Voice in Virtual Worlds: The Design, Use, and Influence of Voice Chat in Online Play

Abstract

Communication is a critical aspect of any collaborative system. In online multiplayer games and virtual worlds it is especially complex. Users are present over long periods, require both synchronous and asynchronous communication, and may prefer to be pseudonymous or engage in identity-play while managing virtual and physical use contexts. Initially the only medium for player-to-player communication in virtual worlds was text, a medium well suited to identity-play and asynchronous communication, less so to fast-paced coordination and sociability among friends. During the past decade vendors have introduced facilities for gamers to communicate by voice. Yet little research has been conducted to help us understand the influence of voice on the experience of using virtual space: Where, when, and for whom voice is beneficial, and how it might be configured. To address this gap we examined a range of online gaming environments. We analyzed our observations in the light of theory from Human-Computer Interaction, Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, and Computer-Mediated Communication. We conclude that voice radically transforms the experience of online gaming, making virtual spaces more intensely social but removing some of the opportunity for identity play, multitasking, and multigaming while introducing ambiguity over what is being transmitted to whom. /martinrg) is a researcher working at the intersection of science technology studies and human-computer interaction with an interest in the domestic appropriation of high-speed broadband and digital commemoration; he is an Associate Professor in the

Leveraging Icebreaking Tasks to Facilitate Uptake of Voice Communication in Multiplayer Games

“…Different types of icebreaking tasks can be employed depending on the nature of the existing relationship between participants, situations in which the participants will be strangers, tasks that facilitate introductions and getting to know each other are successful [43] e.g. asking a group to sort into alphabetical order encourages introductions [42,43]. Interestingly, games are often applied as icebreaking tasks [26], rather than being viewed as a setting that could benefit from icebreaking activities.…”

“…A small body of research on the topic suggests that, on the one hand, VC may promote a feeling of connection between players, and facilitates coordinated play [42]; on the other hand, VC can make players feel more vulnerable and open to new types of antisocial behaviour [41,40]. Given the increased popularity of online multiplayer modes, the integration of VC as the default method for player coordination in contemporary games, but many of the initially reported issues still remain [42], suggesting a need for game designers and researchers to develop ways of facilitating positive VC experiences. In our paper, we address this issue by leveraging traditional icebreaking tasks which are small group based tasks designed to introduce people to each other and encourage conversation.…”

Playing at Planning

“…As in physical-world team coordination, communication is a key element of collaborative gameplay. Teammates communicate using voice, supporting fast-paced team action [60,72]. At the same time, games offer direct support for coordination through cooperative communication mechanics that do not rely on voice or text chat [39,64,70].…”

“…Consequences: Players need to communicate to succeed at COLLABORATIVE PLANNING. Voice and chat communication enable players to coordinate with language [72], but cooperative communication mechanics [64,70] offer a means of coordinating with the game interface directly. Implementing the COLLABORATIVE PLANNING pattern likely requires some level of artificial intelligence or other reasoning, to enable computer agents to be involved in the collaborative component or to execute developed plans.…”

Player Identity Dissonance and Voice Interaction in Games

“…While the use of player-to-player voice is widespread and well-researched [15], the use of voice as an input in games is relatively unexplored. By this, we refer to the use of the player's voice as a controller where it is typically part of a multi-modal interface with other modalities such as a keyboard and mouse, console controller or gestural tracking.…”