Voice Chat Can Really Kill the Mood

[Atari]

As one journalist discovered while using voice chat when playing World of Warcraft, sometimes hearing your allies can really shatter the fantasy. Wired has the story.

This lovely shift in identity was true even if you weren't a hard-core "role player." When I log on to World of Warcraft, I don't try to seriously pretend I'm a medieval person. I happily text-chat with fellow players about 21st century stuff like music, Lost, our jobs. But somehow this social activity never breaks the "magic circle" of the game, the sense that we're in a different place with different rules. Maybe it's because text-chat is inherently abstract; it's something that happens in our heads, in a sort of ludological backchannel of our minds. But voice has much higher emotional bandwidth. It conveys a lot of identity: Your voice instantly transmits your age, your gender and often your nationality -- even your regional location too. (I can tell a Texan accent from a Minnesotan, and you can probably tell I'm Canadian by my nasal "oots.") With voice, the real world is honking in your ear.

[Calisto]

not really on topic but aggravating to me all the same. Not every Canadian has nasal 'oots' GAH

[booger]

I hear that they're working on a vaccine for nasal oots.

Sorry... but it sounds like a horrible condition. Sort of a cross between nasal warts and some odd form of snot mono. Definitely some kinky stuff going on with those Canadians, transmitting nasal oots like they do.

Remember. Wear a condom during nasal penetration.

[Maflash]

Kinky Canadians? I've heard the stories too...
I wouldn't mind having a voice session with Canadian designer Kim Mendelson. She does this giggle thing every now and then and its compelling. I ended up watching an hour of ladies fashion/housewife telly because of it.
It would be nice to see some one get exploded or something, then hearing them giggle rather than the usual: '&!#@'
Text is great - you cant get spoken over for one, but I've had some good times with voice chat too.

[Moonblade_Angel]

While I understand voice chat can destroy the scene, I find it really helps party tactics to be able to instantly communicate with your party or raid rather then having to type out long commands. Still I guess it's because I play with RL friends mostly so I don't have the 'ew they have an awful voice' problem

I think this has more of a reference to RP servers but even then, Pen and Paper roleplayers have been doing this sort of thing face to face for years. It never ruined the atmosphere for me when the local vampire Prince was my balded head friend from Kent

[Steel Butterfly]

Throw up a (Ventrilo) server, the girls stop talking completely, the shy people shut up mostly and all that is left are the 12- to 18-year-old guys, and it becomes a locker room

Nicely sums up why I won't use Vent anymore.