I ENJOYED YOUR article about MOOs and MUDs ("Meeting in the MUD," November '95, page 135). I've been having fun with them for years, but I have some serious concerns about their educational value:
At my school, we have determined that borderline-academic students have an inordinate interest in anything that promotes procrastination. A MUD or a MOO is perfect for them. It is anonymous, endlessly interesting, and available at any time. Even students with good grades are spending all their free time playing MUDs, dropping extracurricular activities and real socializing in favor of the artificial social construct a MOO presents. Even when faced with all the good things MOOs have done, I'm still not convinced.
I've also had to counsel several students about inappropriate conversations initiated by anonymous participants in MUDs. I am not one to champion censorship, but these programs do offer the twisted mind the opportunity to expose itself anonymously.
Derek Smith
via the Internet
/ Like many technologies, the Internet can be dangerously misused. MUDs and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) have great potential for good, but stories abound of people practically destroying their lives by spending all their waking hours in MUDs or on IRC channels. Thanks for the important reminder. / JS
