Columbus, OH
Massively multiplayer. Massively social. Creator-driven.
Massively multiplayer. Massively social. Creator-driven.
Lateral Hazards HQ
Overview
Our world is what you make of it.
Forty years ago, back when the internet was new, a handful of university students created the first online multiplayer game. They called it a “multi-user dungeon,” or MUD, for short. The project initiated the multiplayer era — thousands of MUDs went online in the years that followed.
The games were crude by today’s standards. Connection speeds were awful, so there were no graphics. Players had to login via telnet and type their commands in a terminal window. But despite the primitive interface, the worlds seethed with life.
The life didn’t come from a studio. It came from the people inside the games. The players crafted the worlds and drove the narratives, building characters and reputations in sprawling, dangerous places. They formed alliances, waged wars, fell in love, and hunted for objects of incredible power. Their stories weren’t scripted, they were lived.
But all good things end. As networks improved, players abandoned the MUDs for better graphics. The text-based worlds dried up and withered away. The industry traded agency for aesthetics.
Something essential disappeared with the MUDs. Today’s games are gorgeous, but at the cost of feeling hollow and static. They’ve neglected the lived-in, sweat-stained feeling of those early experiments. But the trade-off isn’t necessary. Games should have both.
Our mission at Lateral Hazards is to build a modern game world that’s shared, persistent and shaped by the players. We’ll seed the treasures, secrets and stories, but this world will become what you make of it.
[Probably chaos.]
About
Get Involved
Investors & Community
Investors
Community
Columbus, OH
Massively multiplayer. Massively social. Creator-driven.
Lateral Hazards HQ
Overview
Our world is what you
make of it.
Forty years ago, back when the internet was new, a handful of university students created the first online multiplayer game. They called it a “multi-user dungeon,” or MUD, for short. The project initiated the multiplayer era — thousands of MUDs went online in the years that followed.
The games were crude by today’s standards. Connection speeds were awful, so there were no graphics. Players had to login via telnet and type their commands in a terminal window. But despite the primitive interface, the worlds seethed with life.
The life didn’t come from a studio. It came from the people inside the games. The players crafted the worlds and drove the narratives, building characters and reputations in sprawling, dangerous places. They formed alliances, waged wars, fell in love, and hunted for objects of incredible power. Their stories weren’t scripted, they were lived.
But all good things end. As networks improved, players abandoned the MUDs for better graphics. The text-based worlds dried up and withered away. The industry traded agency for aesthetics.
Something essential disappeared with the MUDs. Today’s games are gorgeous, but at the cost of feeling hollow and static. They’ve neglected the lived-in, sweat-stained feeling of those early experiments. But the trade-off isn’t necessary. Games should have both.
Our mission at Lateral Hazards is to build a modern game world that’s shared, persistent and shaped by the players. We’ll seed the treasures, secrets and stories, but this world will become what you make of it.
[Probably chaos.]
About
Get Involved
Investors & Community
Investors
Community
Columbus, OH
Massively multiplayer. Massively social. Creator-driven.
Lateral Hazards HQ
Overview
Our world is what you make of it.
Forty years ago, back when the internet was new, a handful of university students created the first online multiplayer game. They called it a “multi-user dungeon,” or MUD, for short. The project initiated the multiplayer era — thousands of MUDs went online in the years that followed.
The games were crude by today’s standards. Connection speeds were awful, so there were no graphics. Players had to login via telnet and type their commands in a terminal window. But despite the primitive interface, the worlds seethed with life.
The life didn’t come from a studio. It came from the people inside the games. The players crafted the worlds and drove the narratives, building characters and reputations in sprawling, dangerous places. They formed alliances, waged wars, fell in love, and hunted for objects of incredible power. Their stories weren’t scripted, they were lived.
But all good things end. As networks improved, players abandoned the MUDs for better graphics. The text-based worlds dried up and withered away. The industry traded agency for aesthetics.
Something essential disappeared with the MUDs. Today’s games are gorgeous, but at the cost of feeling hollow and static. They’ve neglected the lived-in, sweat-stained feeling of those early experiments. But the trade-off isn’t necessary. Games should have both.
Our mission at Lateral Hazards is to build a modern game world that’s shared, persistent and shaped by the players. We’ll seed the treasures, secrets and stories, but this world will become what you make of it.
[Probably chaos.]
About
Get Involved
Investors & Community
Investors
Community