[Muirdach]

Well, that's assuming that MUD players are/were somehow "less tainted" than the average joe in the wider population. I think you could probably argue it either way. Most likely they're just as good/bad, just having different characteristics. You could even argue that the ideas that come out on the Internet are more twisted/antisocial than in the wider population, because of the same thing - people feel anonymous, they feel free to say and do whatever they'd like without any of the responsibility that would come with it in "real life". Of course, saying is different from doing, but I would imagine that gamers are as capable of just as many ugly things as non-gamers. I agree that it is/was a niche, just not necessarily a "better" niche.