Soon after, a new form of environment became available to the Roleplayers. With the advent of the internet, Roleplayers were able to connect with other Roleplayers around the world. This came to be known as the "Multi-User" or "MU" era. While these games were similar to the previous games, they provided a world that could be visited any time the Roleplayer wanted. GMs were often available 24 hours a day, if they were even needed at all.
The various MU flavors all had one thing in common; they were 100% text. This continued to allow the Roleplayer's minds to do most of the work. In many cases, the Roleplayers were allowed to add to the world, often through a form of quota system.
This created a slightly different form of hierarchy than in previous games. While there was still an Alpha, the Alpha ruled forever. These Alphas would often inform the Roleplayers that if they didn't like the way things were done, they could go play somewhere else. Also, these Alphas didn't work alone.
The Alphas of this era would typically recruit other Roleplayers who would assist the Alphas in creating and running the world, as well as enforcing it's rules. These assistants would wield near god-like powers in the world, yet always with the knowledge that they would be replaced should they fail.
These worlds allowed strange behaviors called "emotes." These simple behaviors were very simple in execution, yet had a nearly unlimited potential for expression. Typically accessed by typing "/me " or something similar, it could be followed by whatever the Roleplayer wished. A simple command, such as "/me takes a seat at the bar." would show everyone in the room "Charabis takes a seat at the bar."
Another interesting offshoot of these emotes was a curious behavior that the Roleplayers developed. This behavior came to be known as "cybering". The Roleplayers would use their descriptions, words, and emotes to attract a breeding partner. They would then go about simulating a sexual encounter.
What makes this particular behavior so strange, is that a female partner was often being played by a male Roleplayer. It was considered bad form to ask a potential partner if they were really a woman or man. Perhaps this is the true origin of the USA's military policy of "Don't ask, don't tell."
Exactly what prompts this behavior is unknown, but we still find evidence of it in modern games. This particular behavior is hard to observe, except perhaps from within the games themselves. We have yet to view the Roleplayers themselves while engaged in this activity, as they will often close and lock their doors before starting. Why this particular ritual is so secretive to them will require more studies, and perhaps some day we will come to understand why their typing skills during these encounters typically suffer.
