Ventilation

People are venting. No, not the usual discharge of accusations, problems and xenophobic rants from the Second Life population. I'm talking about a particular Voice over IP (VoIP) communications software. Ventrilo, or Vent as you will hear people say (probably through your uber sexy headset). It's a noun. It's a verb. It's in my face. Hell, SL was using Skype for participation in an inworld meeting.

I understand the desire, burning need even, for venting in group melee type games and the war scenario games. These online multiplayer games revolve around a strategy of warfare and a coordinated, fast-paced game play. Communication is a key element. Chatting on your headsets as you storm the Bastille or some other bastion of evil seems like a must.

I'm not sure about it in Second Life. More precisely, I'm not sure about how it fits with my SL. I know many folks are using whatever connectivity tools they can tweak to make SL more to their liking. Venting is a natural for the cross-overs taking a break from orc hunting. It's the next evolution from the clunky chat interface.

It isn't a preference for me. Me? I like typing. I have my own issues with it as well. I often spend hours on the phone during the 9 to 5. The fact that I hate talking on the phone makes this a bamboo under the fingernails torture for me. I don't really want to take that feeling into my down time. Granted, I would hopefully be talking to people I enjoy more than the people I'm paid to interact with, but that is by no means a guarantee. Beside my pure hatred of this type of canned-voice communication, I also spend much of my SL ignoring people and multi-tasking. I can always pull the local chat history and read up on what I missed. Voice communication doesn't allow for this in the same quick and dirty way.

Maybe I just have a bad attitude. Probably. I just like things my way. I have the equipment. It isn't the end of the world, but it is a significant change in my interaction with SL that I am not sure I want. This is the trend, though, and sometimes you just gotta say What the Fuck.

I did download the software. I did log on and listen. It was better than trying to keep up with a conversation that I was only getting part of in chat. It was also better than forcing the venters to acquiesce to my eccentricities (not that they would have anyway). So I listened. I'm still alive. No bleeding from the ears. However, I'm still an SL mute. For now, my voice remains my own.