MUDdy Up the Brain: The Loss and Gain of the Real

Reality is a term that is used lightly within discussions about the internet for what one feels as real could distract from what is tangible. Virtuality and reality tend to be separated from one another but for the computer devotee, the two could easily be lumped together. The natural response upon the realization that technology has a heart, albeit digital, is usually to attack in fear that we are being sucked into a black hole where androids will melt our collective brain into a gooey concoction. Clearly, we have to get our priorities straightened. Full reliance is an issue but the vision behind the MUD is one of temporary escapism, not the forfeit of one's entire being.

MUDs, or multi-user dungeons, are virtual worlds created entirely out of text. Much like their 'choose-your-own-adventure' book counterparts, MUDs depict a scene and allow users to navigate this imaginary world by choosing a variety of paths, or actions, by typing in a command which the MUD reciprocates with another path. For example, in Sherry Turkle's Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet, the author references an experience in "Dred's Bar". In it, the author known as 'ST' in the MUD, meets up with a fellow MUD user named 'Tony'. The two have a drink and try out their dance moves. They converse. One might wonder why these two can not go to an actual bar and have face to face conversations like 'normal people' and why they insist to be anonymous dwellers in an imaginary world with keyboarded talk. The most obvious reasons one might come up with is that these people are anti-social, afraid of reality and dependent on their computers. Normalcy is a funny thing, however, since the standard for the modern era is changing so much at a rapid pace. The majority of people do have some kind of online profile and participate, in varying degrees, on these social networking sites. They email and text each other on cell phones. Somehow, despite all of this, there is still this strong opposition to the computer as its own entity.

MUDs, an exercise in anonymity/intimacy, broke off into a billion little pieces and spawned other global interactive sites like World of Warcraft, Second Life, and the serge of social networking like with Facebook. Here graphics opened up a whole new realm alongside text but the same basic principle applies: the presentation is an extension of one's self and not the actual flesh and bones. On the other hand, advocates of the MUD would claim that one's thoughts and feelings are the most realistic and important part of a person and therefore their true form is being seen on the Internet; the body is just a container of these energies and is not crucial to building a relationship with. The opposition would most likely counter that the body, soul and mind can not be separated so easily and those who feel that hard drives are just as warm as hugs are losing their sense and appreciation of reality. Take for example in Turkle's article where she refers to two versions of a crocodile; one is a Disney animatronic and the other is the scaled lizard we all know and fear. A young girl who saw the Disney crocodile is instantly captivated by its rolling eyes and sideways movements with sneaky viciousness. This same girl comes across a real crocodile, lazily sunbathing amongst all its brothers and sisters, and is bored to tears. She wants to be entertained and yearns for the fake.

It seems as though, we as a society, are not quite satisfied with our realities and feel the need to create a different one. Perhaps in this alternate world, we can become better looking, social butterflies with lots of money and wit to share with all our happy, glamourous friends. While there seems to be a loss for some physicality in the world there also seems to be a gain in the connotation of a real human being. Does the expression "I think, therefore I am..." really have any validity or is it the only type of validity we need?