Out of these MUDs came a less entertainment-oriented application, the online community. Many MUDs evolved into communities, often keeping their theme and characters, so that the “aim” was not to win some target, but to communicate and develop social relationships. These evolved into fully functional societies, many with semi-formal systems of government and organisation.

There are many accounts of life within these communities, such as Rheingold (1994) and Dibbell (1999).