[KaVir]

Except most of us are server developers, so from our perspective it's more like . You can read either (or turn either into a movie), but whereas the novel will describe everything in words, the screenplay relies on a different medium (i.e., the mud client) for many things.

I would argue that are very much like a movie in book form.

Quite possibly, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't want any graphics or sound at all. There are many ways to improve the interface without sacrificing the need for imagination, and you may well find some of your players use graphics and sound even if you don't personally like the idea.

Out of curiousity, have you ever asked your players about this? I only recently started asking my players about their client plugins, and was quite surprised - one of them even has a stat bar with a portrait of his character!