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Speaking in character: using voice-over-IP to communicate within MMORPGs

While voice-over-IP has long been favoured as a communication medium by players of team-based online shooter games, it has recently also been appropriated by players of MMORPGs, and some recent MMORPGs have included voice facilities in the game software. However voice communication has provoked controversy among players and designers, some of whom believe that it is not suited to some of the communication tasks required in this genre of games, such as role-play, coordination of large groups, and interaction with strangers. Little research has been published on VoIP use in MMORPGs. We studied the use of voice by three groups playing Dungeons and Dragons Online and World of Warcraft over a period of three months. The players kept diaries, were interviewed individually, and participated in focus groups. We organized this data into themes which are presented here. We discuss our findings with regard to prior research into computer-mediated communication.