I briefly visited MUDs and MOOs, and mIRC in high school, and used them mostly for meeting friends and playing chess . Generally, my complaints of them were similar up until a little while ago, all based on what I felt was a tremendous barrier in getting to actually know the person on the other side. Upon review, I am overjoyed by what happened. People were themselves, and the dominant order fell through. What I mean to say is something that was hinted at in class discussion.
People show themselves regardless of the medium.
The broad variety of options available in the multi-user internet context only broadens the range of tools that we can use. The class' childish, almost inebriated reaction at the outset seems now to be more natural, given the high of relative freedom from identity that some were experiencing for the first time. It is incredible how much of our character shone through. A few disciplined individuals tried to create some kind of discussion, some others retreated from the virtual noise into a smaller, quiet room., while still others rejoiced in the moment, taking potshots from one another in ways that they would never have dared otherwise. As anyone that was present could testify, such divisions of action arose even more quickly than they would in a non virtual context, and why shouldn't they have.