GoKrida: A Unique Online Universe

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What is GoKrida?

GoKrida is a text-based persistent virtual fantasy universe one can experience in a web browser. Within the context of GoKrida, it is the reality, and our everyday life is a figment of our imaginations. Because GoKrida has no sound or animation, one does have to use one's imagination to think of it as real, yet this is rarely an obstacle for the active GoKridan.

A game, but not a game
Visitors to GoKrida usually think of it as a game, since it has features common to games, especially role-playing games: One can choose a character class, learn new abilities and gain levels, and interact with others while exploring a fantasy setting. As a game, GoKrida is very open-ended; there are "game mechanics" that will necessarily be followed, but there are no game rules or set goals intrinsic to these mechanics. For a while, GoKrida was promoted as a "social simulation", and it does have qualities that in some ways parallel experiences in real life, despite a theme where magic is not considered extraordinary.

Whether or not you're interested in becoming a part of GoKrida, I think it's unique enough that you might want to learn more about it. If you're curious about something in particular, each section on this page is relatively standalone, and as you may already realize, sections link to other sections (and a few relevant external links), so you can easily skip around to the "good parts" if you like; things that may be more fully explained in one section may be summarized incidentally in other sections.

But if you'd like to read through the page as written (GoKrida itself usually takes time) you'll find I've broken it up a bit with a few related but slightly off-topic sections. Those and other bits I thought might be of particular interest are listed near the end of the page.

There's also a guestbook at the bottom, if you'd like to comment on anything you've read, and a poll to see how people came across this page.

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Note: GoKrida is currently offline, but is expected to return in the near future. More details can be found below.

Most GoKrida-related images used on this lens were once included on a page of promotional banners for GoKrida. The introductory image was adapted by this lens' author, from the text superimposed on one of the images seen on GoKrida's login page.

What makes GoKrida unique? 

GoKrida isn't a typical online world, and it can take some getting used to "missing" mechanics that are often "hard-coded" into other virtual societies on the internet; for example, rules for trade and social class are defined entirely by the players; even the non-player characters are actual people instead of reactive programming features. And because GoKrida's interface is static and text-based, some adjustment may be necessary for those used to an animated display.

Some of the features described in the following sections may be unusual in a persistent world game; others may be relatively common, but uniquely applied in GoKrida.

Open-ended play 

Choose your own adventure!

In GoKrida, there is no compulsion to join any group, or complete any quest. Indeed, there really are no set quests, because events in GoKrida play out as they do in real life; it's not like an adventure game where the same quests may be re-enacted over and over again for each new player. Even when interacting with GoKrida's natives, who occasionally request the aid of other souls, there should be no expectation that any particular eventuality will come to pass as a result.

Because of GoKrida's small playerbase (people have estimated that at most there have only been about 250 accounts active at any one time, even though well over 5000 accounts may have been created), one's character can readily become well-known to a significant portion of the active community. (Yet it is still possible to retain a degree of anonymity in the universe.) In GoKrida's history, people have become notable for making new discoveries, winning battles, starting new traditions, or simply engaging in memorable forum discussion.

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Discovery and exploration 

Exploring the universe and its workings is very appealing to GoKridans.

One of the things that people say they enjoy the most about GoKrida is making new discoveries. The workings of the universe aren't always immediately clear, and it's not uncommon for someone to make a new discovery that dispels a popular assumption, which may have always been incorrect, or no longer applies; alterations have been made behind the scenes over the years, which may be subtle enough not to be readily apparent.

When new knowledges are invented, their purpose is not always understood, and some experimentation is necessarily in order; sometimes a sort of emergent gameplay happens, with new discoveries becoming commonly used in ways that may not have been the original intention.

While much of GoKrida remains mysterious, pieces of its puzzle have been solved by careful attention to detail: Data has been catalogued regarding the efficiency of various activities; for example, changes in time or production with change in skill, nutritional values of foods, and losses suffered in warfare have all been studied. Some people enjoy the experience of personal discovery, finding out for themselves what other people have long taken for granted; sometimes they themselves end up taking for granted a change in the universe of which those others were still unaware.

As with science in the real world, there may be politics involved; some believe they should share freely of their discoveries, and others believe in secrecy. Some discoveries may even have dangerous implications, strengthening an argument for not revealing too much to the public too soon.

Other explorers, instead of delving into GoKrida's magical physics, map the realms, especially the realm of Chaos. Since lands in Chaos can be readily altered, sometimes even accidentally, maps may change often. (There have even been attempts to map the relative positions of the planets in Chaos, which can only be done by recording data relating to properties that cannot be observed directly.)

In addition to the researchers and cartographers, there are historians, who record the events of the universe. Sometimes these are young souls who didn't exist when some events took place; their documentation is based on their conversations with their elders, or perusal of past conversations on the forums.

Some explorers do their explorations "behind the scenes", discovering artifacts of GoKrida's past elsewhere on the internet.

One doesn't have to enjoy exploration and discovery to enjoy GoKrida, but for many, this may be the most important aspect of the experience.

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The Bartle Test: Are you suited to GoKrida? 

Having a number of explorer personalities may be beneficial for everyone else, too.

MUDs (multi-user dungeons/domains/dimensions), the predecessors to modern multiplayer online games, still exist; GoKrida, because of its text-based nature, has even been described as a MUD. In 1996, Richard A. Bartle, a pioneer in game design and game studies, published his research undertaken to discover what kinds of personalities play MUDs. He identified four different basic types, assigning each of them to a suit on a deck of playing cards for easy reference.

Erwin Andreasen developed a personality test based on this research, the most recent version of which is maintained at gamerDNA.

Bartle determined that explorer types were desirable to attract to a MUD for an enjoyable gaming experience for all types of players. Several times on GoKrida's forums, Andreasen's test has been discussed, and it seems that GoKrida attracts mostly explorers. This would suggest that the experience is all the more enjoyable even for the non-explorers among its populace.

What kind of player are you? Take the test, and discuss your results in the guestbook on this lens!

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Playing card suit image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

History and culture 

The ways of life in this universe are defined by the actions of its community.

Unlike other fantasy-world adventures that require exposition of a "backstory" in order to understand the setting, GoKrida's open-ended nature and spirit of discovery allows its visitors to pay as much or as little attention to GoKridan history as they like, without necessarily impacting their enjoyment of the universe. Indeed, in discussions of GoKridan history, the "beginning" usually means the events that happened after the work of the Archangels (GoKridan natives) was mostly completed and the first major souls (people like themselves) began to populate the realms and explore them. GoKridans generally consider the universe's history to be the events they themselves caused to happen.

In GoKrida, there are no "instances"; therefore, every event in GoKrida can be seen as part of the same historical timeline. There may be many areas to explore, but there is only one environment which changes dynamically depending on the actions of its inhabitants. For example, changing the properties of a land in the realm of Chaos may affect the properties of nearby lands or even further away lands, and casting certain magics on one planet may have an effect on other planets or even in other realms. If there is a consensus that these effects may be harmful, rules may be made and enforced, regarding the use of the actions that cause them. Yet actions that may seem destructive to some may actually have a positive purpose; for example, construction projects may require radical alterations to the landscape that in other circumstances may be perceived as acts of vandalism. There is more than one way of life in GoKrida, and traditions can change as dynamically as the landscape in Chaos.

GoKrida does actually have an "origin story" explaining how the universe came into existence, but relatively few souls have explored this aspect of GoKrida with any seriousness; some debate whether the story is still "canon" (since the design of the universe seems to have changed significantly since it was written), and others simply dismiss it. There is also a "lost document" about the nature of the universe (which was once accessible from within the universe, but seems to have disappeared during these changes), whose words still hold import for many major souls despite its apparent absence from the universe it describes. (If enough people are interested in these works, I'll consider providing access to them on a future version of this page.)

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Roleplaying 

People don't always play a different sort of character in GoKrida, but they may adopt a different role.

Persona
As unnecessary as it is to know GoKrida's origin story or backstory to enjoy the experience, it is also not necessary for major souls to have a personal backstory as is encouraged in some roleplaying games. While it is possible to develop a persona for one's character that may be significantly different than one's real-life persona, many people more or less play themselves in GoKrida, as real-life characters transported into another universe, whose personal stories develop as each new soul learns more about the environment and the people that populate it.

Element
Souls in the realm of Chaos do choose an element in which to experience existence, which can be considered a sort of character class; but this only affects the potential abilities one can develop, and is not necessarily a permanent choice. Indeed, while some souls prefer existence as a particular element, others will experiment with different elements; and there has even been discussion about whether there are yet-undiscovered abilities available only to those who have developed skill as more than one element.

Social role
Effectively, roleplaying in GoKrida is less about persona and more about lifestyle. People generally act as they would in real life, but their options are different than real life, so they take on roles based on their social interactions and goals. It's not likely that one would have an opportunity to lead a multi-planet organization or an invasion force in real life, and the chance to develop magical abilities is perhaps even more unlikely; but these sorts of things happen all the time in GoKrida.

In-character, or out-of-character?
It's useful to note that when people discuss GoKrida, the line between their real life and their experiences there is somewhat blurry; because people tend not to roleplay, it's not surprising that they switch easily between in-character and out-of-character references, a habit which hasn't been actively encouraged nor discouraged within the universe itself. Because there is traditionally little emphasis on roleplaying, it is not uncommon on the internal forums or in personal messages, to read out-of-character comments, even in an in-character discussion. It's not even clear whether the "game interface" is considered out-of-character knowledge, since certain magical actions are understood to alter its appearance. Ineffective roleplaying is unlikely to cause a person any serious problems; only the few "natives" to the universe are expected to play their roles as though they cannot understand any existence beyond it, and even this wasn't always the case.

Open-endedness
An old promotional banner for GoKrida declares, "It makes you think." Except for the native characters (played by real people acting these parts), there are no preset social roles within GoKrida, so there is the potential to explore aspects of one's personality that one might not have the opportunity to express in other contexts, and to discover just what it takes and what it means to fight wars, own land, lead government, make scientific discoveries, or otherwise try a way of life significantly different than one's everyday experience.

Tradition
One bit of roleplaying that does occur regularly is to refer to people as "older" or "younger", based on their characters' ages rather than their real ages; that is, a "young soul" will be someone whose character was created more recently than an "older soul". Another tradition is to claim, in character, that one is a member of a "house", a sort of generational "family" of souls. There are no familial relationships between characters in the setting of GoKrida; belonging to a house is a way to communicate an out-of-character relationship in this context: The newer members of a house were invited to join GoKrida by its older members.

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Non-player characters 

The NPCs are real people, too!

Some gamers may think of "non-player characters" as either automated characters, or game staff or volunteers acting to advise new players or moderate inappropriate behavior; but this really isn't the case in GoKrida. The NPCs are actually roles played by real people, so they are not automated; but neither are they there to maintain order among the player characters. Like each player character, each NPC has a unique persona and agenda.

The archangels (Sebian, Zefiel, Shzuru, and Streben), and an additional non-player major soul (Cimi), have the potential to gain any ability available to player characters, but also have special abilities, some of which may be unique to a particular character, that are innate to themselves and may be unavailable to player characters. They are not necessarily more powerful, less vulnerable, or more clever or knowledgeable than the player characters, however; it is possible to outwit or defeat them in certain circumstances.

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Skills and leveling 

Everyone's good at something.

Unlike in many games with a skill-based component, in GoKrida one starts out with a fair complement of available actions upon entering the realm of Chaos (where most of the action takes place), and can even learn a few new ones right away by either trying to invent them or cooperating with another soul willing to teach. Gaining experience is possible, of course, and is sometimes necessary for acquiring new abilities, but GoKrida does not rely on power alone as a way to gain advantage; souls exist as beings of different elements, each of which has intrinsic advantages and limitations, and some efforts require cooperation between souls. Even the contributions of inexperienced souls can be helpful in efforts to complete a strategic operation or discover something new; if they lack the necessary skills, their ideas may still be appreciated. And it is certainly possible to gain social standing independent of one's GoKridan abilities.

Ultimately any goals are up to each individual; all are free to choose their own paths. In addition to bettering one's skills and abilities, one can explore the realms, experiment with science and magic, aid newer souls, build worlds, or wage war; there are many types of choices available.

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Organized efforts 

Join a group, or start your own!

Unlike other games or simulations, there is no inbuilt social infrastructure; the nature of, and rules for joining, organizations within GoKrida are decided by those who exist within its realms, and not by any predetermined "game mechanics". Alliances of souls range from complex governmental hierarchies, to unions of researchers investigating the physics of the universe publicly or privately, to followers of religions created by major souls. Groups may be formal or informal; some have even been based on common interests unrelated to GoKrida.

(If you'd like to read more about any organization in GoKrida, you may request that a particular organization or type of organization be mentioned on this lens. If there's an associated external site, I'll consider linking to that as well.)

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Economy 

Cooperation may be more important than acquisition.

There is also no inbuilt economic system in GoKrida; there is no monetary system at all, so if people are interested in trade, it must be in a more literal sense, as barter for goods or services. Some people may even offer goods or services, asking for nothing in return; they may feel rewarded already, as they will certainly gain skill from performing services (and gathering or producing goods). Some just enjoy helping others or being part of a coordinated effort, or might participate for an opportunity to gain a reputation or experience that could lead to greater adventures.

While all souls in Chaos are able to alter the land to suit their purposes, it's not always necessary to actually lay claim to land, and exclusivity of land ownership may even be against local customs in certain areas. Many lands produce goods useful to the entire populace, and rarely is the public prohibited from harvesting goods in any area. And since the act of harvesting gains one skill, some people may even be willing to harvest things they can't use themselves, and drop the acquired items for others with less time or patience (or even deliver them personally).

All goods are ultimately reproducible and none have been discontinued (save perhaps biscuits, but that's a story deserving of its own article). Scarcity of goods does occur, however, because some items require more skill to produce, or have popular uses which often consume them; indeed, most if not all goods are consumable as food or as raw materials required for magic, construction, or the creation of other items. Because everyone's goals are different, there may be shortages or surpluses of different goods or services in different areas.

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Forums 

You, too, can have your very own forum!

Some games have an adjunct forum site, where members discuss various aspects of the game or other relevant or common interests; GoKrida's forums are no different in purpose, but their nature is significantly different: The forums are part of the "game mechanics"; as such, they are internal, and accessible only from inside the environment of the virtual universe. Other internet forums are set up with subforums for discussing certain topics, and moderators are assigned to monitor activity on each subforum; GoKrida's forums are each a personal forum created with a telepathic magic which is relatively easy to learn, but requires a significant quantity of one's spiritual energy to use; and more energy must be added to a forum regularly, or it will grow weaker and may literally vanish from existence.

The energy added to a forum also determines from how far away it may be heard, which also may determine the type of topics discussed on it. So there may exist "universal forums" available no matter where one is within the realm of Chaos, whose moderators often allow a wide range of topics for discussion; or "planetary affairs" forums, whose moderators may maintain them with less energy, which contain in-character discussions about local events in a particular part of Chaos. A higher-level telepathic magic allows a forum owner to conceal the forum from the public and allow only invited members to discussion there.

There's an added bonus to maintaining a forum in GoKrida; the maintenance actions increase skill in Telepathy! Because of this, there may also exist "useless forums" with no posts, save perhaps a congratulatory topic traditionally started when someone notices a new forum.

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Persistent existence 

Accounts are rarely, if ever, deleted.

Each person who joins GoKrida is only allowed to have one account, and each account can only have one character, and there are few if any major souls in the universe that have ceased to exist; therefore, it should be possible to take an extended leave of absence from the universe and return to continue where one left off; it's even possible for a major soul in the realm of Chaos to continue to carry out a course of action while dormant.

Of course, in the meantime, things could happen that could potentially cause setbacks: One could be killed purposely, or die of starvation or unforeseen circumstances; be moved accidentally or on purpose; or be hypnotized to serve another major soul. (One might never even discover that such adventures or misadventures occurred!)

It would not be inaccurate to say that several "generations" of major souls have existed; members of the community may become inactive for a while, and be able to return later without starting over with a new identity, and may be welcomed back even by those who have never heard of them. Since both the GoKridan social dynamic and the game mechanics seem to have evolved over time, they may be surprised at what they find upon awakening again.

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War, strategy, and death 

Both aggressive and peaceful actions can benefit from careful planning.

Although strategy and combat are possible, and several famous campaigns have been carried out in the universe's history, GoKrida isn't strictly a game of conquest; even some souls best known as warriors may be heard discussing GoKridan science or engaging in lighthearted off-topic banter on the internal forums, rather than strategizing or sounding intimidating.

Strategic planning isn't limited to warfare, of course. Projects may be undertaken that require coordination between souls, and personal plans may benefit from a bit of strategy; for example, since actions are queued in advance, and continue even while logged out, young souls are often advised, rather than going idle, to plan to do something to increase their skill once their immediate plans are finished.

Whether during war or peace, careful planning can help avoid death by misadventure or inattention. While death isn't permanent, it can cause setbacks; there may be loss of skills, and possibly claims to land or possessions, or inconvenience in travelling back to where one had been before. Souls with more experience usually have more to lose, and often find it more difficult to reacquire what they have lost. But for the adventurous spirit, death may not be an obstacle; although some will go to great lengths to avoid death, others will admit that the risk is worth taking.

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Imagination 

It really does make you think....

GoKrida is not a fast-paced experience; actions occur in real time, sometimes taking hours or even days, and their outcomes may vary, remaining unknown until they complete. Most actions cannot be performed concurrently, and will not complete if cancelled.

As beings in a universe where one interacts through a text-based interface, major souls have no avatar, but are instead represented only by colored text. There is no sound or animation; places are represented by static images and text, and action is indicated by descriptive text and event messages. One's view of the universe is static, so the page must be reloaded to see what has transpired.

While some people might set a queue of actions and log in only occasionally to check their progress, others, while waiting, become involved in exploring the social dynamic of GoKrida by conversing with fellow explorers on the internal forums, or exchange telepathy privately, discussing matters person-to-person. (Communication can be useful for planning actions, but often is unrelated.)

Compared to other persistent online universes, GoKrida may seem simple; but despite what might be considered limitations, it has captured the imagination of some to such a degree that they think of their existence in GoKrida as an extension of their real-life existence.

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Chaos vs. the other realms 

Many people think of existence in the realm of Chaos as the whole point of the GoKridan experience.

There are five realms in GoKrida; most of the action takes place in the realm of Chaos. So the first task most people choose is to find their way to Chaos from Origin, where one begins existence; and the first task most souls choose after dying and returning to the Rim, is to find its Elemental Gates and return to Chaos. Origin, Rim, Tempolis, and Greyness are relatively small and populated with few if any active souls, and haven't been well-explored. Things work differently in each realm, and Chaos seems to have a wider range of activity and more room for exploration. Even though there may always have been areas to explore in all the realms, there are a number of GoKridans with the perspective that outside of Chaos there is simply a small static, uneventful area that one (temporarily) endures after (non-permanent) death.

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Why is Chaos the most popular realm?

Here are some common arguments for staying in Chaos:
  • Leaving Chaos may involve loss.
    Chaos is the "earthly" realm, while the others are the "heavenly" realms. (Indeed, Tempolis used to be referred to as "the Middle Heavens", and the Rim as "the Lower Heavens".) While it's easy to move among the other realms with little difficulty, and it's easy to move into Chaos from the Rim (the realm connecting the other realms), it's not easy to return to them once one has entered Chaos, as the only known methods for doing this are by dying, which may cause one to lose some skill or ability (or claims to land or possessions, or time spent travelling back to one's former location); or by ascending, usually at a great cost of spiritual energy. Since the reasons for leaving Chaos may seem less compelling than the sacrifices that may be involved to accomplish this, many people prefer to stay there.

  • There is more to see in Chaos, and its environment is more dynamic.
    The other realms seem to consist of directly interconnected areas that might correspond to rooms arranged in three dimensions; travel between areas takes little or no time.

    Chaos consists of planets resembling two-dimensional planes gridded like a hex map, with travel from each area possible in up to six different compass directions, connected by different types of pathways, which may take many hours to cross. Travel between planets is also possible, though it may be dangerous in some circumstances.

    The layout of other realms has changed significantly through GoKrida's history, but such change may be relatively rare, and based on mechanics that aren't well understood. There has been speculation that the archangels change them, that they are affected by magics cast by major souls, or that the realms themselves have their own agendas. Out-of-character, it's been suggested that GoKrida's design (in all realms) has been altered to better reflect its creator's original intentions. (Certain changes have been surrounded by controversy within the GoKridan community, discussion of which may be relevant to why Chaos is the favorite realm, but is beyond the scope of this article.)

    In Chaos, each "hex" is a land that can be altered by various basic and advanced magics or building activities, and each land type has its own particular use, so maps may change regularly. Areas may be well-planned, but often individuals claim bits of adjacent land for significantly different purposes.

  • There is more to do in Chaos.
    While some may see the travel time as a disadvantage in Chaos, they may already have grown used to other actions that take hours to complete there. Some prefer to stay where they are, and still find more to do than they might in other realms.

    While objects may be found in every realm, there doesn't seem to be a use for most of them except in Chaos.

    While abilities specific to each realm may exist, Chaos may be the only realm where skills can be developed.

    Although it's apparently possible to die in at least one other realm, Chaos may be the only realm where it's possible to wage war.

  • The conversation is better.
    While private communication through telepathic messages is possible even between realms, Chaos is the only realm where public communication is possible from great distances; its forums cannot be heard in other realms. Public communication in other realms can be accomplished by speaking, the words of which don't carry far, and which quickly fade from memory, unlike telepathic messages or forum posts. Also, there are just more people to talk to in Chaos.

What do you call the people of this universe? 

If GoKrida isn't a game, does it have "players"?

While gamers in general might talk about themselves as "players" or their parts as "characters", GoKrida has in recent years seemed to discourage these usages, apparently to de-emphasize the "game" aspect of GoKrida or promote the "reality" aspect. (You may notice I've somewhat adopted this stance myself by using terms like community and members on this lens.) GoKridans may still generally think of themselves as "players"; one could consider this appropriate since they do "play" a role within the universe, but since roleplaying in GoKrida doesn't usually involve an invented persona, the word is probably being used in the gaming sense.

Alternatives to "players"
For a while when GoKrida was officially described as a "social simulation", members of its community were described as participants; this term may have been used simply to make a distinction from the non-participants, as the non-player characters were briefly called. Later, explorers seems to have been the official descriptive term. Links to the login page from other official sites have read "Visit GoKrida", so sometimes visitors may have been used as well. (Athough I'd guess a number of people would argue that they're not visiting, they live there!)

Terms that identify people with GoKrida
Sometimes people will describe the community or its members using an adjectival variation of the word "GoKrida"; this lens uses the variant GoKridan, although GoKridian is also popular. GKer has also been used, but is less likely to be used in an "in-character" context.

In-character terms
The most common term used to describe a character in GoKrida is major soul. Sometimes one is simply described as a soul, but this term is also used to describe "minor souls", lesser beings that serve as one's followers, usually thought of as a "game mechanic" rather than actual characters. (GoKrida does have several non-player characters whose parts are acted by humans.) Sometimes the term angel is used instead. The term "greater spirit" was used in some old promotional copy for GoKrida, so occasionally spirit will be the term of choice. Despite the terminology, major souls do apparently have corporeal forms, and live in material-based realms.

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So how do I sign up? 

Of course I'd like to promote this experience, get new people to join in, and aid them along their way. For those previously unfamiliar with GoKrida, whom I may have intrigued with the information I'm presenting here, I must point out that unfortunately, new membership is impossible right now, as there is no way to sign up at the moment.

But do not despair that you are missing anything; you see, the universe was nearly destroyed almost two years ago, and for most of that time we've been drifting about among its realms, unable to do very much, or even communicate with each other. At the same time, behind the scenes, the entity that provides GoKrida on the internet seemed to have changed more than once, which may be part of the reason the universe hasn't been "repaired" yet. Last year, GoKrida was returned to the hands of its creator; who more recently informed us that changes were afoot, as we lost access to our ghostly existence (the universe was taken offline). Hopefully something exciting will happen soon.

Disappointed? Excited? Have any news? Leave your comment in the guestbook!

Other persistent browser-based games 

Since there's not much to do in GoKrida right now, why not try another adventure in your browser?

GoKrida falls into the broad genre of persistent browser-based games. A more thorough explanation, and a sampling of different games, can be found at the lens featured below.

(Know of another related lens you think I should feature? Mention it in the guestbook!)
featured lens Persistent Browser-Based Games

It can be troublesome to have to download or install a game or game client on a computer, so it's good to know that there are many games available that can be played in a web browser over the internet. Some of these games are even set up so that you...

Official GoKrida sites 

There are three websites officially associated with GoKrida. Currently, all the sites redirect to the same page, where Ko Chira, the man understood by many GoKridans to be the creator of that universe, recently communicated that he has regained control of that property from its latest caretakers.

Discuss these links in the guestbook.
http://www.gokrida.org
This site, once used to promote GoKrida by whatever "foundation" was funding it at the time, now redirects to http://www.gokrida.com.
gokrida
This page was once the GoKrida Community Portal, with links to sites with content created by GoKrida's residents, and even though it was updated occasionally, the information it referenced wasn't always timely (although still generally intriguing). Earlier, it had actually been the place where one gained entry into the universe (the login page for GoKrida), as had a page on Ko Chira's site before it; now, it has a few updates on the "return" of GoKrida, and links back to a couple of Ko Chira's other projects.
GoKrida
This is the site where the universe itself would normally be accessed through a web browser (or as many people would put it, it's the actual game site); but it currently redirects to http://www.gokrida.com.

Links 

Update coming soon(ish)!: Since the GoKrida Community Portal has vanished (at least for the moment), I'm going to try to find the best of GoKrida's "fansites" to present here, and include some projects I've been working on myself.

If you have a link to suggest for this lens, I invite you to mention it in the guestbook.

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Links for newbies 

(and potential explorers)

Some people are introduced to GoKrida by someone they know who already explores there; others may have discovered it by accident. Some of those in the latter group, while considering beginning existence in this curious universe, have tried to find out more about it, and found little that made sense to outsiders. Others prefer to jump right in, without even being aware of the various existing "fansites", even though those links are relatively easy to discover, since entering the unusual query "GoKrida" into a search engine is likely to produce a number of relevant results.

So, considering the lack of outside sources that are understandable to those who would like to find out more before creating an account, and that many new to GoKrida are unaware of any documentation at all, I included links here that might be useful to the new explorer.

Discuss these links or suggest more in the guestbook.
GK Public Library
Most blog entries here originated as topics on an internal forum in GoKrida, designed to help new souls.

Links for the more experienced soul 

These links will make better sense to those with a bit of familiarity with GoKrida.

Discuss these links or suggest more in the guestbook.
Xiaomu's GoKrida
This is a blog by an explorer called xiaomu, about her experiences in GoKrida. The latest entries detail the recent destruction within the universe.
GoKrida Information by Joseph Becher
While much of the information on this page may be outdated, it may be the most recent comprehensive list of GoKrida-related links available to the public on the live internet.

Links for the curious 

For those undecided about GoKrida, these links may be of interest. Some may even be entertaining in and of themselves.

Discuss these links or suggest more in the guestbook.
GoKrida Illusion Portraits and Archangel Images
Although GoKrida is text-based, it does have illustrations. Most or all of the illustrations on this site are details of well-known paintings in the public domain; their sources are attributed where they are known.
GoKridan Archive
This site contains content written by various members of the GoKridan community, mostly "fan fiction" originally posted on its forums. In some articles a significant degree of literary license is evident; other works are relatively faithful accounts of the virtual history of GoKrida. The site also lists links to other archives and GoKrida-inspired creativity, and requests more links and source material for the archive.
GoKrida - The Play of Five - Artwork and Information
This site contains computer generated artwork rendered by early GoKridan explorer Alxander, inspired by discoveries and events in GoKrida.

What else would you like to know? 

Add your thoughts, questions, or comments; or just say hello!

(There should be contact information on my profile page, if you'd like to discuss anything privately and/or at length.)

What do you think of this lens?
This lens was originally created because there is little information publicly available about GoKrida, that is designed to make sense to the uninitiated. Many GoKridans have stated that GoKrida is so unlike anything else they have experienced that they find it hard to describe; I'd like to know if you think I have done a good job explaining it here on this lens, whether the subject is new or familiar to you.

Is there anything else you would like to see here?
Is there anything I should have added, but didn't? Is there anything you found particularly enjoyable or useful on a previous version of this lens, that's been removed? Because it's uncertain when GoKrida may again become the universe this lens describes, some relevant information may remain missing for a while. I will consider suggestions, of course, and may make additions or other modifications according to special requests.

Got anything else to say?
If you have any questions, I'd be glad to address them here if I can. If you have any speculations as to when or in what way GoKrida will "return", I invite you to add them here. Or just say hi; I'm certain some GoKridan regulars have visited here! (By the way, how did you do on the Bartle Test?)

(Even if you'd rather not leave a comment, you could still vote in the poll.)

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Lensmaster

Achernar

Hey i just want to thank you for putting this up. I have been looking for stuff on GK ever since the end and I was pleasantly suprised to find this site. The links are great and its good to know that there are still some of us out there.

ReplyPosted June 22, 2009

Why did you visit this lens? 

I'd like to find out more about the people who visit this lens. Vote in this poll, and please leave a comment in the guestbook!

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Did I miss anything? 

(Did YOU miss anything?)

You've gotten this far in the lens; did you read the whole thing, or just skim it? If you've visited this lens before, you may realize that it's changed significantly several times. If there's anything else you think should be added to the lens, or would like me to add back something that's been removed, let me know!

You may be interested in these features from earlier on the page, if you missed them:

Other ListenEarth sites 

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One of my other interests is web development, so sometimes I've used GoKrida information as the content while testing content management software. A few of the experiments were worth sharing, so I've been polishing them up to present to the public. The following links are a feed that will update if I have a new one ready.

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