What is a multi-user dungeon (MUD)?
A MUD (multi-user dungeon) is a text-based online game that many players play at the same time. Instead of graphics, the game describes everything in text, and you act by typing commands.
Among the MUD community, it’s generally accepted that the acronym is short for “multi-user dungeon.” The “D” can also mean “domain” or “dimension,” since not every game is set in anything like a dungeon.
A MUD is a type of text-based roleplaying game built around a shared virtual world. Characters typically have score sheets with stats, skills, and other qualities, and they move from room to room fighting monsters, completing quests, and making friends. Typing a command like look makes the game describe your surroundings; movement commands like north carry you through the world.
MUDs were the precursors to modern MMORPGs, and many features in contemporary online games trace back to them. Most MUDs are free to play and are maintained by volunteers who keep them running because it’s fun for them.
MUD: a brief history
According to the lore, the acronym came from an early multiplayer text game, MUD1, created by Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle in the late 1970s. Both are said to have enjoyed a version of the single-player text adventure Dungeon (Zork), which is generally credited for the “dungeon” in the name.
In the years that followed, other creators built MOOs, MUSHes, and MUCKs using different approaches. What all of these games share is that they are inherently multiplayer: unlike Zork, they are designed to be played by multiple users at once. These days the family is often written as MU*, with an asterisk serving as a wildcard for the different endings, and individual games may self-identify as MU* or MUX (multi-user experience) to step away from the older acronyms. Which label a game carries traces back to its server software family more than to how it plays; see the 5 basic MUD styles for how games differ in practice.
For a deeper dive, Raph Koster’s MUD timeline, the MUD and MUD1 Wikipedia pages, and the MUD codebase genealogy trees cover the history in detail.
MUDs have also stayed overwhelmingly free to play. In the early days, many were created as educational projects and hosted at universities, and the commercial licenses on popular codebases later prohibited the creators who used them from making money off their games. Those licenses have since expired, but the culture stuck: most games today are run by volunteer hobbyists for fun, a topic players still discuss.
How it's used today
In everyday conversation, “MUD” often refers to the whole genre of multi-user text games, not just dungeon crawlers. People tend to split hairs only when discussing specific games or styles of play, such as what counts as a roleplay-enforced game.
Types of games where the term is commonly used include:
MUD, RPI, RP MU
MUD examples
- Alter Aeon is a classic fantasy adventure MUD, live since 1995, where you fight monsters and complete quests. Its screen reader support makes it popular with blind players.
- Erion is a medieval fantasy MUD running since 2005 with 11 classes to choose from and no PvP.
- EmpireMUD is a city-building MUD set on a procedurally generated world map, where you gather resources and raise your own settlement.
- NukeFire is a friendly pop cultural MUD where you explore zones, fight monsters, and chase gear alongside other players.
Myths and misconceptions
- All MUDs are set in dungeons. They span a wide variety of settings and genres, from fantasy to science fiction to horror, which is why some players prefer to read the “D” as “domain” or “dimension.”
- MUDs are dead games from the ’90s. The niche is smaller than in its heyday, but many games remain active, new ones still launch, and most are free to play and run by volunteers.
- Playing a MUD means fighting monsters. Combat is central in many games, but others emphasize roleplaying, socializing, or building, and some have little or no combat at all.
MUD FAQs
What does MUD stand for?
MUD stands for Multi-User Dungeon, or sometimes Multi-User Dimension or Multi-User Domain. MUDs are a type of online text-based virtual world where multiple players interact, explore, and go on adventures together.
What is the basic concept of a MUD?
Players take on different roles (commoner, combatant, healer, merchant, noble, etc.) and navigate a virtual world represented by text descriptions. Players can interact with each other, solve puzzles, engage in combat, and roleplay as characters in the game.
Why is it called a multi-user dungeon?
The name comes from MUD1, a late-1970s multiplayer game whose creators enjoyed the single-player text adventure Dungeon (Zork). “Multi-user” is the important part: these games are designed for many players at once.
Is a MUD the same as a MUSH or a MOO?
They belong to the same MU* family of text-based multiplayer games but differ in focus: MUDs are built around game systems like combat and levels, while MUSHes center on collaborative storytelling and MOOs on building.
Do you need special software to play a MUD?
Not necessarily. Many games can be played in a browser, though a dedicated MUD client adds conveniences like customization and shortcuts. The beginner’s guide to MUDs walks through finding a game and connecting step by step.
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