However terrible this sounds, I rarely get involved in guild/clan voice chat unless it's southerners and midwesterners. While they will say some of the craziest and most off color stuff sometimes, they seem to have a certain level of social ettiquette that most others lack. They don't seem to get into politics and religion in mixed company. They also seem to 'feel out the crowd' when it comes to sex related comments and set the bar high enough to be shockingly entertaining but not too high as to offend the others in voice chat.  That bar always seems to be a moving target, shifting based on who comes and goes in chat. :)

With text chat, if it goes off in a direction I don't care for, it's easy enough for me to switch channels so it never really bothers me there.

Originally posted by bliss14

Just depends on what it is.  Remember when Chuck Norris jokes were popular?  Trade chat was lousy with that crap.  Now that is annoying.  If a bunch of people are talking about things they find interesting though I couldn't care less.  I do wish there was a politics and religion filter though :) 

Bottom line is, if I don't like what I am seeing or hearing there are ways to avoid it.

A cobra bit Chuck Norris once, after 10 days of intense agony the cobra died.

IMHO, Global chat is the cancer of MMORPG's... it completely breaks immersion and is more or less filled bullshit the likes of 4chan.

This especially holds true on RP servers which are completely unmoderated and devolve quickly to the same barrens chat we've all come to abhor.

Vent, mumble etc... well that a completey different show and is really up to your clan executives to dictate that policy... If you have a special general room where you can talk about whatever thats fine... but I personally hate shit that breaks immersion.

Perhaps I am just one of those crotchity old bastids yellin at the kids to get off my lawn...

Originally posted by Wighty

IMHO, Global chat is the cancer of MMORPG's... it completely breaks immersion and is more or less filled bullshit the likes of 4chan.

 

This especially holds true on RP servers which are completely unmoderated and devolve quickly to the same barrens chat we've all come to abhor.

 

Vent, mumble etc... well that a completey different show and is really up to your clan executives to dictate that policy... If you have a special general room where you can talk about whatever thats fine... but I personally hate shit that breaks immersion.

 

Perhaps I am just one of those crotchity old bastids yellin at the kids to get off my lawn...

-his tengu moves into geosync orbit above your location in-game- want me to break it from orbit with nukes? :D god... dude... it's everyone's choice what to do, I get you want to RP and there are places to do that but to quality of RP these days has gone down the shitter, there has been more than one NWN 1 persistent server that has gone down in flames after the RP went to The Twilight Saga Zone ( I know one particularly horrific story of one such server where a part of the GMs turned into vampire lords... cue Hellsing anime level vampire on human wars and actual in-game cyber orgies... yeah... it went from bad to worse to are you kidding me? XD )

Originally posted by Kyleran

Came up on another thread, thought I'd explore the topic more.

etc

For the most part I agre. It depends on who they are. I have been playing with a small group of people over the years and I don't mind hearing about their lives, I think we've become actual friends over the years as much as one can over the interwebz. I even meet one of them (who is "related" to the others one way or another) for drinks when he is in town.

Having said that, if it's a large general clan chat with people who don't really know you well, I would say I agree to everything you said.

I don't want to hear about how drunk you are, don't mind if you swear though, don't want to hear how you are out of a job and yet you are playing video games and spending money in them yet you are worried about your finances (that actually happened to me once and I tried to give "advice" but you can lead a horse to water...)

And the thing is, I'm an extrovert so it's not like I have problems talking with total strangers. I just think you should "know your audience".

This is not to say I'm going to go balistic and if someone gets on vent and really needs advice or an ear to listen, I'll do it, but I do believe there is a time and a place.

On occasion a new member to the guild will make the mistake of talking politics or religion.  If he doesnt take the hint, quickly, that those topics aren't appreciated, they are removed.

After reading through the comments in this thread however, I have to ask what kind of guilds are your guys in?  A good 30% are against idle chit chat.  Seriously?  Unless you purposely join an RP guild, why the hell would you want an uninviting environment like that?

When you are in the middle of pvp, then VC discipline comes into affect.  When everyone is just sitting around or doing something unimportant like PvE, why not talk to eachother?  

My guild in GW2 chats all the time, especially when we are making fun of Sea of Sorrows or Sanctum of Rall.

Delete

 

I dont really see the point for this discussion, all the chatting stuff is up to the guild rules, and general chat is the general chat.

Some of the best times I've had in MMOs have been with real life friends, and it would be... uh, just awkward not to talk about any "real life" stuff with them. :)

I'm also OK with talking about real life stuff with people I don't know from real life, though with them I'll certainly steer clear of stuff that's really personal. I'll also stay away from issues that's prone to conflict.

In other words, I'll stick to friendly chat and nothing too serious.

On a related note, I don't think everybody plays MMOs to "just play the game". Socializing is certainly a part of the genre in my opinion and chatting about real life stuff can be part of it.

Depends on the conversation, the channel etc. If it's in-game and generally broadcast, I tend to /ignore people chatting about RL.

If it's a guild I am more tolerant. If things go over the top for too long, I leave and go back to my solitary wandering.

It is a mixed bag for me. Generally, I am with you Kyleran.

A lot of people don't seem to "take a measure" of other people when in voice chat. Many times they just spout whatever comes into their head without engaging their brain. Games are inundated with Facebook people who think I care about what they had for lunch and need to see a picture of it.

Idle chit chat in and of itself is fine by me, but not everyone can hold back from gory details or cases of "TMI." All too soon, idle chit chat degrades into one-upmanship.

Voice chat is worse than text chat. A player has to actually work at typing out their words and may sometimes see what they type before hitting "send." Text chat can still get wildly inane, though. Voice chat has no such work. Just open mouth and talk. Maybe hit a "talk button."

For me, I don't have online friends. If I have not met you face to face, you are, at best, an acquaintance. I really don't care about another's personal life. If something tragic happens, I feel bad for them and can do nothing about it from my end. I did not log on to commiserate with others.

Overall, chit chat does not bother me. But many times it degrades quickly into more personal info than I care to know about. Soon drama follows and this is when I leave.

I'm very gregarious and enjoy socializing in mmo's. If you do not, it is your prerogative to mute me or excuse yourself. However, you cannot dictate how people interact outside your privately owned channels. We are paying customers too. General chat is for general chat.

"He asked me how my day was. Ban him!"

"Teacher! Teacher! They're laughing and talking, and not about fireballs and heals! I want them to talk about fireballs again and again...........but without me!"

Come to think of it, why do introverts involve themselves with mmo's then complain about human interaction? Why are they bothered by the way others socialize, especially when they are left alone upon request? Are introverts reaching out when posting on forums?

Save RP for RP servers. I should start a toon on one of those servers and say "Yo what up peeps?! Geez, RP...RP....RP.........don'tcha talk bout other stuffz? Word! True dat!"

Overall subject to myself it comes down to this.

"Why should anyone care if you chit chat or chatty cathy it up".

This is the problem with the good ole internet. People forget this is a facist place.

To the greater good. The individual matters not in any chat. It's a collective and you cannot place your little self outside of (the collective). Besides disconnecting.

Introverts, exoverts, billyverts. All of these are caste indoctrination.

Get over yourself, in essence.

(That's what I had to do. Just get over it, it's a first world problem, people in ethopia are killing eachother over a bag of chips yo.)

I'd rather know the characters people create, rather than the people themselves.  The characters they create are often more interesting than the people themselves.  I'd like to be treated the same way.

I'm rather tolerant of OOC chat.  But I'd rather keep my game life to games, and my real life to reality.  When I find that I am opening up about OOC issues, I treat it as a sign that I need to take a break from the MMO.  When I see it in others, when they start to talk about OOC things to me, I usually tell them to take a break from the game as well.

I'm of the theory, alongside Castronova, that people usually dive into an MMO after reality kicks them for a loop.  It's a place to take a break from reality, but it is no substitute for reality.

For the most part I agree with you.

Politics is the one that drives me up the wall. When general chat devolves into that.....well, let's just say its the real world I'm trying to get away from.

But there have been instances, for example, real life issues of the people I play with can matter. Not drama queens who are always in crisis or gossipy who is dating who stuff, but rather, here's an example where it mattered to me:

A person who I've gamed with for years, who I met through gaming, suffered a traumatic injury in a car accident - for real. I'm glad I knew that.

pretty much depends on discussion and how people tolerate each other.

most of the time I like real life discussion if it not turning into personal data hunting, or massive flame.

sure would prefer to hear some funny stories instate of politics or deep religious discussions, but don't mind them either if it not turn into dispute.

hate mindless chats like:
- WTF this game is? (alien wrong landing)
- your mom! (kid calling for help)
- you are all just idiots! (his first escape from the mad house)

etc

Originally posted by Sovrath

Originally posted by Kyleran

Came up on another thread, thought I'd explore the topic more.

etc

For the most part I agre. It depends on who they are. I have been playing with a small group of people over the years and I don't mind hearing about their lives, I think we've become actual friends over the years as much as one can over the interwebz. I even meet one of them (who is "related" to the others one way or another) for drinks when he is in town.

Having said that, if it's a large general clan chat with people who don't really know you well, I would say I agree to everything you said.

I don't want to hear about how drunk you are, don't mind if you swear though, don't want to hear how you are out of a job and yet you are playing video games and spending money in them yet you are worried about your finances (that actually happened to me once and I tried to give "advice" but you can lead a horse to water...)

And the thing is, I'm an extrovert so it's not like I have problems talking with total strangers. I just think you should "know your audience".

This is not to say I'm going to go balistic and if someone gets on vent and really needs advice or an ear to listen, I'll do it, but I do believe there is a time and a place.

 

 What makes you think introverts have trouble talking to people but extroverts are good?  Do you mistake shyness for interversion?  Here is a most basic understanding in the difference between introverts and extroverts:  Extroverts feel more energetic when social and drained when lonely.  Introverts reverse that.  Shyness is a different thing altogether like eye color.  While an Introvert could be shy, it works better for him due to the inner locust, whereas an extrovert being shy causes bind in that extroverts need to be social. 

Well I dont roleplay, but I cant stand all the real life chat either.

Im playing a lot of PS2 right now, and most of the time you have to be paying attention or get shot from behind. The game moves real fast.

And almost every squad I get into, some stupid discussion starts about a movie, or somebodies drunk adventure.

If you are one of them, trust me when I say..... we dont care!!