Kendal - Virtual community

This article was very helpful in explaining to me what exactly a MUD is and how it works. I completely agree with him when he says that most people ask the question, "what's the matter with these people?" Personally, I don't spend my time creating fictional characters to socialize through. However, everyone likes to pretend sometimes. These MUDs make it possible for people to express themselves in ways that they might be too afraid to do in real life. People are always afraid of being judged and this can be a way for them to be who they truly want to be without the judgement of those who know them in real life. I can see how this can become addicting like Rheingold says. People can get addicted to the feeling of satisfaction they may gain from these virtual lives. They can form strong bonds with other people who they might not seem to relate to in real life. This article makes me look at SL a little differently because now I understand why some people do it and love it. I'll admit that it is fun to pretend to be someone else and see what my friends choose to be but I don't think that I could ever become one of those people who are addicted to it and spend hours in this fantasy world blocking out reality.