The dangers of the Internet

[davidn]

While Whitney was away I watched loads of Room 101 - this part with Johnny Vegas is like a warning from the past. One step before the days of Second Life, World of Warcraft, and everything else that allow people to build another life (as virtual humans and/or upright rabbits) while rapidly shrivelling in their real one, there were text-based fantasy MUDs - and his experience on one of them is dragged out of him slowly in escalating levels of detail and hilarity (and in Paul Merton's case, a sort of morbidly fascinated bafflement). The story starts at about two minutes in, and reaches a wonderful climax four minutes later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjD8c6cFc8

The featured chatroom still exists, with a note proudly acknowledging their appearance here - although it looks rather like staring into a time-warp to the mid-90s. It's run by someone who Capitalizes words apparently at Random and peppers Their typing with miniature stage directions (falls over; disgusted look). It would be interesting to see if there are any logs around that feature his username...

As a postscript, there's also a very compelling reason to put Hollyoaks into Room 101 too, right at the end.

Comments

[kjorteo]

Well, I detest all MMOs and I've never once messed around with Second Life, so clearly I'm safe and immune here and I have no idea what any of this could be like. The entire premise is totally foreign, obviously.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to back to Tapestries while working, because I like that arrangement and will probably be at it all day.

[davidn]

"At it all day", an appropriate choice of words. You just never left the mid-90s (much like the above site) - and I can see the appeal of being in an environment where people are literate by necessity. Furry debauchery should have some class!

Although I'm now more interested in whether you've been on a virtual picnic.

[kjorteo]

As a writer-not-visual-artist type, I'm always all for elevating the standards of furry erotica.

And... I have not been on a virtual picnic, no. Though I did write about one in a story, once, I think.