In the earliest days of the internet there were online text-based games called, rather tragically, MUDs (Multiple User Dungeon) -- there were also MOOs, MUSHs, MUCKs and other unfortunate acronyms, but they generally amount to the same thing. MUDs weren't much more than writing on a screen, and you had to rely heavily on the programmer's writing skills to immerse yourself in the world. Unfortunately, most of the MUDs were quite poorly written, or the developer lost interest and the MUD would slowly die as the players got bored. MUDs have been around for quite a long time, but, as technology has evolved and improved, the games have also improved and now you can play graphic-based MMORPGs like RuneScape.

An MMORPG is a 'Massively Multiplayer On-line Role-playing Game', which is a long way of saying that it's a virtual world that lots of people can be in at the same time. As a virtual world, RuneScape works in much the same way that the real world works -- the grass is green, the sky is blue, gravity stops you from flying off into space at ninety miles a second -- but it has the advantage of being completely imaginary, so that even though dragons aren't actually real, you can search all across RuneScape to find all the different types of dragon.

The 'Massively Multiplayer' aspect of RuneScape means that you will almost never be alone in your world. Even the quietest RuneScape servers have dozens of players in them, and the busiest are usually full to capacity. By having other 'real' people in the game with you, the game opens up plenty of opportunities for interaction. You might like to band together with like-minded players to take on the nastiest beasts you can find, or form teams for minigames like Castle Wars.

There are many advantages to a world filled with other people, and many RuneScape players take full advantage of this. Aside from helping each other through minigames and quests, some players form solid friendships and even host parties at the Party Room in Falador where they can arrange a balloon drop and hire a troupe of singing and dancing knights to entertain them.

With the recent addition of Player Owned Houses (POH) to RuneScape, the MMORPG has taken a new turn. RuneScape members can now construct their own homes within the game world, encouraging them to manage their resources and instilling them with a sense of pride in their home. They can also invite friends in to admire their creation, or send them to meet the terrors that they have placed in the dungeons beneath the house.

If you are the parent of a player, please also read the .