Essay

High-powered role-playing virtual worlds turn character creation into an art. Players of games such as EverQuest and Anarchy Online who regard themselves as “role-players” would do well to consider whether they could have written an essay on their character and its background before ever playing, to be submitted for approval to the world’s staff members. That’s what’s required of some MUSHers.

Role-playing virtual worlds work consensually. People who do not buy into the fiction or who are disruptive of it have no place. This makes all players simultaneously guardians and perpetuators of the fiction. To gain admittance, newbies must therefore demonstrate that they both honor the fiction and have an aptitude for role-playing. An essay forces a player to create a fully rounded character, in the process satisfying both these goals. As mentioned in Chapter 1, “Introduction to Virtual Worlds,” some virtual worlds will conduct interviews, too.

This kind of freeform character creation only works for small-scale, intimate virtual worlds with very dedicated players. Given that most players regard essay writing as a form of torture that should be outlawed by international convention, this is perhaps not surprising. Nevertheless, in its place it can bring character creation to the highest planes. It’s not by chance that some of the best role-playing MUSHes have waiting lists ¹.