May 25, 2007 by Nobody Fugazi
Posted in
Yeah, I know, plenty of people want voice in SecondLife. And because [w:Linden Lab] is driven by the users rather than potential users, they are probably overlooking some key factors - but then, they are driven by users. These factors are:
- Not everyone speaks the same language. Some tools, such as Babbler, allow people to converse in text despite a language barrier. With voice, people will do what they typically do - walk away from people speaking languages other than their own (not-so-social), or worse: Speaking slow, loud <insert native language here>.
- People can abuse other people easily, with no recourse as there are with text messages.
- Some people have a lot of noise in the background.
- The entire sex economy may collapse when people figure out that they're talking to Bubba the Love Sponge instead of cute little FiFi from Finland.
So they are talking about their Plan for Voice, but in doing so are asking people to use a client which they say is 'buggier than usual', etc.
As for me - well, here's what I have to say about voice: I don't really want to talk to anyone. A few people I may speak with, but I love being in touch with my surroundings in the real world - which I can do without some ear muffs on... so as for the Linden Lab special earphones.... I have a good idea where people can stick them.
Voice has uses, but I really don't think Linden Lab has thought this through. It will probably create more divisions, which seems assinine.
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You have that all right, Nobody
Exactly, Nobody. I have mentored non-english speakers easily using various translation methods, and that will all end when voice rears its ugly head. I keep reminding myself this is an RPG, but it does not help resolve the cognitive dissonance created by meeting the gamer mind set.
- Aphrodite Tagore
But is this an RPG?
I don't think SecondLife fits the [w:RPG] or [w:MMORPG] criteria. RPGs and MMORPGs can exist within, but...
RPG - I think
Well, not a first person shooter, or a guild war. Those do exist here, as you mention.
I think it is more a case of "All the world's a stage...."
I role-play in SL. A great deal of me exists within Aphrodite, yet, Aphrodite is a role-play character. She is not *me*, and has some marvelous fun within that improvisational milieu. (Most of which the RL me would not experience.)