# Gamers with SA and talking in Ventrillo



## Strawberries (Jul 1, 2011)

My SA makes it extremely difficult for me to talk on ventrillo whenever I'm playing World of Warcraft. The people I raid with are wonderful people, but I just can't seem to shake my fear of speaking in ventrillo to them. In the past I've used vent in other guilds, but I never said much due to my SA. I hate feeling like this because I want so badly to chat with them and have fun, but I can't. I don't talk because I'm so afraid of saying something stupid or that they will be able to hear that I'm nervous. Also, I hate the sound of my voice and think they will too. I know all of these thoughts are irrational but I can't control them. I use excuses all the time as to why I can't speak. I told them my mic broke and I haven't bought a replacement which isn't true. I have a working headset, I'm just too scared to talk and I'm too embarrassed to tell them that I have SA. This is driving me crazy and making me really depressed because it seems like such a simple thing to do but I can't bring myself to do it. Anyway, sorry for rambling on. :b

As gamers, please share your experiences with SA and speaking in ventrillo.


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## Diacetylmorphine (Mar 9, 2011)

I don't play WoW anymore but i understand what you mean. What worked for me was to ease myself into the group basically, I had a raiding friend I would talk to on Skype one on one and he'd eventually introduce me to the group. I then became chummy with a few of the other people in the raid and it worked out well. Perhaps joining the vent when there isn't many Guildies on might help?

I still always got nervous whenever a new/pug would join the vent though. I'm sure they wouldn't ride you for sounding nervous or dislike the sound of your voice, I've always found close nitted groups were usually friendly and understandable, unless they're control freaks or loot *****s.


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## phoenixwright (Jun 22, 2011)

I'm too shy to use my mic when playing on Xbox Live and that shyness is why I haven't bothered getting a headset for my PS3.


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## Nogy (Feb 13, 2011)

Yep, i hated Vent too when i played WoW. I had a real life friend that invited me to his guild and they always used it....first time i joined the channel i dont think i said a word, and my friend sent me a PM or whisper saying "talk you shy *******". That was probably about 4 years ago, still remember it though lol


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## GunnyHighway (Sep 28, 2010)

Ventrilo is the only place I find I can actually talk to people. Number one thing I found is that talking comes second hand to me when I'm in the middle of something intense. 

Sounds weird, but I think it may actually be easier talking with a lot of people as there's seemingly less focus on you.


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## Charizard (Feb 16, 2011)

I've been raiding since MC was end game. To date, there are about 5 people who have heard my voice on vent.

Usually I "don't have a mic".


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## davidburke (Mar 23, 2009)

thats why we should set gaming nights and set up clans/guilds or something whether its on xbox live or wow. If anyone is palying halo reach we should set up a sas clan i don't care if your not that good at it i'm crap at it too. anyone up for that?


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## Akemi (Jul 1, 2011)

*I feel I have a complex about my gender. I feel that, because of my very feminine voice, if I were to speak up in a public game chat, I would get unwanted attention and be judged harshly. The players of Call of Duty games are particularly brutal. I used to try. I would go into game chat and try to make a comment on the game, and without fail, my voice would send an awkward silence across the entire game. And then they would always make horrible comments pertaining to my female body parts. I have now more or less quit playing any form of social game. Just hearing another person's voice is enough to make my chest clench.

Voice chat just feels incredibly awkward to me... Even in the event I do get into a conversation with another person that is not perverse, the moment a second person joins, I become mute. I will never speak up in a party chat unless someone directly addresses me. Which they usually do at first, it becomes a terrible barrage of questions, but eventually they learn to ignore me.
*


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## Bethy (Jun 23, 2011)

I was the same way. When I used to use ventrillo and teamspeak anyways. I was always the quiet one that only said, "yes" and "No" every once in a while.


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## Art1 (Jun 15, 2011)

It doesn't really bother me probably because I can't really put there voice to a face


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## Sadaiyappan (Jun 20, 2009)

I used Ventrillo and TeamSpeak servers when I was playing Guild Wars.


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## Matt J (Oct 19, 2006)

I wouldn't worry about your voice. People go over that extremely quickly, its old news in 24 hours.


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## Sadaiyappan (Jun 20, 2009)

My voice sounds different sometimes if I have a cold or my throat is sore...


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## leave me alone (Apr 1, 2011)

Reminds me of when i was playing WoW long time ago (raiding MC and stuff), iv been talking to one girl in-game a lot. We kinda liked each other (although i was 18 and she was nearly 30 lol), I could never really force myself to talk to her via Ventrilo, i always just said i dont have a mic.

Generally, i can talk to my friends online no problem, but it is a bit harder with strangers - I can pull it if i can speak in my first language, but when it comes to english, i prefer to type and keep quiet. People seemed to have fun talking during the raids, but i never said a thing.


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## half jaw (Mar 25, 2011)

When I used to play the original COD on PC back in the day, I ended up getting kicked out of a couple clans because I was too nervous to talk on teamspeak/ventrillo so they didn't want me for being too quiet. **** sucks


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## Squirrelevant (Jul 27, 2008)

I've never used my mic to talk during a game. In multiplayer games I keep to myself and even avoid using text to talk to others if I can. It takes a lot of the fun out of the experience and I've never made an aquaintence through a game as a result. :/


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## techfreak15 (Jul 6, 2011)

phoenixwright said:


> I'm too shy to use my mic when playing on Xbox Live and that shyness is why I haven't bothered getting a headset for my PS3.


I'm pretty much the same way. When I play on my ps3 I don't even have my mic plugged in even thought it would come in very handy when playing M.A.G.


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## Wildman (Apr 9, 2011)

I've had similar fears, but it's gotten a lot better over time as I've listened to other people talk and become better friends with them. Now I have no problem with it, except when there's other people in the actual room with me irl. It's silly, but I really don't like talking when someone else is around...


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## SuperSky (Feb 16, 2011)

I tried Vent a couple of times for Guild Wars... The only time I'd set my mic up for it, I was paranoid about breathing too loudly in case they heard that. Then someone's accent sent me into a laughing fit and I had to take off my headset (even though there was actually nothing remotely funny about the accent, I think I was just hyper and nervous so was easily set off). My guild didn't use vent often, so these were just a bunch of randoms for PvP.


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## MindOverMood (Dec 12, 2009)

@Akemi I take it you're a console gamer?


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## Ohhai (Oct 15, 2010)

SuperSky said:


> I tried Vent a couple of times for Guild Wars... The only time I'd set my mic up for it, I was paranoid about breathing too loudly in case they heard that. Then someone's accent sent me into a laughing fit and I had to take off my headset (even though there was actually nothing remotely funny about the accent, I think I was just hyper and nervous so was easily set off). My guild didn't use vent often, so these were just a bunch of randoms for PvP.


Should have set up a "Push to Talk" hotkey, so your mic only activates when you push the button.


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## SuperSky (Feb 16, 2011)

Ohhai said:


> Should have set up a "Push to Talk" hotkey, so your mic only activates when you push the button.


I think the version I was using had a volume threshold (although I did only use it like twice so I could've missed it... This was like 4 years ago so I dunno). "Push to Talk" might've been too distracting from pvp though.


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## Zephton (Jun 15, 2011)

I sort of used to feel this way but now I talk all the time when I play TF2. It sort of depends on the game though, some make me feel more anxious than others.


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## Qolselanu (Feb 15, 2006)

I remember the first time I tried talking on Teamspeak or Ventrillo while playing Planetside. I was super nervous, cold and shaky. I didn't saw much. My clan moved onto World of Warcraft and it was a bit easier to hide when you had 40 people or so in a single channel. Although sometimes we would subdivide the rooms by class or by role, so I would be in a room with just 5 others and it was obvious that I never said anything. At some point in WoTLK I started saying more, if only slightly.

Eventually I got comfortable somewhat being very quiet. It is too hard for me to focus on a fight and talk at the same time anyway. Or even out of battle for that matter. It is just so draining to speak for some reason.


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## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

Akemi said:


> *I feel I have a complex about my gender. I feel that, because of my very feminine voice, if I were to speak up in a public game chat, I would get unwanted attention and be judged harshly. The players of Call of Duty games are particularly brutal. I used to try. I would go into game chat and try to make a comment on the game, and without fail, my voice would send an awkward silence across the entire game. And then they would always make horrible comments pertaining to my female body parts. I have now more or less quit playing any form of social game. Just hearing another person's voice is enough to make my chest clench.
> 
> Voice chat just feels incredibly awkward to me... Even in the event I do get into a conversation with another person that is not perverse, the moment a second person joins, I become mute. I will never speak up in a party chat unless someone directly addresses me. Which they usually do at first, it becomes a terrible barrage of questions, but eventually they learn to ignore me.
> *


:hug Guys who use teamspeak on FPS's tend to be douches overcompensating for their own lack of self esteem sadly.

The MMO crowd tend to be a lot nicer generally speaking- and there's also alot more woman players, so I think you wont feel quite so much in the spot light in those circumstances.

Oh yeah, I can't let a thread on Ventrillo go by without posting this epic vid :b:


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## Sunny 137 (Jul 5, 2011)

Whenever I play video games with the microphone on, I can't help but feel like other players think I'm a 10 year old boy. |


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## psgchisolm (Jul 8, 2011)

I used to have a problem talking on vent. People would say I'm too quiet it just takes some time to get used to talking to people on the internet. I still type more that I talk but I do talk occasionally. You just need to put your mind off of "What will people think" and just do it. I remember the times everyone would find out I'm black and be like NO WAI. A black person on the internet???? Then people forgot and things went back to normal.


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## Joe (May 18, 2010)

I wouldnt like to talk over ventrilo, even the 360 mic's i can barely talk on to a close freind. Annoying on wow though if you dont have vent people dont raid with you (even though raiding takes wayyy too long)


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## Tez (Apr 21, 2009)

I was thinking about getting a mic for games and such, and 1on1 convos etc. It is a bit of a challenge and it is anxiety provoking, but I think I can do it. Most of the guildies in WoW are all people I know offline anyway, so that helps a little.

Btw, love that vent clip, lol.


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## erasercrumbs (Dec 17, 2009)

Just typing out a conversation is scary enough.


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## bittertaste (Jul 2, 2011)

I play WoW and I've never been able to handle talking in Vent. I will join it and listen to everyone else, but I just tell them I don't have a mic or it's broken or I'm sick, whatever. I made two friends playing the game and I occasionally talk to them, but I never say much.

It's annoying because I'd like to raid eventually, but you need Vent to raid, and I don't want to be a silent idiot.


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## Zangya (Jul 8, 2011)

I am on a brief break from WoW but haven't had big problems with Vent. Well...that's a lie..sometimes I do but it depends on my mood. People tell me that I sound like a little boy or that I sound high...yes I do get kind of offended lol. I also just don't want people to be like "ooo a girl, etc." I'd rather not talk sometimes, but most of the time I don't know what to say since I feel out of place.


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