Before Online Games: How “MUD” Gave Birth to a Whole New Generation of Gaming

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before World of Warcraft, RuneScape or even the internet as we know it, there was MUD - the world’s first multiplayer virtual world. Created in 1978 by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, it would help lay the foundations for an entirely new generation of gaming. Early online games were very different from the enormous commercial worlds we know today. There were no battle passes, cash shops or daily login rewards. Instead, their creators were experimenting with what a virtual world could actually be - and, crucially, what it could say about the real one. ⚡In this episode, MUD co-creator Richard Bartle takes us back to the very beginning of online gaming. We discover how MUD was created, what it was like to play, and how its ideas eventually gave rise to modern MMOs. And after almost 50 years watching the genre evolve, Richard explains what he thinks modern games have lost - and why today’s game designers “don’t have anything to say”. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Support the show