Is there a place for those who don't voice?

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May 2012

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[Linnet Foggarty]

I don’t voice, or rarely enough that I might as well say I don’t. There is a very small handful of people that I have voiced with a few times, but the stars and moons and planets have to align just right for that to occur and the occasions are few and far between. I don’t, and often can’t, even wear a headset so I wouldn’t even listen to voice most of the time even if I wanted to.

If a sim has a very active voice group, I really do feel uncomfortable or the odd man out. Things said in chat don’t make sense, then someone has to explain to me “Oh so and so said this in voice…” and it’s really one of those “you had to be there” moments. Or all of a sudden there are long pauses in RP or the group text chats tend to be silent, and then I realize everyone is on voice. For me group text chats are a great way for players to bond and make friendships, to hear about RP that's happening, and since voice is being used instead, I miss out on those chances.

On a small one-of scale it doesn’t bother me. If someone IMs me to say they won’t RP sex unless I voice confirm, then I just go my way and we don’t do the scene. If someone tells me they won’t collar a girl who doesn’t voice confirm, again, that’s fine and we just go about our business separately.

The occurrences of those are increasing though, and not just because someone wants to gender confirm, and not because they expect voice sex or anything, they honestly just enjoy chatting in that way with their friends and RP partners. I can understand that, I imagine it is a lot of fun and a great way to plan things, work on things, and further the bonds of friendship. I won’t change my position on voice though, it's a pretty hard rule.

So where does that leave me and people like me? I know, I know, nobody is going to come out and say that those who don’t voice aren’t welcome in RP sims. However, this growing trend of it being common place and even for some people preferred that they voice with those they engage in major storylines or roleplay partnerships with, I can’t help but feel that it’s limiting my options for sims, for stories, and to a large extent the partners or even friendships I could develop.

I am not judging those who prefer it, either at a sim level or a personal level, I just wonder how long before there isn’t really an option for me anymore.

(Note: cross posted)

[Maria Tisane]

I can't speak for anyone else, but voice chat is disabled on my sim. Now, I realize they could be skyping, but I don't think any part of our rp, or chats are done in skype.  Except maybe one individual talking to another, separate from the group.

[JF Kanto]

I too am one who does not voice.  In fact I have never had a voice chat on SL, though I do know that is becoming popular.  I MIGHT voice chat with someone that has become an rp partner to discuss things or whatever.  As Pancake said, it could be great fun.  But it is not always feasible for me to voice, in fact it would be rare for me also.  
Heh, seems we have a bit in common there Pancake  

I suppose voice even has some advantages in an action based rp setting as you could engage in witty repartee as you swing your sword at your opponent.   But we lose out on the beauty of the written word.  

[Linnet Foggarty]

I can't speak for anyone else, but voice chat is disabled on my sim. Now, I realize they could be skyping, but I don't think any part of our rp, or chats are done in skype.  Except maybe one individual talking to another, separate from the group.

There seems to be quite a few sims that have voice disabled in SL but that have group Vent Channels (did I say that right?  I don't even use it) and more and more people are in Skype while in SL.

It's becoming more and more common now for me to be RP'ing with someone and for them to get silent or distracted and then tell me about something funny that happened while they are on voice with someone else.

[Xaz Elephas]

I can't speak for anyone else, but voice chat is disabled on my sim. Now, I realize they could be skyping, but I don't think any part of our rp, or chats are done in skype.  Except maybe one individual talking to another, separate from the group.

There seems to be quite a few sims that have voice disabled in SL but that have group Vent Channels (did I say that right?  I don't even use it) and more and more people are in Skype while in SL.

It's becoming more and more common now for me to be RP'ing with someone and for them to get silent or distracted and then tell me about something funny that happened while they are on voice with someone else.

In bold is why I don't skye, vent voice.  It takes away from role-play and the immersion I like. Everyone ends up standing around having a good time on vent and rp goes to hell.

[Triad Fallen]

Voice has it time and place, i cant voice and rp at the same time.I often got a  call while in rp and then i start writing what they are telling me in skype.Then again multitasking aint my strong point.

[ramond lax]

Every now and again, I have been known to skype with some of my friends during an OOC event, or, on even rarer occations, just out of the blue on the sim.  I really enjoy it on the OOC moments, as I like the chance to actually speak with those i am close to, without having to worry about my poor spelling etc.  I don't do it during IC times, mostly because i can't talk and type at the same time without finding myseld typing what i am saying and not what I am trying to type.  Times like that you are just silent on the microphone, so what is the point anyhow.

[Randall Reich]

My RL speaking voice sounds like the bad guy from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (high pitched and screechy) so I tend not to use voice. 

Kidding btw.  I have talked to tons of peeps on Skype and they all know I am really an 85 year old African American woman so it's all good. 

[thyri Carver]

I'll go on voice OOCly with folks from time to time.  I mean, I DJ in SL, its not like people havent heard my voice before.  So I find it amusing when people would ask me for "voice confirmation".  Go listen to my show  LOL.  

I've found however that the whole "voice confirmation" thing is overused as an excuse to get someone onto voice with you.  Sorry but that's the way I see it.  Voice chat is OOC.  It turns to OOC chat about the topic at hand which 99% of the time is sex.  

I dont think that men masquerading as women in SL is as prevalent as people make it out to be.

I think though Linnet that you're right.  I see the distractions when people are even in IM with each other, it gets more distracting when they're on Skype or Vent with each other.  Not to mention it excludes those who are unable or unwilling to voice.  Some people dont have good microphone setups on their computers.  Some might have speech impediments.  Some big burly men might sound like mice?  Some women might not have that sultry seductress voice or innocent schoolgirl voice that is in someone's mind's eye.  

I think its distracting to RP, and it excludes people.  Not saying all those who voice are wrong.  I sometimes do it.  But requiring it in order to RP?  Blech

[Husam Darkfire]

One sim I was on actually had a Vent channel set up for the warriors to tune in to for raids. IMHO, that definitely detracts from any attempt to put in some level of realism into the RP event when you have warriors all over the sim communicating with each other. Even communicating with forces that were not on the sim to bring in reinforcements.

*shrugs "sound BTB to you?"

[Randall Reich]

To me, using Vent is no less BTB than machine gun bows which never run out of arrows, minimaps or radar.  I don't see it as a big deal. 

[Xaz Elephas]

On the using voice/vent for combat.  15 Assassins, NOT using voice... took on Treve during a event Carter and us planned out... and the Assassins took Treve. We just planned out what each one of us needed to do, and did it. We took on about 30+ warriors and took Treve for 4 days.  Carter asked if we had used vent. We had not.  So my point is if your know what your doing, voice/vent is not needed. Just train. 

Hope thats not off topic.   

[Daved Calderwood]

I think alot of times vent is used to see if the one claiming to be a male or female in rl is really who they say they are. Vent can be a help with combat and in alot of online games I played in the past it was absolutely necessary to use it if you wanted to win. To me it's no different from using group chat but then again it's a lot faster. The few times i had gone on vent chat or any other chat medium it's mostly been a social affair, no roleplay involved at all and almost everytime it has been an off-gor sim. I'm not too crazy about it in sim and during roleplay because almost always the roleplay suffers from it. As Xaz pointed out it is entirely possible not to use vent for combat but to make that sort of thing work everyone has to know what they are doing.

[Aphris Myoo]

Voice can be fine for private use, but not when you are role playing. Its lame to exclude half the population which has no voice.
In Omen Valley voice is disabled, but actually extensive use of group IM, Skype, or whatever means in which you excluded half the people is possible, but very impolite in my opinion. Use it for private or OOC things only.

[Xaz Elephas]

Role-play to me takes place in world, in game. During battles a Commander who hopefully has trained his men, gives commands in game.  That is role-play.  Being on vent and giving commands ooc, out of game to me, is not role-playing.  When I first started Sl I used skype and I stopped because... we would be standing around in game not moving, not talking, not role-playing but chatting it up in skype.  I don't even have it downloaded anymore.  There area lot of places that do not use use voice.