Did you play at age <18?

[Harmless]

Simple poll. The reason I ask is also simple. I wonder how much effect an "18 or older requirement" might potentially have. I know a few of our regular GDBers started playing when they were under 18. I know I was playing other RP muds heavily since I was 12 so I know how I feel about this topic. Disclaimer: GDB polls are not necessarily accurate or meaningful, but ya'll knew that.  

[MeTekillot]

I started Arm at age 14.

[Jihelu]

I started Arm at age 14.

And it's only gone downhill since.

[HavokBlue]

I think I was about 17.

[Patuk]

I am sure I was 17, though I started MUDing at 15.

[Armaddict]

15.

But that's a little misleading.  I've played MUDs since I was 11.  I multi-tasked muds for a good long time, playing multiples.  Arm was like...a more challenging hack'n slash with real in-game interaction and the GREATEST PVP IN THE WORLD for at least 2 years afterwards.  I didn't get into the nitty-gritty of roleplaying on Arm until at least 17.  Probably not until the first time that I developed a relationship in game...it wasn't a mudsex relationship, it never even went there, but where I cared for another PC enough that the idea of that PC dying was a bad one that I -really- tried to stave off as much as possible.

That was with Zylin, a Kuraci ranger.  Account notes seem to to back that up.

Edited to add:  Basically, I started playing early, but I wouldn't call myself a true part of the game until later.  I just...didn't get it, enough.

[Saellyn]

Arm when I was, oh... jesus, was it 18 when I started?  I was turning 19 the same year I joined Arm.

[Jeax]

I was 11 when I started MUDing, I was 21 when I started playing Armageddon.

[slvrmoontiger]

I might have been 17 when I started playing Arma, but I was in college so... Old enough to go to college I don't see a problem playing Arma.

[Majikal]

I started at 14. I'm 28 now.

[valeria]

I started mudding in middle school and started playing Arm in my early twenties.  We're coming up on my six-year anniversary.

[RogueGunslinger]

Bumped into it sophmore year of Highschool. I was 15/16. Didn't really get into it until much later though, hardly played it then. Was probably about 20 when I really got into it.

[Sedora]

I didn't know text-based games like Arm existed till 5 or 6 years ago, when I was in my late 20s. I was introduced by someone I met on Guild Wars 2. I went through a few before someone in another MUD game introduced me to Arm. That person isn't playing anymore, but I'm here for the long haul.

The fact that it isn't all about redtext and murderize everything you see till nobody else is left sits very well with me. I held out on the game a bit at first because of the death is permanent thing, but I can handle the eventual death since it doesn't come along with older players in the game killing the newbies just because they can. The playerbase has shown great patience for those not with it right away, and I can appreciate and respect that a lot, and it drew me in.

[FantasyWriter]

24 or 25? Arm was my first Mud. Played SoI, a couple StarWars muds while I was reading the books and Haven pre-slate-wiping. None of them more than a few months. I'm 33 now. Time flies when you're having fun.

[Down Under]

15.

Why the hell would we put an 18 or older disclaimer?

[slvrmoontiger]

15.

Why the hell would we put an 18 or older disclaimer?

Hmmm... Sexual content, Violence, Gore (both actual and carru), and my favorite Murder, Corruption, and Betrayal.

[Jihelu]

15.

Why the hell would we put an 18 or older disclaimer?

Hmmm... Sexual content, Violence, Gore (both actual and carru), and my favorite Murder, Corruption, and Betrayal.

I'll have you know, it's Murder, Corruption, and Sick elbow drops.
That being said, the game isn't /that/ violent in nature. No one's telling you to go out there and punch that guy to death while he screams for mercy or something.
(That being said, you should)

[slvrmoontiger]

15.

Why the hell would we put an 18 or older disclaimer?

Hmmm... Sexual content, Violence, Gore (both actual and carru), and my favorite Murder, Corruption, and Betrayal.

I'll have you know, it's Murder, Corruption, and Sick elbow drops.
That being said, the game isn't /that/ violent in nature. No one's telling you to go out there and punch that guy to death while he screams for mercy or something.
(That being said, you should)

Violence is all relative. To some violence may be as simple as going out and killing an animal (hunters do this all the time on Armageddon). Having said that there have been other parts that I have been involved with with various characters that go well into what most would consider violence. I'll exclude any details as these are IC and the PCs may or may not still be alive that were involved. Just because you haven't been a part of one of these scenes doesn't mean they don't happen.

[Down Under]

If anything, slapping a XXX rating will just attract more lazy mudsexers.

[Kol]

If anything, slapping a XXX rating will just attract more lazy mudsexers.

I read that as Man sexers.



What if they were aiming for a lazy man sexer? Wouldn't that be good role play?

The out of breath, dishevilled male says, laying back on the bed: "I'm just gonna lay here....that's okay, right? I'm pretty tired."

[Malken]

If anything, slapping a XXX rating will just attract more lazy mudsexers.

What's an energetic mudsexer?

[FantasyWriter]

If anything, slapping a XXX rating will just attract more lazy mudsexers.

What's an energetic mudsexer?

Someone without suspiciously long delays between their emotes?

[MeTekillot]

My suspiciously long mudsex delays are me finishing the Let's Play I watch in the background while waiting for you to emote back.

[Pale Horse]

I was seventeen when I started Arm.

I'm in my early thirties, now.

[Kol]

My suspiciously long mudsex delays are me finishing the Let's Play I watch in the background while waiting for you to emote back.

Weird. I just call it porn.


I found arm at.....20ish. I've slept since.

[roobee]

15 or 16

[Iiyola]

I discovered this thing called role play when I was 29. I'm 37 now.

[perfecto]

Started playing in grade 9 so that'll be... holy shit I've been playing this game for 20 years!?   I regret nothing... 

[bardlyone]

mid-20's

[Asche]

I THINK I may have made a character when I was 17, when I was just discovering MUDs. I know I tried everything in the TopMudSites top ten. Different account, didn't bother to learn the lore. Didn't make a second character. I had never roleplayed before MUDs, so my characters were likely terrible special snowflakes. So, nothing different, really.

[Cind]

19. I'm 25 now.

[Hot_Dancer]

17. Turning 32 this month.

[tortall]

Was MUDDing since I was 13 or so, and started Arm when I was.... Summer 2001.... 16? Because a guy I had a crush on played it, LOL. I ended up sticking around long after he quit though. 30 now, so off and on for about 14 years. More off than on, especially these last 5.

[IAmJacksOpinion]

Probably about 15 or 16 for me.

The overwhelming response seems to be most people were < 18. I wonder how much of this was due to internet trends. When I got big into Arm it was around 2005 when WoW was getting popular, but I lived in the middle of the country with a 56k modem, so WoW wasn't really an option for me. MUDs it was! In retrospect, I'm totally happy with that because now I understand nuances of roleplay that most of that crowd doesn't. Even more traditional free form roleplaying games like d20's. I recently got into Pathfinder Society and tables frequently yell at me for not trying to roll for assistance during diplomacy checks, and for insisting that my character is illiterate even though the rules say I am not. "I'm not helping you guys, I'm literally just hanging back quietly. And no, I can't actually read.

Armageddon > WoW for aspiring young nerds, so no please don't slap a ban on it (as if anyone would actually obey it.)


Edit to add: Woops, didn't see the poll. I guess it's not the "overwhelming majority", or even the simple majority. Still, a lot of youngsters there.

[bcw81]

Started in April of 2010 when I was... 17? Yeah, that sounds about right. Right after my birthday, so I had just turned seventeen.

It got me through highschool like a proper nerd...
;-; without any friends ;-;

[Barsook]

I think it was 16 or 17 for me, even though I said "over 18" on the poll.  Don't ask why.

[Rokal]

27 come april 29th.. started September last year

Though I've been roleplaying across the internet since I was about.. 15, 16

[MeTekillot]

I started MUDding when I was about 11 or 12.