Topics
Not sure what you’re looking for, or maybe just taking a casual glance around? Here you can browse the most recently updated posts among the site’s most popular topics.
Accessibility
Community
Lumen et Umbra: re-imagining a world between light and shadow
September 30, 2025
Too many MUDs, not enough players?
August 20, 2025
MudVault: a new way to discover MUDs
August 18, 2025
Game Design
Inside Cryosphere: the satirical sci-fi space MUD
October 25, 2025
Lumen et Umbra: re-imagining a world between light and shadow
September 30, 2025
Too many MUDs, not enough players?
August 20, 2025
MU*s
Inside Cryosphere: the satirical sci-fi space MUD
October 25, 2025
Lumen et Umbra: re-imagining a world between light and shadow
September 30, 2025
Too many MUDs, not enough players?
August 20, 2025
MudVault: a new way to discover MUDs
August 18, 2025
Roleplaying
Storytelling
Text-based adventure games: from Zork to AI Dungeon
February 15, 2025
Shattered MU: beyond monsters and magic
July 2, 2024
World-building
Inside Cryosphere: the satirical sci-fi space MUD
October 25, 2025
How long should room descriptions be when building a MU*?
September 18, 2024
Writing
How long should room descriptions be when building a MU*?
September 18, 2024
All topics
- Accessibility tips and advice for game creators, informed by interviews with non-sighted players and quotes from members of the VI community.
- Articles that feature related bonus content for Supporter. Bonus content is linked at the bottom of each article.
- Tips and advice for making creating welcoming communities, addressing sources of toxicity, and solving community-related issues in roleplaying games.
- Practical advice for game creators, developers, and admins. Includes everything from considerations of game mechanics to player retention.
- Information and advice for people who play games online – especially text-based games. May include topics related to video games and tabletop games, too.
- Articles with ideas and/or lists useful for creative writing, world-building, or improving upon games.
- Articles about interactive, text-based stories where players make choices that affect how the story unfolds.
- Everything to do with the genre of multi-user dungeons (MUDs), including articles and advice specific to different styles of MU* games.
- Ideas and advice related to roleplaying with text in multi-user (MU*) games, virtual tabletops sessions, chatrooms, forums, and even video game chat channels.
- Tips and advice for storytelling, especially in the context of multiplayer text-based games such as MU*s, play-by-post games, and chatrooms RPGs.
- Ideas, stories, and advice relevant to tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), especially sessions held virtually over text.
- Ideas and advice for building immersive worlds game worlds with text, such as MU*s, play-by-post games, chatroom roleplay games, and interactive fiction.
- Articles with ideas and advice for creative writers, especially those who write in the context of text games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are topics on Writing Games?
Topics are a way to group articles by what they’re actually about. Each topic pulls together posts that touch on the same subject, like world-building, accessibility, or roleplaying, so you can easily find related ideas in one place.
How are topics different from categories?
Categories describe the kind of article you’re reading, such as a guide, interview, or essay. Topics describe the subject the article discusses. Most posts live in one category but show up under several topics.
Why does the same article appear under multiple topics?
Because most posts cover a range of related topics. An article about world-building might also talk about storytelling, game design, or community concerns. Topics help surface those connections instead of hiding them.
How should I use the topics list?
Think of the topics list as a starting point for browsing. If you’re interested in a particular subject, you can jump into that topic and explore all the related posts from there.
Do topics change over time?
Yes. Topics grow as the site grows. New ones get added when a subject comes up often enough, and existing topics naturally fill out as more articles are published.
Page Last Updated: January 10, 2026