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[umiman]

I came across this MUD (Multi-user-dungeon) called Draenor. It's relatively new but seems very promising with lots of work and love being put into it. A lot of things need polishing and you can definitely see places where things could be improved, but it is quite entertaining, if somewhat barren of players.

However, that's not the point. While I was playing it, I noticed that the game only has one admin. This one guy has created everything in the game from scratch since a few years ago, and he's always on. He's always there no matter when or what time. In some ways, he reminded me of Toady One but I was really curious how someone could devote so much time to a MUD. Then I learned he's disabled and is living on welfare, so he has nothing else to do.

It's... pretty depressing. While he gets to spend tonnes of time on his hobby and the MUD becomes exponentially better each passing day, the fact that he had to give up his legs to do so is... sad.

The MUD in question is here: http://www.mudconnect.com/discuss/discuss.cgi?mode=MSG&area=promotions&message=21632#21632

[blah28722]

I'm trying to type up something quirky, but there's this nagging sadness in my head for the guy

Hopefully, he enjoys what he's doing and will continue to do so.

[Muz]

Well, it's what game coders do. Coders are sort of like musicians in a way.. they do it for the love of the art, rather than expecting some monetary profit. Unless you are one, it's difficult to describe the joy there is in creating something. It's sort of funny.. there are a lot of people say it's a horrible job choice, that they're not getting paid well, but they are simply happy that they can make money off it. It's a bit like a "strange mood" thing.. they're happy as long as they can keep doing it.

There was one point in my life when I considered dropping everything else in life to work on creating games. But obviously, I didn't have the same devotion to it that Toady and others like him do. I take the long road towards it.. rather than going straight in and building, I make sure I have enough money to never work again, enough skill to never need any more, before I eventually lock myself in a room 10 years from now and start coding my own masterpiece.

So, yeah, it makes perfect sense to me. Especially since there's so many bugs in coding that it takes several days just to weed it out. Just put it this way.. some people live to have a "happy" life - hot wife, smart kids, lots of money. Others live to contribute to the world.. and these coders are those people.

[Neonivek]

Unfortunately I can't stand Muds.

Not so much unwilling but that they frustrate me in the way they throw me up a river without a paddle.

[Sensei]

In Apokalypsos (see sig) we had one guy who was terminally ill writing content and ideas right up until he died... and looking back, he saw it coming. That was fucking depressing.

Whole thing is in this thread, if you don't believe me... skipped close to the end, since it was ten pages.

Bawww, now I'm all sad again.

[jaked122]

I came across this MUD (Multi-user-dungeon) called Draenor. It's relatively new but seems very promising with lots of work and love being put into it. A lot of things need polishing and you can definitely see places where things could be improved, but it is quite entertaining, if somewhat barren of players.

However, that's not the point. While I was playing it, I noticed that the game only has one admin. This one guy has created everything in the game from scratch since a few years ago, and he's always on. He's always there no matter when or what time. In some ways, he reminded me of Toady One but I was really curious how someone could devote so much time to a MUD. Then I learned he's disabled and is living on welfare, so he has nothing else to do.

It's... pretty depressing. While he gets to spend tonnes of time on his hobby and the MUD becomes exponentially better each passing day, the fact that he had to give up his legs to do so is... sad.

The MUD in question is here: http://www.mudconnect.com/discuss/discuss.cgi?mode=MSG&area=promotions&message=21632#21632

I'm proud of him, he has set out to make a product better exponentially every day.
the more active a project is, the more the developer has faith in it, the more faith the developer has in it, the better the game will be.

[Strife26]

Ummmm, I hate to ask, but how do I get a MUD started again?

Nevermind, Strife has become a dabbling wikipedia user!

[Kayla]

Hiya! Just read this, and want to contribute my own train of thought. I am also disabled, although, nowhere near the extent of most people that use the label. I have a condition known as narcolepsy, which keeps me constantly tired, and for more than I am awake, I am asleep. Something on 14 or so hours. Add in that I fall asleep randomly, and I don't have a very active outside life. Short of some time I go outside with my boyfriend, I spend almost all of my time inside my house.

Now, when someone spends all of their time inside their house, common avenues for boredom relief (gaming, movies, television) start to become dull after a while. Even if it's some completely new series or new game, I've seen it all, you know? It's the same thing with a different skin.

Anyways, the point I'm getting to is. Most of the time, I'm very bored. Which leads to artistic creation. I'm so bored that, I see something, hear something, or even think something, and get an idea for an image in my head. Or a song. Or anything I can do artistically and creatively, and I make it. Because I have nowhere else to be and nothing else to do, I can devote all of my waking time to artistic creation. Mind you, I don't, cause I'm lazy. But that's where games like Robot Arena 2 or say Champions Online or even Dwarf Fortress to some extent come in. They allow me to be creative, but also entertaining.

...Hmmm

I think I just confused myself and lost my whole point.

Oh yeah. I understand how a person can spend 15 hours everyday allday doing something, them being disabled or not. The love of it, and in our case, the lack of doing anything else, encourages us to use our mind more than our body.

- Melody...who just woke up. At 5:40AM. Gonna be a looong day.