Northern Lights, abbreviated NL, is a MUD

MUD

A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...

, a text-based online role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, founded in 1992 by Anna "Vitastjern" Eklund. It has at times been noted as a particularly large and popular example of its type, and has received critical praise.

NLs tagline is "The AberMUD at Ludd", reflecting its long-time hosting with the Luleå Academic Computer Society (Luleå Universitets Datorförening, hence LUDD) at the Luleå University of Technology

Luleå University of Technology

Luleå University of Technology or Luleå tekniska universitet of Sweden is Scandinavia's northernmost university of technology. It has four campuses, located in Luleå , Kiruna , Skellefteå and Piteå .-History:The university was founded on 1 June 1971 at Porsön in Luleå as...

 in Sweden.

Game characteristics

Northern Lights is an "adventure-based" MUD, with combat and questing

Quest (gaming)

A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...

 the primary game activities. Socialization is minimal, though the process of becoming a wizard

Wizard (MUD)

Wizard is commonly used in MUDs, particularly LPMuds, AberMUDs and MU*, as a term for the MUD's developers and administrators. The usage originates with Richard Bartle's original MUD1 and MUD2. It is frequently abbreviated "wiz", which is sometimes used as a verb; to wiz is to become a wizard...

 is rumored to be politically complex.

The MUD includes a tour to familiarize new users with gameplay.

Reception

NL has been praised for its "original zones" and "well-thought-out world".

Interactive Internet: The Insider's Guide to MUDs, MOOs, and IRC featured a wedding conducted between two player character

Player character

A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...

s on Northern Lights, performed personally by Anna Eklund in her capacity as Goddess

God (MUD)

God or Goddess, in MUDs, often refers to an administrator of a MUD server, most typically the owner. Sometimes multiple individuals with the title of God are present, or the term may even be applied to all administrative and development staff, but it is usual for the term to refer to the most...

 of the MUD.

Technical infrastructure

Northern Lights is an AberMUD

AberMUD

AberMUD, pronounced , was the first popular open source MUD, named after the town in which it was written, Aberystwyth. The first version was written in B by Alan Cox, Richard Acott, Jim Finnis, and Leon Thrane based at University of Wales, Aberystwyth for an old Honeywell mainframe and opened in...

based on the Dirt codebase.