For the last 4 or 5 years, I've been completely obsessed with text RPGs. This, of course, covers a broad variety of games. Basically, a text-based RPG is a gaming environment in which all or most of the information is displayed in a text format. I will cover the known history of text games, their appeal, and a handful of examples.

History

Text games were developed by all the geeky people who got tired of board games during the early ages of computers. Since the computer screens could only display text, the games were limited to text. Basic arcade games were programmed to display "ACSII graphics", or text that is formatted to produce an image, while other games simply printed output such as "Your missile destroyed the enemy base. Enter 1 to continue." In 1977, the first role playing games appeared. These were different than the previous arcade games in that they had a much longer storyline. This aspect of text RPGs is probably what gets me (and lots of other people) hopelessly hooked. MUDs, or "Multiple User Dungeon/Domain/Dimension", were created on servers which other users could connect to, usually using common networking tools such as telnet, in order to play the game with the other players. Because of the contained and technologically dense environment on many college campuses, college students were the primary MUDding group in the infancy of the concept. Since then, however, MUDs have become much easier to set up. Early MUD programmers shared their code, which was modified by other people, and branched off to become completely separate games. Text-based games that required web browsers had to wait until the graphical internet became widespread.

Appeal

Many people in the MUD player-base became familiar with the RPG concept through offline RPGs, such as Dungeons and Dragons. D&D is a recurring theme on most MUDs, and they borrow heavily from the game's rules. However, MUDs allowed users to access something that offline RPGs lacked - an instant and countless number of other people to "adventure" with. Many of the more well-known MUDs regularly have 300 users connected at any given moment, giving them the same kind of massively multiplayer appeal possessed by popular graphical RPGs such as Everquest and World of Warcraft.

Because MUDs are mostly open source, there are thousands of them currently online. The options are pretty much unlimited. There are MUDs based on everything from Star Wars to ancient Rome. Some MUDs are fairly simple and easy to learn, while others have well over 2 million lines of code. In some, you can build and populate your own cities, or maybe take a trip in an X-wing. Chances are that if there's a specific feature you'd like to have available, it's out there somewhere.

Though MUDs are decades old in concept, the MUDding community is still very active, and is probably still growing. There are just as many highschoolers as there are 40-year-old "version 0.5 geeks". To me, there's just something about seeing everything I need to know organized in plain text. Colors and special characters add a bit of flair as well. Granted, there is something fun about seeing a fireball zoom toward your enemy and erupt into a dome of white flames and sparks, but I think it can be equally exciting to see it all displayed numerically in white and yellow text.

Browser-based text games are a more modern development. Usually, these games will have a variety of activities you can keep yourself occupied with. Like MUDs, there are plenty to choose from. Generally, the object is to become as large or as powerful as you can by growing independently or stealing from others. Because these games can utilize website layout and assorted pictures, the way you interact with the game can vary quite a bit. My best single-sentence description is that browser-based text games are a forum in which you compete against or team up with other players.

Games I've Played and More Information

AotC MUD - My primary addiction for the last 4 years. The gameplay is refined and well-developed, and there are a good number of active players. Also, it's founded on Christian principles and serves as an active ministry, which makes for a much more peaceful environment. Should you pop in, I'll be known as "Elentor".

Utopia - The only browser text game I've played repeatedly. This game is set in the medieval times, complete with faeries, dwarves, and halflings. Your province and other members of your kingdom fight off foes and support each other in an attempt to reach fame and fortune.

The Mud Connector - A nice directory of all the MUDs you can choose from.

Mudmagic - Another nifty directory of MUDs. This one also inclues a great download section, where you can find utilities to help you play the games or even code to start your own MUD.