MUD: Messrs Bartle and Trubshaw’s Astonishing Contrivance

In this 2010 GDC Online session, Richard Bartle, co-creator of MUD, explains the thinking behind its original design and corrects some of the commonly-held misconceptions about what it must have been like to play. Bartle also explains why it is that although MMO development has advanced dramatically since 1978 there are still some areas where early MUDs were more capable than today’s behemoths. Register for GDC: Join the GDC mailing list: Follow GDC