For those with rough pronunciations or a lack of quality equipment, numerous difficulties may arise when communicating with teammates or friends in-game, leading to a lot of frustration within the team.

Communication has always been an integral part of gaming and evolved through the years. With the introduction of the internet, communication between players has become more accessible than ever. Rather than chatting face-to-face, game features and online mediums such as Discord allow player bases to readily communicate through voice or text channels while playing. Especially in terms of competitive multiplayer, players can organize strategies in real-time, keep teammates aware of in-game situations and create fun conversations between each other; making the gaming experience more enjoyable and memorable.

The online space made communicating more convenient, however, many still face problems when speaking with other players, specifically those who have accents or bad microphones. For example, if an individual has an accent, it may be challenging for others to comprehend what is being said during games.

While they maintain the effort to communicate, their accents are not a factor these players can change. This lack of understanding from teammates can be annoying for individuals as they may have to constantly repeat themselves. Those players may even give up on responding at all as other players fail to interpret their words.

Similarly, players who use low-quality microphones encounter identical problems that can negatively affect their gaming experience. With low-quality mics, the volume of a player’s voice may either be too high or too low for other players. One’s voice may not even be picked up at all when talking. Low-quality mics tend to pick up more background noise as well which can be very distracting for the other end.

To some players, it is just as troublesome dealing with these mic conditions as it is for those who own these low-quality mics. Due to these issues, these players are unfairly muted or ignored though they either, unfortunately, cannot afford a better microphone or headset or this is the only device at their disposal.

These problems can be especially tough for all players when playing team-based games. Currently, Valorant is the most popular game that exemplifies this significance. As a team-based, first-person shooter, players heavily rely on conversing with teammates, making callouts and discussing plans of action. Despite having alternative options to communicate, speaking on a mic is the most efficient way to interact.

When a player cannot engage in the most important aspect of the game, playing these games can feel demeaning and cause a loss of interest to continue playing. Individuals with accents or poor microphones may also feel self-conscious and choose not to talk before trying or stick to texting in chat.

Other than the toxicity of gaming comms, the gaming community often overlooks the struggle of not being able to easily communicate. And although it may not be the biggest problem, there can be an exclusion of players who deal with these complications, which goes against one of the main reasons for playing games: fun for everyone.