MUD: The Original Virtual Worlds
Why text-based games matter for artists
What Is a MUD?
Multi-User Dungeon — born in 1978, before graphics, before the web.
You are standing in a dimly lit tavern.
A bard plays softly in the corner.
Exits: North, East, Down
A hooded stranger watches you.
> talk to stranger
Pure text. Pure imagination. Your mind rendered the graphics.
Why Artists Should Care
MUDs were the first collaborative digital art spaces:
- Players wrote the world into existence
- Communities built rooms, characters, stories together
- No corporate overlords — player-run democracies
- Your reputation was everything
Think of it as improv theater meets literature meets gaming — all in real-time with people worldwide.
What Killed Them?
Graphics arrived. World of Warcraft. Corporate games.
| What We Lost | What We Got |
|---|---|
| Imagination | Pre-rendered pixels |
| Player-created worlds | Developer-controlled content |
| Community governance | Shareholders |
| Meaningful text | Voice chat toxicity |
The Anti-Spectacle
In an age of hyper-graphics and dopamine loops, choosing text is a statement.
MUDs require:
- Attention — You must read, think, respond
- Creativity — Your mind does the rendering
- Writing — Expression through words
- Patience — No instant gratification
Zenpower's Punk MUD
We're reviving the form with soulbound identity:
What's Different
| Old MUDs | Punk MUD |
|---|---|
| Anonymous characters | Soulbound identity (you are you) |
| Lost progress | Permanent reputation |
| Isolated game | Connected to real economy (ZEN$/ZENCOIN) |
| Forgotten history | On-chain achievements |
The Vision
- Text-first — Imagination over graphics
- Community-built — Players create the world
- Identity matters — Your reputation follows you
- Art as gameplay — Writing, storytelling, worldbuilding
For Visual Artists
"But I'm a visual artist, why text?"
Consider:
- Constraints breed creativity — No pixels forces new expression
- Collaboration — Build worlds with writers, musicians, other artists
- Permanence — Your contributions recorded forever
- Accessibility — Anyone with a keyboard can play
The most beautiful worlds were never rendered — they were imagined.
Paths in the Punk MUD
Three starting paths (more to come):
| Path | Focus |
|---|---|
| Caretaker | Nurturing, growing, tending |
| Surveyor | Exploring, mapping, discovering |
| Archivist | Recording, preserving, teaching |
Each path earns different reputation, unlocks different abilities, contributes differently to the world.
In a world of spectacle, choose substance.
In a world of graphics, choose imagination.
In a world of anonymous avatars, choose soulbound identity.