Is Voice Chat the end of Role Play in SL?

He he...good answer.

My point was that there is an inbetween option. [ ] Listen Only. I don't get that little dot above my head that indicates my speach volume, but I can hear people, but SL doesn't bother looking for a mic (or doesn't turn it on).
With [ ] Listen Only I can hear people who want to voice, but it is obvious to them that I have no intention of voicing back.

Voila.

Here are the problems with voice, and I hate to say it, it will be the norm eventually, like it or not.

1) People are lazy... and to that point as SL expands to include less and less technical users who don't like to type and just want to goof around as themselves, voice is the path of least resistance.

2) As the number of voice users increases, non-voice users will be more and more marginalized. Worse, a non-voice user will be perceived as someone who is either hiding something about themselves, or they are some freak who likes to type, and since that requires effort, something must be wrong with them because normal people *don't like effort inducing tasks*.

3) People who have found liberation from the stereo-types of age, disability, and accents and refuse to adopt voice communications will eventually become marginalized again to "hanging with the chat weirdo's" if they want to retain any semblance of that freedom going forward.

This isn't going to be overnight folks but give it a couple years if SL continues to grow as it has and truly lives up to the Web X.0 moniker being thrown about. It's a natural progression.

It makes me terribly sad and embarrassing to admit, but I know that there are people I have become friends with in SL that I honestly probably wouldn't have given the same degree of attention to if I had heard them speak to me in person.

Zee

Those things CAN happen, yes. It doesn't mean they will. It's up to us how we use or don't use this fearture. However you decide, don't let someone else make your mind up for you.

One good thing - All the Gold Toof Guys will probably be Voicers

So they will be easier to avoid.

At first I wasn't too thrilled about voice, I'm still not really and have no intentions of using it on a regular basis (very rarely most likely).

I do have a cute little tiny avatar I like to use though every now and again when I'm feeling goofy, I plan on using some kind of voice synthesizer to make my voice sound... I dunno, chipmunky and high pitched though whenever I play with it. So that will be a lot of fun I think.

I think Furries especially are really going to love voice once they give it a shot. So yeah, roleplay will change a bit, but it just might add a whole new dimension to it at the same time.

I get a little tired of the complaints that older people, overweight people, etc., are somehow being "dishonest" because their avatars are younger and slender. Let's face it - most of us do not look like our avatars, and I'm the first to admit it. In RL, I am in my early 40's and overweight. My avatar looks like she's in her early 20's and healthy-slim. I refuse to make her look like an impossibly-constructed Barbie Doll or a stick figure with t*ts. I think she's gorgeous, but looks like someone you might actually see walking down the street. She's also a red-head, while I'm a bleach-blond in RL. (Does dying my hair make me dishonest too?)

Despite the physical differences, though, she's me.

I'm just myself when I'm in SL, albeit maybe a little more confident since I don't have to push my way through all of the moronic, yet culturally-pervasive stereotypes surrounding body-weight and age. My age and waist-measurements are not who I am. In a lot of ways I think people who know me in SL have a more accurate understanding about who I am than many people who know me in RL. I am as honest about myself as I can safely be.

I challenge any skinny girls or guys out there to wander around in an older-and-heavier-looking avatar for a while, and see how it affects the way strangers treat you. Might open some eyes.

As for voice chat, I'm looking forward to it, though I may not be able to use it as often as I'd like due to people in my house watching TV, kids, etc. Sure, my voice probably "gives me away", but I'm not trying to hide anything.

Well said Annie

A lil bit of Irony - Ive learned from chatting on the net for 10 years

Men are quick to complain about women being larger and older in real life than they say they are online.

Meenwhile they READILY lie about the size of something we usually dont even ask to know the dimensions of.

14 inches...

.

People have to really stop being so paranoid over what the person behind the curtain really is. So many profiles profess the leaving of first life out of the interaction, as mione does. I take every avatar I meet at their face value and go from there. I have no desire to carry the relationships outside Second Life. Even if RL details come intio the conversation, I take people at their word. IF I were to take it outside,*highly unlikely* I am smart enough to figure out what's what.

great responses everyone... and I think Zee finally answered the majority of questions I asked initially. Bonus points for you!

I tend to agree with Zee for the most part, thinking that EVENTUALLY, the talkers will win out and the texters will be left in the corner, or worse yet, out of the game completely. How long that will be depends on a lot of factors in developing the systems, general acceptance, etc.

I do have friends in world that are deaf/mute or have some other condition RL that affects their abilities, so this is a concern for me. And while I understand both sides of the issue, I'm worried that I may lose friends as they begin feeling marginzlized yet again in this.... their escape from the challenges they face in RL.

btw.... the other challenges some of you posted (being arthritic, not seeing text well, etc.)... considering that those aren't real concerns in game at present (I mean, come on.... would an arthritic wander in and get hooked in a text game and not understand the consequences?), I'm chosing to ignore them for the moment.... though that may be something to think about in the future.

I know that there will always be both fans and critics of voice, but I'm wondering how the 2 will get along together. Right now, there's no choice... so everyone is at least on a level playing field. When voice comes along, will we really (socially speaking) have a choice? Honestly, I think eventually that will be no.

I think that once the voice changers become so common place the "What do you have to hide" people will get so fed up their voice gender identification plan failed that things will eventually go back to normal. With paranoid people still paranoid.

Once that happens the no voice stigma will fade. And when you tell someone that you dont voice becuase you have kids at home, or dont like it, or dont want to - they will believe you.

People have already said voice changers are already common enough in places where voice is used (like FPS games) that people try to sniff out the fakes. So evidently it wont take that long.

Again, I say..If you are texter and you get ostracized or marginalized, it is because YOU let it happen. I won't be using it, no one will force me out of the game beacause of it, so any texter out there will have at least one person to type to. I have an annoying habit: The more you tell me I have to do something, the less likely I am to do it.

I don't get paranoid, I do what you do. "I take nothing seriously". Which is a shame really, because it would nice to be able to take people seriously.

When having a conversation with somebody in Second Life, I tend to not want to talk about Second Life. I'd rather talk about "real" things. So for me, it's a problem if I meet somebody that has the old "I like to keep my 1st life seperate." in their profile. I can't help but translate it as "I have something to hide"

I like to know about peoples real lives. I find it interesting. It's no different to having a conversation with somebody I meet on a train or plane etc.

Now you may be wondering why I don't go and meet real people and stop wasting my time logging into Second Life. Well the answer is that logging into Second Life is really easy and I like to build.

So there!

You aren't wrong. Most everyone on my friends list knows what I do for a living, the general location I am in, what I do during the week in RL. It does add to the enjoyment. But I don't pressure them into giving me any details, nor will I let them pressure me. They choose not to divulge certain things maybe, but they aren't "hiding" anything as far as I am concerned. And to be truthful, knowing several people who have been harmed in RL by online associations, one nearly fatally, I wouldn't blame anyone who does want to "hide" something. I'm not looking to start a business, marry or fall in love with anyone here. And I don't necessarily tell my whole life story to someone I meet on a train or plane either.

No, neither do I.

...and I also don't want to know somebodies telephone number or home address.


The only numbers I want are their butt, waist and boob measurements. Is that really asking too much?!!!. Sheesh!, some people!!!...

*Smack's head* DOH!

Do I get to ask in return an IQ score?

14. I thought he said that already........

My IQ=Your Boob Size+Butt Size/Waist Size

*does some quick calculating* Nope. Sorry you aren't that smart.

Oh but I can be!!!

I just needed the motivation!.

When you have voice chat enabled it puts little white dots above everyones heads, who isn't talking but has it enabled. Anyone who does not have it enabled has nothing. I think they should have a red X replacing the white dot. ;p But only visible to people who have it enabled.

What kind of motivation? Fingerpainting?

Your formula produces results lower than 10 IQ for any set of human measurments.

36-26-36 (cliche) nets an IQ of 3

As an adult club owner I have mixed feelings about voice. As a not so great speller and a person who likes to keep their nails on the long side I was pretty excited about voice in SL. Yes I’ve been on the test server and tried it out and after a dozen or so log-ons/log-offs got all the settings correct in windoze and in SoundBlaster, but not without my husbands gracious help.

At 38 and being a 20 year smoker, my naturally low and raspish voice hasn't gotten any clearer or sweater sounding over the years. So I’ve developed a bad habit of talking on the quiet side to minimize my "rasp" (I cringe if I hear myself on a tape recording). This causes me an issue I have to address and since my first attempt to address this it by simply maxing the mic and talking louder seems to have created another issue for me. My husband came on after my headset started working so he could tell me "how I sounded" but rather than helping me solve the first issue it caused me a second issue. His assessment was "you sound like a munchkin version of yourself".... hahahaha, hes so cute and clever!

I’ve told 3 close friends on the regular grid that when voice does become live I want an honest opinion from them as to whether I sound like a munchkin or not. I’m NOT going to run around SL having people breaking into a chorus of "Ding dong the witch is dead" every time I talk! So from a citizens perspective that’s one issue I have with voice. The other issue is sort of related to my adult business in SL... no, I don't own an adult club in RL! My SL club fulfils this fantasy quite nicely.

Since I’m an ex-escort, now the owner of an adult escort/strip club, whenever I’m out in a mature Sim I advertise by dressing in an enticing manor. This plus voice now makes me wonder if in addition to the countless come-ons for a "freebie" I’ll now become plagued with requests to talk in an other than "respectable" and "lady" like way in order to provide cheap or broke men with the added "stimulus" they'd like to have to enhance their one handed typing!

I can't count the inquires I’ve had both professionally and otherwise as to if I have Yahoo or MSN, etc... I don't because I know that by giving into a "voice chat" I’ll then be pressured into "webcamming" and while my husband understands and tolerates my fantasy to own my own club, I doubt he'd be very thrilled at coming into my computer room and finding me in a... a, "webcam", situation with guy. I know I wouldn't be thrilled if I found him in a similar situation with a woman. And a good divorce lawyer would cut deeply into my available SL funds!

So I’m really pondering using it on my land/club or on other mature parcels. I know many will think this is a stupid concern, or one of my own doing, but the original poster asked about voice in regards to adult clubs if I remember correctly. So that’s my concern about voice on mature Sims.

As for other concerns about guy/girl switching etc... I’m sure more than one of my "girls" are boys. My female partner and I try and make sure the people we hire as escorts or dancers at least look and act their role reasonably well, but we don't do "back ground" checks before hiring. Buyer beware is my moto... )) And besides, if I required a 1st live profile as a condition of employment I’d have myself and maybe, 2 other girls working at my club! So if a girl working for me wants to use voice that’s her decision (if I decide to permit it) so long as she don’t sound like Arnold "I'll be back" Swartznager. LOL Or maybe I’ll expand the club and ad a transperson section... I’m always looking for ways to increase traffic ))

Just my 2 cents worth since I’m taking a break from my SL JOB!!!