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The Internet Entertainment Games

Choosing Your Voice For Online Gaming 53

Posted by Zonk from the we're-all-proper-here-right? dept.
jayintune writes "An article from an editor at 2old2play.com looks at the diverse 'voices' that people use online for the different genres of games, and how they differ from each other. It is a nice guide of etiquette for people moving from one genre to another. What you might say in WoW often differs from what you would hear in CS: Source." From the article: "Many online racing gamers take things very seriously. You may find your XBL reputation drops like a squirrel shot with a horse tranquilizer if you speak as though you're playing an FPS. Racing gamers do such things as apologize, notify a racer when they're coming up for a pass (and usually give a direction), complement you on your racing prowess when you pull off a slight win over them, and typically end a game with "nice game guys." "
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Choosing Your Voice For Online Gaming More

Choosing Your Voice For Online Gaming

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  • CS TeamSpeak (Score:3, Funny)

    by brokencomputer ( 695672 ) * on Thursday February 02, 2006 @06:38PM (#14630559) Homepage Journal
    What you might say in WoW often differs from what you would hear in CS: Source

    What I hear tends to be the voice of a pre-pubescent teenager, although thats on TS.
    • How's that different from slashdot?

    • Most of the people I hear on Team Speak in WoW are adults with a midwestern accent. Then again, my guildies are all 20-30 and live in Indiana. We tend to be fairly jocular with each other, but just because we know each other.

      Now, as for people I don't know, I can be quite short when I'm typing, but on TS I tend to be a lot more diplomatic. This is because a lot of people don't pay attention to the chat frame at all and just kinda do their own thing, but if you're shouting in your ear, they pretty much hav

  • depends on the server you play on (Score:4, Interesting)

    by abandonment ( 739466 ) <mike.wuetherick@ ... minus physicist> on Thursday February 02, 2006 @06:42PM (#14630593) Homepage
    it entirely depends on what server you play on - we started our own CS servers specifically for this reason and once you start enforcing a style of behavior, it will be contagious.

    I found the same thing with battlefield 2 (which is my current addiction of choice) - if I find a server that has semi-polite players, I'll come back regularly and make it one of the few servers that I do play on.

    Servers that are full of shit-talking idiots are usually also plagued by hackers and other issues, which destroys the game for everyone involved.

    Just because it's CS, doesn't mean that everyone is a half-coherent idiot.
    • You know, that's one thing I dislike about BF2 - when the round ends:

      1) Everyone dies, so the log of the last few deaths goes away
      2) Vehicles continue moving as they were, but take no damage from collisions, which can be amusing
      3) Text chat ends immediately; voice soon after. So you can't type "GG" or whatnot.

      In BF1942, you could type for a few seconds, anyway. I miss that.
      • i agree - the 'end of round' chat in CS really helps to build the community more than anything else. sounds strange, but it's like going for a beer after playing a game of rugby or something...having a bit of 'downtime' with the people you are playing with while waiting for the map to change helps alot.

        i do definitely miss that from bf2...seems silly considering they have the whole multi-page 'stats' thing that no one really cares about...why not let us chat during it? sigh

    • Re:depends on the server you play on (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Grey Ninja ( 739021 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @07:00PM (#14630699) Homepage Journal
      I used to play a lot of America's Army. When BF2 came out, I pretty much stopped cold. Something that drives me absolutely mad about both games is that some servers decide to put in language filters. I've been banned from a few AA servers because the admins wanted me to stop swearing. Something so simple as "I fucked up, sorry", or "FUCK!" when I die will trigger some asshole admin to tell me to watch my language. My normal response is to tell them to "fuck off", which usually results in an insta-ban.

      It's probably an American thing. I honestly hope that there's no other country that features a mob of people who believe that it's perfectly acceptable to play a game where you shoot people, so long as you don't swear in the slightest.

      I remember that there was one guy who was going to ban me. But we started talking about that kind of thing, and we actually started to get along, as he agreed with me. He eventually agreed that I was right, and he wouldn't ban me, as I was just playing the game, punctuated with some swearing. It eventually got to the point where I had a whole list of servers hosted by like-minded clans. That it's ridiculous to play a game where the whole point of the game is to kill people with different ideology... but sugar-coat it by saying that you can't swear.
      • It seems to me that you're looking at the issue from only a single perspective - I used to be the admin for a fairly popular DoD server a few years back; we had a minimal swearing policy - the occasional 'oh fuck' and such over the comms was generally given the blind eye but we were not as leniant in the text chat as that involves a little more thought to type. The reason for this is that we found that by keeping the language in check we achieved two goals - firstly the annoying 14 year olds were quickly we
        • But that's exactly what I'm getting at. Why is swearing a mortal sin on such servers, when shooting someone in the face, or teabagging someone you killed perfectly acceptable? The game features very graphic violence against your fellow man. But yet saying "Oh fuck!" is unacceptable, as it's a family friendly audience is not good? I don't play DoD, but tell me your server name so that I know to steer clear. I don't play servers where such hypocrisy is so prevalent. I can see banning someone for being a

          •     I think for a lot of these sever admins, the swearing isnt the mortal sin.
            It's that they want to discourage the stereotypical idiot 1337 12 year old from playing on their servers. Generally, these people probably prefer playing without having profane trash-talk thrown their way.
            Basically, if someone is swearing a lot, it throws up some red flags that they swearer may not be the type of person they want to play with.

  • I play pretty much everything. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Grey Ninja ( 739021 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @06:46PM (#14630611) Homepage Journal
    I have my friends over for some Burnout, Mario Kart, or F-Zero, believe you me, I am NOT going to be telling them that I'm coming up behind them for a pass. I am going to be doing my absolute best to slam them into oncoming traffic, or at least give them a good knock on my way by. I've lost races over that, sure. But that's half the fun of playing competitively. Trying to screw the other guy over, and getting into a good grudge match is half the fun.

    I haven't read TFA, but I would assume that they are talking about really realistic racing games, such as a Formula-1 game. Now, my general gaming tastes are for very competitive multi-player games, and I would imagine that if it was such a case where I brush against another car at 200MPH, and we both die... I might be more inclined to cooperate with the other drivers. But that's exactly why I don't play those games. I would feel more gratified playing single player if you can't actually interact with the other drivers and actively go out of your way to screw them over.
    • I think the difference is a racing game vs a racing simulator. Contrast Mario Kart/F-Zero with very game like mechanics to Gran Turismo/PGR with with more realistic racing simulator environments.

      The style of play is also different. In Mario Kart, eliminating other players is a way to win, and in a competitive environment, you'r expected to use whatever you can to your advantage. In more simulator type games, hitting another player generally hurts you both, so it's in your and their best interest not to h

    • I have my friends over for some Burnout, Mario Kart, or F-Zero, believe you me, I am NOT going to be telling them that I'm coming up behind them for a pass. I am going to be doing my absolute best to slam them into oncoming traffic, or at least give them a good knock on my way by.

      I haven't read TFA, but I would assume that they are talking about really realistic racing games, such as a Formula-1 game.

      Well, the article talks about Project: Gotham Racing 3 on the Xbox 360. It's certainly not a "simula

  • Politeness (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    complement you on your prowess when you pull off a slight win over them, and typically end a game with "nice game guys.

    That isn't what "pwned you, n00b" means?

  • I don't think this is particulary new (or interesting). These online games provide you with different environments and different groups of people that play them. The same kinds of people that play World of Warcraft may not particularly play Counter-Strike. This is similar to real life: I don't talk the same way in school and work, and I don't talk the same way with my family as I do with my friends.

    I believe a lot of work like this has been done in sociology. This might be useful [wikipedia.org]. These game environmen

  • Halo (Score:5, Funny)

    by 100lbHand ( 676832 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @06:59PM (#14630694)
    Some of the most fun i have had is drunk Halo over xb-live. Nothing like coming home from the bar and taking out that drunk frustration on some punks up past their bed time. I've got to the point where i dont even hold the controler, i just sit back with the mike and a beer and do my best to teach the kids to curse like saliors.
    • Halo 2 equals best "after bar"/"play while you're drinking" game ever. Especially when you have a bunch of other friends online all at the same level of intoxication and then start playing for shots depending on the outcome of matches.
      Lately I've been having a ton of fun with Marble Blast Ultra on Xbox Live Arcade. If you get in a good game with a bunch of other people just playing to have a good time, you can pretty much last an entire game laughing your ass off.

    • WastedEffort (Score:5, Funny)

      by TiggertheMad ( 556308 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @08:20PM (#14631228) Journal
      i just sit back with the mike and a beer and do my best to teach the kids to curse like saliors.

      I go news for you, you're wasting your time. Kids these days already know how to curse like sailors. Most of them have already moved on to cursing like marines..
    • I do the exact same thing, and I have to say, its the most enjoyable stress release ever.

  • Voice (Score:1)

    by GmAz ( 916505 )
    I prefer to mainly hear the voice chat unless I am one of the key players for planning. But usually, its a bunch of 12 year olds acting all big because they know they will never meet the other person face to face.
  • Anyone who's played a lot of split-screen or LAN games with friends knows this. With my friends, I used to play a lot of FPS and racers. Something primal about hunting each other down makes everyone tense, and I think maybe the attitude that surfaces as a result is some kind of self-defense. Racing games are much more focused on technique - in an FPS, not being able to fire straight doesn't preclude participation, but poor racing technique makes a race a very lonely ordeal. That, and there's something poeti

  • Eh. Stoopid Reputation (Score:4, Interesting)

    by TubeSteak ( 669689 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @07:01PM (#14630708) Journal
    On XBL many gamers have been hit with a little "culture shock" playing Project Gotham Racing 3 (PGR3) because they've been talking to folks as if it's an FPS. Here is a good example of an FPS voice that doesn't work so well in PGR3:

    Player 1 has just caused Player 2 to go into a tailspin and move from place car two to place car eight instantaneously.

    Wrong response...

    Player 1: "Wow, I pwned you like a n00b. How does 8th place feel?"
    Player 2: ...silence...

    Correct response...

    Player 1: "Oh man, sorry about that. I thought I had the inside corner nailed, but I tipped a wall."
    Player 2: "No problem man, it happens."
    The only reason you'd have to kiss ass is so you don't get neg repped.

    Otherwise, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't shout "ZOMG U Ar3 t3h Pwn3d!"

    I guess it's a difference in what you're expecting from the game. Some people will ask if you're a "hack", because they'll play differently if they know you're gunning for them.

    Anyways, TFA is hilarious. "Player 1: BOOM! Man if you had half the mad skills I have then I'd have used a bigger weapon. Pwned like a n00bzors bitch." That makes me laff.

    • Re:Eh. Stoopid Reputation (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Otherwise, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't shout "ZOMG U Ar3 t3h Pwn3d!"

      How about it makes you look like an idiot? I guess that's cool if you like playing with like-minded retards, but for the rest of us it's annoying at best. See also Sportsmanship [wikipedia.org].

      Seriously though, a little razzing now and then is ok. There are limits though. Most people try to avoid pricks in real life, even moreso in their (often very limited) leisure time. Online reputation system is an excellent way to avoid pricks without ev

  • Funny. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Wilson_6500 ( 896824 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @07:06PM (#14630725)
    I've never actually used voice chat in an (Internet-play) video game. I mean, I've _heard_ it, but I don't talk. I also don't type. I'm not there to chat. Even in team games, I just type (if I bother with communication at all on the pubs). Practically this entire article was meaningless to me.

    I've found that communication doesn't usually matter in public (read: non-clan) multiplayer games. You can be dead quiet in ET, CS, any deathmatch, SWBF2--any FPS, really, and things usually go fine. Talking leads to idiots replying; idiots replying leads to anger; anger leads to elevated blood pressure, which is something I don't need from a video game.
    • and elevated blood pressure leads to the dark side of the force.

      Don't worry though, they've got you covered in there
      Most FPS players that lack aggression simply do not speak at all. At times a good smack talker is rewarded with laughter from both teams.
    • Depends on the complexity of the task. There are times I wished my guild would put up a teamspeak server (hell I would do it if I still played) when we did instances in WoW. As long as the task demands communication it sure beats typing. But most games or most parts of games don't need this and it does degenerate into OOC/Chatfilter/Nonsense stuff. Its also very handy in BF2 if youre in a serious squad, but normally its just one gibbering idiot you can't mute.
    • Voice isn't that big a deal for me if I'm playing a bunch of strangers, but if I'm gaming with my friends, voice chat makes all the difference. Makes it much more like a LAN party.

      Otherwise, I might as well be playing a bunch of strangers.

  • Counter Strike: Vents [google.com] - If I don't post this, someone else will. :P
    • This seems rather (read: completely) staged for many reasons. I guess if you were a fan of CS you might want to believe it was real, but I would put money on the fact it is not.
      • Believe me, I've seen assholes do things like this. Usually it's some idiot shooting him own teammates deliberately, which is why many games let you disable "friendly fire" these days.
        • Actually I was referring to the victim's response, not the "annoyer".

          The way he stood there for 10 mins when there were other ways to go. (in fact one of his team came by later??) They way he did not really appear angry, yet kept it up for a ridiculous amount of time.

          Oh, and he was a VERY bad actor....
  • Flight-simmers:

    Check six, wolf! Breaking left. You're clear. He's on you now! Dragging two seven zero. I'm in ... drag right a bit, I can't close. Copy. .... WTG! Whew, good thing he didn't have a wingman... @#$%^@! I'm hit.

    Gray Ninja: the article's talking about serious sim racing, not smash-em-up games.

  • In FPS it creates a serious feeling of oppression in the opponent - they fear conrontation with you and as result are less of a danger and an easier prey.
    I remember a longer session of Shadow Warrior with friends over LAN. I killed one a few times in a row, despite being a weaker player, but that was enough that when the next time I showed up with a rocket launcher and he only had some machinegun, he just turned to run. Thing is I had some 4 rockets and that's all, I wasted them all really soon, missing him
  • My gaming clan plays on line in several games. We don't grief the newbies but we do tend to play "in character" a bit too well for some folks liking. We play SWG as Tarkan raiders and we do exactly that. We roam about and raid. That said, we don't get particulary angry if we roll up on something that turns out to be too tough to handle. We play NWN too and tend to play as chaotic evil and the same tactics serve us well there too, much to many people's dismay. A lot of servers have some serious death p
  • and talking that way.... Wait - thats too much to ask from the majority of people under the age of 20.

    There was one game that I really enjoyed with terrific teamplay. Natural Selection. Its a Half Life 1 mod. Havn't played it much since I got BF2, but I am anxiously awaiting the team to come out with their new offering. If you have HL installed, go to unknownworlds.com/ns and try this sucker. Its a FPS with a little bit of RTS in there. Good stuff

  • Audio Voicing vs. Literary/Textual Voicing (Score:3, Interesting)

    by billstewart ( 78916 ) on Thursday February 02, 2006 @08:51PM (#14631432) Journal
    When I saw the article title, I was expecting it to be about audio voicing - using voice chat systems, or picking what text-to-speech voice to use, or (for game designers) picking what kind of voices to have the characters speaking in.

    Instead it's really more about voicing in a literary sense - picking what to say based on the social context - and to some extent about textual expression such as '1337-sp33k. That's ok, but for me it didn't seem to go that deep - MMORPGs are catching up with the MUD world in that aspect, or maybe have gone beyond it, and then there's a big fuzzy boundary between MUDs and LiveJournal/ilk.

    I don't play the particular games used in the examples, but it's sort of obvious even to a socially inept introvert that there are some games where you should say things like "Eat Hot Flaming Death, Suckah! Bwahhahahah!" while fragging strangers or friends and other games where you don't do that, such as the racing-game example the author gave about apologizing for getting in another racer's way. There _are_ more interesting cases - more cooperative multiplayer games where you and other people are ganging up on the {bad guys / treasure / other groups of players}, and it might make sense for your character to be chatty or quiet or bossy or like Obi-Wan or Jay or Silent Bob. Do you tell the other player things that ought to be obvious, like the fact that the monster's running towards him from his left, distracting him with your blather when he's trying to figure out what to do about it, or do you only tell him when the monster's somewhere he probably can't see, or do you wait until afterwards to tell him he should have known better than to pick up a duck in a dungeon? Is it helpful to tell the other player "You bash the Balrog, and I'll climb the tree" or shout "Run Away! Run Away!" at every appropriate opportunity? (Normally, no it's not, that's why you're choosing a literary voice for your character, who might have other opinions or different wisdom/charisma/intelligence levels than your own.)

  • I don't do the XBL thing, but I've got some friends that do. Once one was bitching about how obnoxious a 13 year old boy can be when he frags the bacon out of you. The other guy said just do what I do. "I can't believe I got beat by a girl." They wig out.
  • I generally say Good Game whenever I've just finished an online competitive strategy game, I picked it up from an online tcg I used to play. It kinda carried over to other stuff too, I guess. I think I remember doing it after an online game of chess once or twice, too. I think a lot of time people do these things because they pick it up from another place, and the situation seems appropriate.
  • I'm playing a lot of FarCry at the moment. The overall mood on most european clan servers is great with clan members watching over server rules and general politeness. You hear a lot of 'sry', 'np', 'thx', 'gg' and 'gj' during a good game and a lot of interesting and funny chatting. People come back to these servers. The other side is official UbiSoft servers where more often than not the scum of the net washes up. Experience tells that British and German servers are among the most civilized. French clan se
  • The topic reminds me of the time Gordon Frohman had this accidental insertion [hlcomic.com] happen to him.

    J
  • /Ignore + usually playing team games = more fun for me. My old CS clan used to use voice chat extremely effectively.I don't want to hear voice chat as a taunt, I want to use it to flank cocky Rambo wannabe's in an open field.

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