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Threshold · 01-15-2006, 11:37 PM

I want to preface what I am about to say by also saying I don't have any objection, moral or otherwise, to people choosing to engage in "Mud Sex" or IC relationships or anything of that nature.

I wanted to discuss two side points related to what you just said that I have also witnessed.

1) Romeo & Juliet Syndrome: This is what happens when two people who chose characters that are diametrically opposed, decide they are the exception to the rule and have a relationship anyway. This happens when either their races are enemies, clans are enemies, or something of that nature. Sometimes this is fine, but there are times when the animosity is something that is CORE to the game world (like two races that utterly despise each other for a lot of good reasons) and thus there really should be no exceptions. Sometimes, the reason a game world is defined in a certain way is so those definitions can give a foundation to the game world.

In real life, exceptions are not ruinous because they are just that- the exception. But in a game world with only hundreds or thousands of people, it only takes a couple exceptions to create a sense that the "rule" is really not much of a rule.

Also, the "Romeo & Juliet" situation usually comes about for OOC reasons anyway. It is usually just two people who like each other personally (or have come to like each other from the way they play the game), and have decided it would be fun to have mud sex. So they throw the game world definitions out the window.

2) Another negative aspect that arises out of MUDsex is when two characters (or players) invest too much of their character into someone else's character. This can be a very detrimental development. If one of the people in this duo quits, takes a break, or leaves for any other reason, the other person's character is darn near ruined. Suddenly, they do not have much connection with the game world, they haven't made any other friends or allies, and they are like half a person wandering around lost. I generally try to advise people to be careful about this and make sure they never get their character development too wrapped up into a single individual.

01-15-2006, 11:37 PM	#42
Threshold Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Home MUD: Threshold RPG Posts: 1,260	I want to preface what I am about to say by also saying I don't have any objection, moral or otherwise, to people choosing to engage in "Mud Sex" or IC relationships or anything of that nature. I wanted to discuss two side points related to what you just said that I have also witnessed. 1) Romeo & Juliet Syndrome: This is what happens when two people who chose characters that are diametrically opposed, decide they are the exception to the rule and have a relationship anyway. This happens when either their races are enemies, clans are enemies, or something of that nature. Sometimes this is fine, but there are times when the animosity is something that is CORE to the game world (like two races that utterly despise each other for a lot of good reasons) and thus there really should be no exceptions. Sometimes, the reason a game world is defined in a certain way is so those definitions can give a foundation to the game world. In real life, exceptions are not ruinous because they are just that- the exception. But in a game world with only hundreds or thousands of people, it only takes a couple exceptions to create a sense that the "rule" is really not much of a rule. Also, the "Romeo & Juliet" situation usually comes about for OOC reasons anyway. It is usually just two people who like each other personally (or have come to like each other from the way they play the game), and have decided it would be fun to have mud sex. So they throw the game world definitions out the window. 2) Another negative aspect that arises out of MUDsex is when two characters (or players) invest too much of their character into someone else's character. This can be a very detrimental development. If one of the people in this duo quits, takes a break, or leaves for any other reason, the other person's character is darn near ruined. Suddenly, they do not have much connection with the game world, they haven't made any other friends or allies, and they are like half a person wandering around lost. I generally try to advise people to be careful about this and make sure they never get their character development too wrapped up into a single individual.