The Problem with Voice Chat
I was reading on Kotaku (as a Vic Reeves fan I always want to say Uvavu) about yet another internet brouhaha. This one stemmed from comments made by live streamer and social media commentator Steph “FerociouslySteph” Loehr (no, I have no idea who they are either), about the use of voice chat in video games. Her comments were willfully taken out of context by the usual suspects and yet another internet drama kicked off. As I have only a passing interest in live streaming and the competitive gaming scene, I don’t feel obliged to wade in and express an opinion about this particular situation and those involved. But the actual sentiments that were originally expressed about voice chat are of interest to me, although they’ve long been forgotten in this particular drama which has now become yet another culture war bunfight.
Voice chat is essentially just a tool, designed to facilitate communication between gamers. But the problems associated with voice chat stem from its use and not the actual service itself. Conversations have a social dynamic and a degree of etiquette to them (or at least good ones do). If they are to be considered equitable, there is a need for all parties involved to have equal opportunity to express themselves. Hence we are taught at school (or at least I was) not to monopolise a conversation, to listen to what others have to say and to be courteous at all times. I try to remember this ethos when using voice chat and therefore I find it to be a comfortable form of communications. But I am a white, middle aged, middle class man with all the cultural baggage that comes with that and being British. My experience is not necessarily universal.
Not everyone “enjoys” voice chat, the same way as some folk will sit in a group at the pub and listen to the conversation but not contribute much. For some it’s a confidence issue, for others it’s just a question of personal choice. Women often treat voice chat with a greater degree of scepticism as it is yet another medium by which they may be discriminated against or marginalised. The same is applicable to ethnic minorities or anyone for who is not a native speaker of the language being used. A person’s voice can provide a lot of information about someone quite quickly. It can also do the complete opposite and too often verbal cues are a stepping stone to bias and prejudice. Disability may also be a factor with voice chat. And even if you manage to bypass the sociopolitical issues associated with voice chat, there are still etiquette issues to face. Some people just dominate chat channels, using such platforms to just drone on and on about themselves. It can be a narcissists and ego maniacs paradise.
My use of voice chat is also dependent on what genre of games I’m playing. MMOs are by nature social and therefore if I join a new guild, I’m more likely to use either in-game chat or Discord to get to know the other members. Trust is built over time and you get to know the verbal foibles of others. This is important to ensuring that voice chat stays a welcoming and accommodating medium to all. However, I’m far less disposed toward speaking with strangers when playing a competitive game and will often have all voice communications muted when playing via PUGS. I don’t want to be given instructions by some self appointed “leader”, nor do I wish to listen to the garrulous inanities of adolescents, gamer malcontents and the furiously hard of thinking. But I’m not averse to a degree of friendly chat and “suggested” tactics. However, all that can be done via text chat and in-game mechanics such as pinging items and “instruction wheels”. IE “Move left”, “cover me” etc.
I got called an “RPG noob” in Call of Duty Warzone last night via text chat (much to my amusement). I’m sure if I had voice chat enabled I would have endured a barrage of criticism throughout the game. I may well have been tempted to waste my own time and energy trying to counter with my own witty ripostes and waggish badinage. However, because I had elected not to use the service to begin with, all potential unpleasantness was avoided. For me voice chat is a binary choice. Sadly for others it is not always as clear as that and it is something to be used with caution. On a few occasions I’ve seen voice chat demonstrate the unconscious bias that many of us carry around. It’s funny how a woman can answer a question but the answer isn’t acknowledged until it’s reiterated by a man. So to conclude, I think the internet drama I referenced at the start of this post just highlights the fact that it’s not voice chat that needs fixing but society. Sadly, the bug list for that just keeps growing.
