Valve Guy Says British Gamers Need to Speak Up

[RoseBridge]

Because we get asked irrating questions, or are repeatedly told "we saved your arse in world war 1/2"

Not funny.

Exactly, that comes up almost all the time(seriously), its really annoying, but as most people seem to forget their is a mute button.
also party chat. and there's always going to be jerks online, but at same time there are some cool people.

 

[Woodsey]

They always talk when I play Counter-Strike:Source.

What game's the picture from by the way?

If none has answered you, then it's from Giants: Citizen Kabuto and it's a good game as far as I remember. Also it's score on gamespot is 9.0 and if that picture is here, you know the game is good.

As for the topic, then I usually encounter chatty Americans and rarely any chatty Brits. When there are British people talking, then they are very good people and i would recommend them to speak more. Don't hide your British accents and tea jokes! Bloody rabish.

Thanks, I'm not actually interested in playing it :L I just remember years ago I watched my Dad play the demo of a game, and its one of those totally useless things that you remember, I've been trying to find out what it is for ages.

 

[Rafe]

I've never played Left 4 Dead online but on any other game eg. CoD4, Halo and Gears of War, most (12 year old) Americans get really aggressive to English people. Here's some examples of what I've heard:

"I can't hear you because you need to brush your teeth!"

"Go eat some crumpets!"

"Go drink some tea you Brit fag!"

"Go worship the Queen!" (seriously)

I'll always talk when I'm with a friend or if its a heavy team based game mode like search and destroy.

 

[lazy_bum]

I will speak up when the 12 year old americans STFU. Seriously its just a constant headache. and when i do speak it normally results in a barrage of insults from said kids (though i have to admit that there is the occasional american who will tell them to shut up and accent means nothing) and even in a few cases had votekicks started against me on the basis of i'm english and therefore shouldnt be allowed to 'clog up our servers with their foriegness and stupid accents'.

*rant over*

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

They always talk when I play Counter-Strike:Source.

What game's the picture from by the way?

That's Giants: Citizen Kabuto, very funny game, a bit buggy tho.

 

[SwampCandle]

I don't talk online, because I don't see the need too. Besides, what with not having an American accent, I'm talked to an awful lot, which is irritating when I'm trying to concentrate on a game.

 

[damselgaming]

I think it's just because everyone seems all buddy'd up whenever I play online. Like it's a special club.
I have the L4D2 demo but I have no one to play it with online, and I worry if I just jump into a game i'll be terrible and let the team down.
So nerves is why I speak quietly or not at all while playing online.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

We don't talk because we don't like the talk we hear. If we were inclined to talk to the talkative people it is because we'd have judged them as sane, rational members of society. As it is all I ever seem to come across is racists, idiots, or people who think I care that their ancestors saved the arses of my ancestors 60 years ago, which obviously makes them excellent at war games (some logic just bemuses me).

 

[SwampCandle]

Another thing, is that when only the occasion that the Americans aren't mocking the old accent, they're trying to get me to team-up with them on some German kid, because apparently the German kid is a Nazi...I object to that and do my damndest to help the German kid.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Last time I (as a British person) said something in an online game (Call of Duty, I believe), I had my accent taken the piss out of. Sorry, but you guys are "notorious" for that kind of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of American friends, but I've met some reeeal pricks.

/rant.

Oh, boo hoo. Everytime I play with a British person you hear the idiotic "Americans are fat and/or stupid" nonsense.

I also have a southern accent, and I get shit for it just as much as you do for your accent. Probably more, in fact. How many times have you been asked if you sleep with your sister? Grow a pair and quit whining.

Also- this wasn't meant to specifically call you out. The first four or five posts were this same whining. You were just the lucky one I quoted.

Pfft, and I'm the on that needs to "grow a pair"?

Enough Americans I've met to make it count are pricks. However, as I stated in my original post, some of my good friends are from the states.

 

[Captain Pancake]

My friend was playing some gears or halo or something, when the game was pretty much half and half of brits and americans. Soon an argument began between the two groups, which he stayed out of. Then it came to "Shut up, you crumpet munching little shit, we've made great games like Gears of war, GTA 4..."

at which point my friend butted in,

"That was made in scotland, you dumb twat."

after which the argument stymied, the brits won, and my friend changed servers.

Moral of the story? Brits are fine talking to brits. It's when we have to talk to other nationalities that we become more introversive.

 

[Kinichie]

Americans are notorious for going "Cup of tea, mate. Good day mate" like we are Australian. We don't speak up because quite simply you guys just irritate us. We arn't going to communicate if everytime we open our mouths you talk down to us.

 

[TimbukTurnip]

Pretty much the reason i dont talk much online is because, like most have said, we brits get taken the piss out of by Americans for our accent, or simply because we're english. Apparently, we all drink tea, eat crumpets, and we all know the Queen. What the fudgeydoodlesticks? People seem to actually believe that too, which scares me.
Not to say you dont meet nice Americans - i've had good fun with some in the past, and talked about random things like the difference between our countries and stuff.

If you get British people playing with British people, then its usually quite a bit of fun.
Unless the other British people are "chavs/gangstas" and insult you for no reason, then theres a problem.

 

[Wargamer]

I figure I'll make another comment to point out the fact that communication is only as useful as three key factors; the speaker, the listener and the medium.

Problems with the speaker tend to revolve around trying to convey information whilst being totally unable to present a context. For example, I can play Resistance 2 with my friends and announce "sniper on the clocktower!" and they'll understand. However, you might not. The reason you might not is because you cannot actually ENTER the clocktower I am referring to, and what I mean is "sniper on the building in front of the clocktower." That's a few seconds of confusion that'll probably get you shot.
The reason this problem persists is inability to universally convey information. I cannot sit down with players pre-game and say "Okay, HERE is the Bunker. HERE is Sniper Alley. HERE is the Crow's Nest." I am forced to try to use overly-accurate descriptions to get information across. This brings me to point two...

The Listener. Sometimes, people are just retarded. Occasionally they use an excuse like "I not speak English", but when I've listened to an hour of twat-talk in what passes for English in the inbred little backwater my teammate hails from, I don't bite.
Here's a hypothetical - a game where there are two teams, a Red and a Blue. Both teams have a Building they can use for sniping plonked right next to their spawn point. The buildings are even colour-coded for simplicity. There are gamers out there who, if you yell "Sniper on Red Building!" they will stop dead and ask what the fuck you are on about. Then they will get shot by the guy you were trying to warn them about, and spend half an hour bitching that A) the guy came out of nowhere, and B) his team are a load of fags for not helping him.
In other words, communication with a cuntbag is a waste of effort.

Finally, the medium. Unless the games are region-locked, there is a chance that the reason the other guy is ignoring everything you say is you are saying it in German, and he's listening in French. I seem to wind up in games with a lot of French / Spanish / Italian gamers, which can make organisation a *****.

In short, in order for this to REALLY work, Valve need to do three things:

1) Region-lock games so everyone speaks the same language.
2) Instigate a system where players can, as a group, study the map and learn how to convey information quickly and accurately together BEFORE the game is launched.
3) Make the dipshits go back to Call of Duty, or wherever the fuck they came from.

Conclusion - not happening.

 

[Quick Ben]

I wonder where they have that from. Almost every time I've played L4D with British people they've been very talkative.

 

[MadMechanic]

First post here - this topic made me want to join.
I talk. I talk when required. Short, basic stuff. Which is easier to understand?
"Guys, incoming tank, Next to the North tower block" or
"Hey you retards, get over here, help me, theres a fukin tank coming, its, its...over there! You guys, its shooting at me! Help me! Oh you guys are complete..."
(I understand that this only works if your on a map with 1 towerblock, that is at the Northern end of a town...)
Exactly how is talking about family guy relevant to the game? I'm trying to play a game, I don't go on Live to have a chat (unless I'm playing with friends)

On the topic of why we Brits don't talk - I've endured many, many wonderful evenings of anti-brit abuse from Americans. "limey prick, crumpets, tea, shag the queen, WW2! etc, etc...". Hell, sometimes a team I'm on has lost simply because most of them spend time yelling at me than actually paying attention to the game. Sometimes I attempt to get my way out with humour.
As has been said before, if we get flak for talking, why would we bother?

The stupidest thing I've ever had shouted at me? (He sounded 12)
"You limey wankers, you should be grateful that we saved yo' asses in Vietnam!"
...Excuse me?

I have been in games with fellow Brits who are talkative. Not all of us are mute.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I always, ALWAYS have mic on when playing Left 4 Dead. Without mics it's simply not that fun.

Just in case you can't tell, I'm British.

 

[randomrob]

If there Are people worth talking to who might contribute interesting conversation then I speak, but in my experience people who are online in games like COD 4, Halo 3, Killzone and World at War are either morons, dicks or don't want to talk either, so i leave them alone.