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KoL is scary
Aug. 1st, 2004 07:38 pmSo recently I've been spending far too much of my free time playing The Kingdom of Loathing. For those of you who aren't already playing it, KoL is a (very slightly) graphical MUD focused on the clever, and extremely strange, parodistic style of its content (treasure is measured in units of meat; getting drunk can increase your stats, like Moxie; Pastamancer is an available character class).
The funny thing is, not only does this game manage to capture the best qualities of classic MUDs, it's players have taken the game so far beyond its wry stick-figure core that their built-up infrastructure puts Everquest to shame. Sure, these days everything has a Wiki, and most MMORPGs have some pretty complex economies going on, but KoL takes economic analysis to the extreme. Its sociology is rich, as well: as was recently discussed it has become a rarified playground for all four of Bartle's MUD-playing types. The spades are ingenious (see commentary on right-hand side for explanation of the image), the diamonds are hyperactive, the clubs methodically abuse players' trust, and the hearts... have created a radio station!
I am consistently surprised by how deep this game has gotten considering it's core is a joke (a very good joke, perhaps, but a joke nonetheless). It is simply a stunning instance of social infrastructure crystalizing around the right seed.
The funny thing is, not only does this game manage to capture the best qualities of classic MUDs, it's players have taken the game so far beyond its wry stick-figure core that their built-up infrastructure puts Everquest to shame. Sure, these days everything has a Wiki, and most MMORPGs have some pretty complex economies going on, but KoL takes economic analysis to the extreme. Its sociology is rich, as well: as was recently discussed it has become a rarified playground for all four of Bartle's MUD-playing types. The spades are ingenious (see commentary on right-hand side for explanation of the image), the diamonds are hyperactive, the clubs methodically abuse players' trust, and the hearts... have created a radio station!
I am consistently surprised by how deep this game has gotten considering it's core is a joke (a very good joke, perhaps, but a joke nonetheless). It is simply a stunning instance of social infrastructure crystalizing around the right seed.
