Mud & Sex
Feature by Oberon

[Editor's note - I asked Oberon to pick one of three subjects, and this is the one he went for. What he may be surprised to have me reveal is that the working title when this was e-mailed to me was Lesbian Goblins Monthly. I shudder to think what the photos were, he said they were too gruesome for publication. Then there was a PS - but the answer is a definite no!!!!! There will not be any issue of said magazine, unless I am extremely well paid to turn a blind eye.]

Oberon's views on sex in mud

It has been claimed that MUD is sexist, largely because it has separate level names for male and female personae…mostly. I confess that the genders of mages tend to be confusing.

But on closer examination, MUD, unlike some of its players, basically doesn't CARE about sex.

PLAYERS may treat male and female personae as different, but MUD doesn’t.

We're talking gender here, not sex per se… there are precious few sexual acts that can be carried out between personae (these are left as an exercise for the reader).

Mobiles come in three flavors - male, female, and undecided - some permanently so, and others - not so much. The man, for example, is doomed never to become the woman - nor will the maiden ever become a matey. Other mobiles, appropriately interfered with, can explore the wonders of sexual reassignment without actually visiting Denmark. Those tired of feuding with the rambunctious ram can easily indulge in a fracas with the embraceable ewe. Most mobiles, though, faced with a questionaire, would have to draw a third box in order to answer the question.

Personae, though, come in just two varieties, male and female. So do players, mostly. And by and large, players tend to have personae who match their own gender. Some role playing games have males and females with different abilities… one gender is stronger, the other more dextrous, for example. Not so for MUD… the sole difference is the way other players treat your personae. If you detect a hint of sexism, it's the players' doing. And sexism is there to be exploited. Some poor fools will gladly believe they are less likely to be attacked or betrayed by a female persona - especially one named 'Cozyhugs'. At least that's why SOME male players claim they 'play' female…<G>. Now if we could only find a reason they tend to hibernate in the Diamond Room….

Wizzes and Witches: what could be more different? Yet fundamentally, Wizzes and Witches have the same powers, just as male and female personae have the same abilities. Yet there is at least ONE command that is designed to be used by one more than the other… again left as an exercise for the industrious.

One of the first things MUD wants to know from you is "what sex do you wish to be?" How many times have you been asked that?

What could be fairer? <G>