Why M.U.L.E.?

I'm a huge M.U.L.E. fan and admirer of Dani Bunten. I've been playing and hacking M.U.L.E. since it came out in 1983. More than once I've tried my hand at writing M.U.L.E. clones for newer systems.

The things I most enjoy about M.U.L.E. are its unique premise, its covert educational value, and its occasionally ruthless, in-person, multi-player dynamic that alternates between cooperation and cutthroat capitalism — where colony success is only possible by striking a careful balance between the two. M.U.L.E. is a true masterpiece of game play and economic design. From my years of hacking at its core I can assure you that the code that runs it all is no less astonishing.

It's a genuine shame that this lost classic languishes in obscurity. Thankfully, more and more developers are recognizing and speaking about the legacy of Dani Bunten. What Dani Bunten was trying to achieve in the early days of computer games makes more sense than ever today, in our thriving online gaming landscape. Dani was a visionary whose message must never be lost: computer games, above all else, should be tools to make connections and bring us into each other's lives.

My Contributions to World of M.U.LE.:

I've been a visitor to World of M.U.L.E. for many years, nearly its entire 10+ year history. Wow, has it been that long? I've contributed to it a number of articles from my collection or that were found online.

• DanBuntenFarther
• GamesGrowUp
• HalcyonDays
• HappyPuppyMemorial
• InMemoriamDanielleBerry
• ImaginaryPlaymates
• Memorial2 (contributed portions from Game Developer magazine)
• OnlineMultiPlayerGames
• SoapboxColumn
• MechanicalDonkeys
• WiredGameLife

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