User:Aelmon/work-in-progress

Education (article section)
AVATAR has had a connection with education since 1994, when a large group of students from a US school began to play, followed by some staff members, and ultimately resulting in the principal joining the MUD as a staff member. Since then, those chosen to be immortals have often been held careers in education, alongside more traditional fields like programming.

Staff noted that their students' literacy skills improved, with academic literature suggesting it is because they found the creative writing and interactive content of the mud compelling to read, and because they needed a certain level of communicative competence to be able to interact with both the computer server running the game and their fellow players to achieve their goals. Through their participation, they were also encouraged to develop collaborative teamwork and social skills in order to overcome the challenges presented to them.

The students, though playing as part of a player community of various ages and nationalities, were impressed that they were taken seriously and treated as competent peers by older members, and thus had the opportunity to create new content or influence the policies and game mechanics of the MUD. Many of these students went on to become staff members themselves, and apply their experiences in the real world.

Having educators involved in the design and development of the game resulted in new features such as the creation of a "Mud School" to train new players in how to interact and play the game, and a new tier of volunteer staff (angels) to care for and assist new and younger players. This is complimented by the MUD's family-friendly policy.

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