Just came across an interesting article in Wired by Clive Thompson, discussing some implications of an increasing trend-- the substitution of text-based chat in online gaming and virtual words with real-voice chat, via apps like Ventrilo.

The pros? Well, for one thing, speaking's a lot clearer, in a world where computer literacy varies, and linguistic proficiency when using a keyboard is still somewhat of an unrefined art. When exploring a virtual world, don't you wonder what that fellow typing "PPppppppp..;" is really trying to say? Not to mention that those who are less-than-speedy typists often find themselves struggling to keep up in a conversation, while high-speed keystroke wizards wait minutes for a response. Particularly in an action game like World of Warcraft, where large numbers of players commonly engage in high-intensity team play, an inability to keep up on the keyboard can actually be a barrier to participation.

On the flipside, Thompson points out that many users tap into online worlds to become their avatar, ditching their mundane personae behind. But while using your own voice to communicate might be faster and easier than typing messages, it also pierces the veil of illusion that's part and parcel of becoming someone else-- in Thompson's experience, the aura of compelling power surrounding his competent WoW quest leader evaporated in a puff of smoke when Ventrilo revealed him to be a squeaky-voiced, foul-mouthed adolescent.

Worth noting that there are other implications if voice chat in virtual worlds becomes increasingly more prevalent-- voice can give away age, for one thing, a potential hazard in communities that endeavor to maintain child safety. How would voice chat be moderated? Voice can also betray one's nationality or gender; would the hulking orc soldier stand out as he abstains from the verbal confab-- for fear of being found out as a female? Thompson provides as example the story of Krista Lee Malone, a University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee student who, when studying the impact of voice chat on virtual worlds, found that women in particular, when using their voices, suddenly attracted lots more unwanted attention from younger men.

Overall, while the increasing prevalence of voice chat certainly has the prevalence to become, as Thompson says, "the latest culture-shock in online worlds," it remains to be seen, owing to all these factors, just how far voice can encroach on a world once governed entirely by text.

[Via Wired]