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The Keyboard is Mightier Than The Sword

Posted by Zonk on from the qwerty-keys-flying-everywhere dept.

Wired has an article up which harkens back to the days of yore, when men played Zork and women congregated in MUDs and MOOs. The Keyboard is Mightier Than The Sword takes a look at the still extant realms of the text-based virtual space. From the article: "For me, asking why I play a MU (multi-user text game) when I could play EverQuest is like asking someone why they would read a book instead of watching the movie of the same story..."

4 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Analogy by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is like asking someone why they would read a book instead of watching the movie of the same story

    Because you can check out the book for free from the library (MUD) while the movie costs money (EverQuest).

    Duh!

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    1. Re:Analogy by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "books are the weakest form of storytelling"

      I sort of agree, because it leaves more power for the reader. In other words, viewing a movie is a weaker experience, because so much has already been done for him/her.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  2. Wasn't it really.... by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Insightful
    "men played Zork and women congregated in MUDs and MOOs. "

    Wasn't it really: "Men played Zork and MUDs and MOOs. Some of the men playing MUDs and MOOs said they were women."

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  3. Re:Snobbery by Bastian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Movies that are made from books are never as good as the original.
    Books that are made from movies are never as good as the original.
    T.V. spinoffs are never as good as the movie.
    Movie spinoffs of TV shows are never as good as the TV show.
    Video games made from books, movies, or TV shows are LAME.
    Movies, books, and TV shows made from video games pretty much always suck.

    It's not that one medium is better than another, it's that the stuff that works well in one medium doesn't necessarily work out so well in others. Certain things just won't work in some media - imagine trying to turn The Matrix into a book. Those fight scenes would be B-O-R-I-N-G.