOO
1079:Category
942:Twinking
932:Spawning
876:Immortal
861:Grinding
846:Cybersex
813:TinyMUCK
616:(2003).
561:(1999),
528:(1999).
419:(2003).
256:See also
227:Politics
216:for the
73:Genre(s)
1027:Lysator
856:Griefer
793:GodWars
760:DikuMUD
755:AberMUD
238:wizards
155:History
85:Mode(s)
77:Social
64:Release
1032:Kesmai
957:Wizard
871:Healer
836:Avatar
808:Talker
742:(MUDs)
677:Lambda
667:
626:
538:
504:
429:
388:
362:1 June
185:Lambda
101:is an
41:Engine
1022:Jagex
1012:Areae
927:Quest
765:LPMud
466:Wired
325:Wired
220:RPG.
1069:List
937:Tank
886:Loot
803:MUSH
665:ISBN
624:ISBN
536:ISBN
502:ISBN
427:ISBN
386:ISBN
364:2024
163:and
67:1990
851:God
798:MOO
788:DGD
770:MU*
661:210
479:it.
438:MOO
400:.
119:at
107:MOO
79:MUD
46:MOO
1095::
673:.
663:.
639:).
632:.
565:,
550:^
510:.
486:^
476:.
463:.
435:.
394:.
372:^
354:.
335:.
322:.
307:^
988:"
984:"
732:e
725:t
718:v
544:.
366:.
295:"
291:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
