Why are MUDs, as well as most other forums dedicated to Veeky Forums-like stuff, so toxic?

It's a MOBA buzzword, it encompasses any 'negative' behavior, you can be banned from the game (what's deemed negative just depends which way the wind is blowing.) for 'toxic' behavior. It's a really loose umbrella word.
Did you curse? Toxic.
Did you grief another player? Toxic.
Did you get into an argument? Toxic.

Wow, what a toxic response.

They are not, because `toxic' is not a property of people. It is a chemical property.

>Veeky Forums stuff is no worse than most,
No. It's on the lower end of average.
>and better than many.
Yes. It is, again, within average.

>if a character is described as "venomous" I will be upset if he doesn't literally have fangs and a poison sac

To be honest I've found wargaming forums to be a lot less toxic as its just a bunch of old guys who are chill

So, what MUSH/MUD/MU* do fa/tg/uys frequent?

Basically you've been told that people are basically good and kind for so long you started to believe it; then you ventured into an area where people are allowed to express their basest fantasies and most unwelcome opinions via a mask of online anonymity, and found that it was tosh.

The stage you're currently in is rejection of these people as bad individuals - the next step of the progression is realizing that we all have the capacity within us to be just as bad, and we can and will be so if the correct sequence of events unfold to expose our worse natures, which are such a taboo we deny their very existence when we can.

A stinger is fine too.

I frequent the Lead adventure forms which tend to be super civil and seem quite nice

People like power. Greater internet fuckwad theory. So MUDs tend to draw some serious shitheads, especially IRE ones where people have often serious financial investments.

Shadows of Isildur was good, now it's ran by idiots who have compartmentalized the whole game. The senior players, IE the ones who get the authority, roles and races, are interested in only each other and let the rest of the playlerbase wither on the vine.

I have a hard time empathizing with someone who keeps calling people who are mean to them 'toxic'. Either way I haven't really ever done the MUD thing, but I assume they operate like a dying MMO. If you're joining them you're probably just some stranger wandering into a small group of friends (who may or may not be terrible people) that have known each other for a shit ton of time that have no real reason to give a shit about you

Because, generally, the people most able to devore swathes of time to participating in a MUD, are the sort of people who not only couldn't make a friend to save their life, they think that there must be something wrong with people who have friends.

tl;dr: MUDs tend to become toxic due to the "NORMIES! REEEEEE!" crowd not having social skills.

What said, but also because the ability to grief will always bring griefers. Even beyond the people who get off to causing everyone else to feel less enjoyment, you have people who want to gain social power and form cliques. So you've got griefers and cliques and both of them tend to want to ruin everyone else's fun in one way or another.

I played on MUDs in the 90's. Chat arguments were usually not toxic so much as laughable. There was nothing polished to take MUD's place, so we knew we were all killing time til that happened. Once it did, everyone bailed en masse, some to Acheron's Call, others to Everquest, some to Diablo II, because it was slightly less tedious. Those left were the chatterers, who eventually bred disgruntled types that established the MUDs as magnets for trolls, much like OP. This then carried over to Warcraft et al.

Because it's mostly males
And males give each other shit to test whether or not you're a pussy who's skin is too thin or your interest in the hobby is minimal.
It's a fitness test to see if you belong.
Every male dominated group does this to some degree, the more niche the more severe.

They are small isolated communities.
Some toxic people get in, people that can't tolerate their shit leave and so the shit becomes a bigger portion; then this on repeat

That... actually makes sense.