[e12e]

I always liked Richard Bartle's take on this from a game design perspective, in his:

"HEARTS, CLUBS, DIAMONDS, SPADES: PLAYERS WHO SUIT Muds" http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

Essentially: exploring is one dimension of fun, and some people enjoy it even more when it's hard (ie:no automap).

I remember playing Eye of the Beholder with a friend, one of us on map duty, the other controlling the game...