points, levels and special powers are gained, until they reach the desired goal of becoming a wizard who contains all the special powers and other privileges of this rank. In between the newbies (newer members who were just beginning to play their characters) and Wizards is an entire social hierarchy which gave the game a new dimension. From this adventure-type game came the MUDs which provided a much large range of individuals who could participate over Internet. The multiple users on a MUD can communicate with each other in real time (Curtis, 1993). These games became so popular that now hundreds of these games now roam the Internet and the acronym has come to mean Multi-User Domain and Multi-User Dimension as well as the afored mentioned. To many, this game became a way of recreation, a hobby if you will. They were able to create characters of any social class, race, or even species and develop them into a powerful and respected individual. Some players choose a character and play him or her until the level up a few times and then disregard that character for another soon after. Others spend months or even years developing and fine-tuning this person to be the exact way they would prefer the character. Nearly every aspect of a personality and physical traits are rated on a point system, Strength, wisdom, agility, and charisma to name a few, are examples of some of the areas that are used for character development. It is even possible now in new games such as EverQuest to decide what your characters physical appearance will be including the clothing they wear. As time progresses, these games are becoming more and more complex and closer to real life. To some people these virtual worlds are merely recreation but to others it is a way to escape the trials of everyday life and they immerse themselves in this virtual world.Sociologist Jay Chaskes of Rowan College has been conducting research pertaining to the "reinvention of se...
