Online Gaming and Voice Communication Essay Example

Online gaming is connecting your gaming console to other gamers through the Internet and playing with them or against them in a variety of games. Online gaming creates social relationships between gamers. We live in an era fueled by technological development. Each new discovery changes the way we communicate with each other. Gaming is becoming a more an easier and more socially acceptable way to interact with people. In a study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that online gaming has already become a commonality in the youth market. An astounding 65 percent of students are gamers. (Villarreal, 2003) With the popularity of gaming increasing, more people are playing video games. The invention of online gaming allows players to interact with one another in a 3d world. Before they were forced to communicate via text based communication, but has now moved into the realm of voice and 3-d cooperative play. (Gallaga, 2000) Voice communication is a huge step in this medium because it allows players to communicate with one another while they are playing. ''Now I can talk trash without getting killed in the game because I'm typing on a keyboard,'' said Joe McCloud (Takahashi, 2002) Each new emerging medium of communication shapes the overall way we communicate with one another and deserves to be studied to understand how this affects us. The dependent variable is the amount of self-disclosure, and the independent variable is the amount of online play with voice-enabled communication. Online gaming as a form of computer-mediated communication is increasingly important as the youth market increases and their buying power expands.
Research shows that gamers form increase liking and trust with the addition of voice communication in online gaming. (Hughes, 2003) Voice communication in online gaming is a form of computer-mediated communication. "The headset feature adds an extra dimension to the fun and strategy, because the game calls on you to