Why voice comms would reduce Toxicity overall

50WPKpUAdM·3/16/2016, 5:55:09 AM·3 votes·1,310 views

Since this was instantly deleted on reddit for unknown reasons (if it's something to do with the content of my post rather than the idea please let me know, I'm unfamiliar with what gets a post removed)

TLDR; Lengthy post about a few key points of why voice comms would reduce toxicity rather than cause it. Tone/audience/misinterpretation

Contrary to Riot Lyte's beliefs, I think voice communication would prevent more toxicity than it would cause. Anytime I can get the team I get matched up with on Curse voice or teamspeak, I remember those games as a hell of a lot more fun/exciting than the silence of text followed by spam pings and "muted" "reported".

First, things that aren't meant to be toxic and are being misread with the wrong inflection by the other player would be clear by the tone of your voice. Similar to how when people use punctuation in a text message you assume they're being short with you by abruptly ending the text, an open sentence with no punctuation however means the conversation is still "open". I believe people with a natural habit of swearing or being profane quite a bit are being punished for statements that may be quite normal for them, merely because an excited statement of "Get fuckin baron!" is misconstrued to be something negative.

Second, less people would get frustrated about someone not doing something, because its hella hard to type to your mid laner to come down river when he's zoned out (mentally)/tunnel visioned csing, while you're being chased by 3 people towards him. This would eliminate the post death rage because NO MIA WTF RETARD. You would be able to relay what you need and where you need it in a much faster manner.

Third, you immediately get a sense of the age group you're speaking with in the game and can adjust your language appropriately. This whole thing obviously could be abused as any system can be, cough the current report system cough, but I expect you to see a drastic drop in reports and toxic behavior and only the most severe cases of toxicity remaining. Which then could easily be taken care of at a much faster rate, purely based on the lower volume of reports received.

Considering a majority of the playerbase probably plays other games and have never been banned or "punished" (I think punished a Riot only thing) in any of them, it's clearly a flaw somewhere in your system or player management rather than the players themselves.

16 Comments

Awkward Couch3/16/2016, 6:25:17 AM3 votes

Whether it's text based speech or coms, I think the real issue is the way we treat each other over the internet. It doesn't matter the medium, because it's anonymous people will be assholes to each other. Personally, I don't see a need for chat, at all. I'd rather Riot just does away with all of it.

Nidelkha3/16/2016, 6:09:37 AM1 votes

Voice comms would be awesome!!!!!!!!!!! So when i kill the enemey adc i could be all like BITCH IMA SHIT ON YOUR CORPSE! GET WRECKED!

Krigjer3/16/2016, 6:29:14 AM1 votes

This existed with Curse Voice. Curse Voice was 'illegal' for a while (could get you banned if they detected you had it installed) because it automatically connected users who had it into a chatroom. Riot considered this toxic because they couldn't police the environment. When CurseVoice finally changed this, it was considered 'legal' again.

I know you mentioned CV in your post, but this is why Riot will never add their own voice chat service.

  1. it already exists with cursevoice, and it's not Riot's fault that so few people use it these days.
  2. you can't FORCE someone to use a voice chat program. That's why CV was banned at the beginning.

Also, listening to voice chats in every other game they are available DOES prove that having voice chat doesn't eliminate toxicity (or even reduce). I remember getting chewed out in a LoL game using CV + listening to friends argue in Teamfortress. If anything, I'd argue that having voice chat increases toxicity.

Astôlfo3/16/2016, 7:28:26 PM1 votes

Then you just get people telling others to kill themselves instead of taking a few seconds to write it out in chat.

Rayendriel3/17/2016, 2:09:13 AM1 votes

I always imagine voice chat in league like that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa9pxW4G4jQ :D

Ada Wong3/17/2016, 3:00:07 AM1 votes

Yes and no DOTA 2 has just as much toxicity as League, Same with smite, although companies like (Blizzard) and (Over Watch) Would immediately suspend someone for calling someone the (N word) or other hateful comments in game it generally doesn't happen in DOTA 2, or League even Smite that often over one game.