First, as the content of the game is diversified, the number of roles that a user can perform is diversified, and a new vehicle for that role and a structure for communicating with another user or with the organization of another user are secured. Many companies are trying to provide not only the game system that can communicate online, but also the maximum entertainment value desired in this user role, which also includes educational features for the user. At this time, in order to suppress abnormal behavior in the game, the existing online game has a variety of blocking devices or motifs to suppress these behaviors if there are not enough legitimizing rights or there is a violation.

Nowadays, since the number of people participating in online games is increasing, the number of people who casually communicate with each other is diversifying according to the demands of communication, as well as the scripts and educational purposes for each game. In order to provide comfort to the customers who access the game server and to enhance the sense of reality as well as the desired entertainment value, various network transmission structures are being added to the game system in addition to the conventional structures used to provide game services.

1.1. Definition and Importance of In-Game Communication Systems

In-game communication systems are different from other problems between the game environment and the player. This arises diversity not only in the types of the systems but also in the functions of the existing ones. This diversity makes the search for in-game communication systems more difficult. Therefore, through this study, it has been aimed to explore the existing in-game communication systems from different games and guide the sectors about this issue. With this purpose, for preparing the study, there has been pursued a literature research in detail for existing in-game communication systems from different types of games. Additionally, there has been benefit from the views and comments of the game firms and game players. Finally, it has been aimed to create a reference resource by associating the data obtained.

The players are paying great importance to the communication element besides the contents of the games such as the in-game graphics, audio, main target, and logic of the games. These elements, which form the in-game communication systems in interactivity with humans, aim to provide the players with the ability to interact with the game environment and make the game environment more realistic. Players want to satisfy their establishment and development processes of the game even when the game does not have a communication system. This pattern of product causes the dependence of the players on these systems. This dependence also bears potential for commercial evaluation.

2. Types of In-Game Communication Systems

Black has defined ‘pre-game’ communication on the basis of a type of coordination behavior that might influence game outcomes (i.e., discussing the ongoing game, discussing how to play). In this study, previous coordination discussions targeting particular unit behavior (e.g., actions and/or assignments) are portrayed in a puzzling context when researchers could link these coordination messages to physical field events. We posit that researchers might wish to scrutinize these as post-game communication. In other words, anything not linked to the game environment and occurring during the game is coded as in-game communication. Differences exist in the three areas of communication.

Game communication systems contribute considerable value to both unit and team behaviors in the game. In this context, three levels of communication systems are categorized as in-game, pre-game, and off-game levels. Off-game communication includes all types of contacts that gamers have with significant others (e.g., friends, family, club managers, fans) outside of the game, while pre-game communication is when gamers are typing to arrange future gaming practices, clinics, or other meetings with other teammates. In-game communication encompasses all types of contact variants and exchanges that players experience while they are playing the game.

2.1. Text-Based Communication Systems

To our knowledge, no previously published game-oriented studies have systematically analyzed player communication to see if communication directly associated with the game exists and is used, how often it is used, and how it is used. This study emphasizes the use (and lack of use) of the game-oriented communication systems provided in Black Game, including their search capabilities and how players use and misuse them.

Text-based communication systems for communication within games have the potential to be a valuable tool for research on human behavior because of the detailed data that they can provide. Published evaluations of text-based communication within game settings, however, appear to be rare. The authors are aware of only a few such studies. Ye et al. concerned themselves with the spamming behavior of users in online games; Menasalvas et al. determined the way that players behaved in a specific Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) setting and whether personal attacks (homophobic, racist, sexual, etc.) were occurring; and Lucas did a detailed analysis of a game-oriented message board that included calls for alliances, hints on how to succeed in the game, and discussions of cheating by other players.

2.2. Voice-Based Communication Systems

Online games are much more pleasurable today with the inclusion of voice transmission technology in the game itself. The service that allows the chat to be integrated directly into the game is the Vivox, available for Unity 3D, Unreal, and C++ languages. This service is usually paid for by game developers, with prices varying according to the number of simultaneous connections. The service allows up to 15 simultaneous connections between players to receive voice communications (VoIP), and, in addition to processing these communications in real time, it also allows integration with the sound of the game so that it blends in with the soundscape produced.

It is known that communication between the players was usually gathered by communication systems outside the game. In console games, for example, communication outside the game was made through Local Area Networks (LAN) or people made use of voice chat on social networks or gaming platforms. A network (Network) is a set of computers that are connected by communication channels, which allows data exchange and resource sharing, and voice chat works through Internet Protocol (IP) that uses Information Transmitted over the Internet. The currently offered voice communication systems by gaming platforms are mostly free and only require a keyboard and a microphone to send live voice over the Internet.

2.3. Gesture-Based Communication Systems

The gesture technology in the mentioned game is simple due to the low number of possible gestures and their specific areas of use. When a player wants to perform a certain action with their character, they can use just two different predefined gestures. Thanks to the game’s simple AI system, the game can clearly evaluate the gestures, regardless of the player’s camera setting. The use of gestures and motion capture technologies in other 3D games is minor. These technologies are less known and have a low capability of being used. One of the largest projects using motion sensor technologies is a speech mask developed by Sony for its game Koop. Signals from the sound are automatically converted to the sound required for control recognition. Consequently, the game can recognize the commands sent by the player. However, we can assume that after resolving technical problems associated with the efficient use of the technology by players, the Sony game Koop may lead to the beginnings of the technology’s incorporation into 3D games.

The concept of gesture-based systems is still in the modeling phase, and the aspect of gesture communication is mostly handled just in terms of chat design. At the online research we carried out, only a few virtual 3D games use the technology of gesture-based communication between players and/or users. The most famous example of the use of gesture and motion capture technologies in 3D games is Naughty Dog’s Dog’s Life. In the game, gestures perform the functions of the human body and are used for communication.

3. Key Features and Functions of In-Game Communication Systems

There is one major feature that is necessary for the practical application of these ideas. This is the active use of the game interface that the user can handle. This achieves the purpose of providing a media space that is deeply suitable to the user. To solve this, we aimed to realize the highest game characteristics in the design. Note that the game was developed primarily for players who led so-called everyday lives and who already had experience in playing games: it had to be possible for individuals with no academic knowledge, experience in communication game design, or the latest media literacy, so familiarity with the Internet to communicate with ease. The game characteristics thus serve as the necessary key requirements and repeatables. This, in turn, can produce many varied experiences similar to those of everyday life and therefore also key social spaces in the game world. With the space to enable physical sensations and reduced temporary pseudo-existence, the game should be as close as possible to real life, consistently sustaining the fun of everyday life, and embodying cultural experiences and social infrastructures. In short, its main characteristic is that the game world encourages and enables the players to enjoy playing as their characters and forming profound relationships with them.

The most significant feature of the in-game communication systems in Black Game is that, unlike most other online games, they were developed primarily to enhance the non-game aspects of the game environment where the non-game aspects are also critical to the characters. We are thus not dealing with systems that are primarily communication tools for facilitating the game itself. In other words, these are not systems where players communicate just to form groups and organize game events. Rather, the incipient culture and virtual society of the game, where players actually create a new culture together, was the central consideration in the development of the in-game communication systems. The performance of this function is what makes an in-game communication system an intricate game system. By integrating the virtual life and everyday communication of the characters as part of the game peripheral, so necessary for creating characters, we have created virtual communal spaces in the game. In addition, by providing the necessary social infrastructure, it is possible to support the virtual relationships and culture that develops here in real life.

3.1. Real-Time Communication Capabilities

4. Voice interaction protocols differentiate the gaming world from all other voice over IP (VoIP) examples. A standard, generic IP-based VoIP system uses an audio signaling protocol like H.323 or SIP for this purpose. These signaling protocols only require information about the other side’s IP address because their primary purpose is audio communication. However, game-specific VoIP systems must use their audio protocol within a gaming community instead of an open network like the chaotic environment of the Internet. These communities can already be identified within the hierarchy of an overall application as local servers. Since all local servers are integrated into an international (worldwide) network or subnetwork, they can use the «local server address» instead of the physical IP address assigned to each user.

3. The communication of emotions requires the provision of real-time interactions. Asynchronous communication, or «cold media,» is less likely to satisfy the social and emotional needs of users than «hot» media. Synchronous communication technologies enable users to receive immediate and personal feedback from others. Most of the primary real-time communication systems like telephone systems (public, PBX, or cellular), private broadcasting stations (like taxi network or air traffic control), and chat systems are already integrated on the second layer of the OSI reference model. New applications are also being developed for next-generation mobile technologies. This fact provides real-time communication applications with a hierarchical structure because of their local servers.

3.2. Emote and Emoji Systems

The online communication system should help users to communicate effectively and provide some tools as it helps to meet individual users’ self-performance needs and social identity. It wants social actors to help build and express relationships as well as express themselves personally.

In the game environment, emote systems support a limited number of messages to be deployed by small menus, shortcut keys, and chat commands provided for the user. In most massively multiplayer online games, the emote system supports mostly facial actions; it varies based on the face’s mimic or body movement acting out. In many cases, the emote feature allows users to purchase or open during the game.

Emotes usually do more than represent emotions. They can specify actions or movements related to this emotion and can sometimes consist of a combination of a few. The easily understandable emotes help the communication between the players. On the other hand, the time needed to find, use, and express with emotes can also be a limitation for players, and it can hinder the development of the communication more fluently and efficiently.

Emotes are also defined as emoticons or actions used to express emotions in online communication platforms outside the game environment. In psychological terms, emoticon or emotion icons can be symbols or combinations of punctuation marks that indicate a certain facial expression to express the emotional state. These action messages with text messages are used to convey nonverbal messages in conversations conducted via online messaging systems or in online conversation groups.

Emote and Emoji Systems Communication is essential in in-game environments. Because the game mechanism limits possible types of actions that can be taken in the game environment, players control the avatars to interact with the virtual world. Communication is an element that allows these avatars to interact with each other. Therefore, some games provide an interaction system that allows game items to use them. With these systems, avatars can use actions such as waving their hands or sending signals, and in some cases, faceline actions and sound effects to allow players to express emotion that the avatars feel.

There are some differences in the usage of emotes and emojis in terms of their psychological processes as well. Emotes are more commonly used to express emotions, whereas emojis are employed to emphasize the message.

3.3. Friend and Group Chat Functionalities

Group chat is a system in the game where multiple friends can group up and chat using a homogeneous chat channel. Group chat channels can generally be open chat, following which no restrictions apply; however, some might be node, region, etc. administered channels, following which if they join by invitation from these specifically authorized clients, they can be allowed to send and receive messages. Moderators can be appointed and given specific administrative rights; open chat channels may also not be there, following which all players are moderators authorized through a game setting options. These players added to a group chat can be in the friend or friend list refugees list. Invitees can be accepted or rejected, and their lists can be seen. The channel can be joined by invitation; it generally costs a specific fee. A customized channel can also be named using this feature.

3.3.2 Group Chat

Friend lists are parts of the game where the gamer can add friends and communicate with them. The friends added can be seen online or offline, and messages can be directly received from the friend list, following which it provides complete access to the messaging history. Friends are generally added either via a unique ID provided for the game or through the game character name; no other personally identifiable information is exchanged between the users. It depends on the developer to reveal what is exchanged in the chat generally, and even the titles which might show or not. Since the developer is indirectly the system owner as well, server inferences are directly available from here, following which it is clear that no data retention and usage policy is in use by developers. There is an option to delete friends as well. The friend list can be accessed only in the game’s active session, and for this, a dedicated server may or may not be used. If the message is sent while the friend is offline, notifications to the friend need to be sent separately, and there is a server in use condition. In the friend list, the last online time can also be provided, and the user’s real-time status can be inferred overall.

3.3.1 Friend Lists

4. Benefits of Effective In-Game Communication

More specific information is provided regarding social interaction in online games and online game communication. In addition to the in-game functions provided to support social interaction, evaluating the effectiveness and lack points of these various systems prepares for the in-game communication tools that will be further enhanced. Finalizing the safety aspects of chat and record management functions and evaluating the content within the framework of the original game would be expectations of this study.

In online games, good communication can be a pain for players who want to have a good experience and a joy for those who want to conquer the enjoyment of the game with their friends. In most cases, it is difficult to enjoy communication because it is difficult to communicate properly with a person who communicates improperly or is inappropriately involved. In the course of this thesis, a detailed breakdown of the advanced game in-game parts is carried out, and the chat tool, which is the most frequently used communication tool, describes in detail the negative aspects that hinder communication in games and suggests an optimized chatting system to enhance positive aspects.

4.1. Enhanced Gameplay Experience

Existing research on this aspect is scarce and mainly focused on the concept of ‘emergent communication’ from some experimental approaches. This paper contributes to fill up this research gap by providing relevant feedback from a set of player interviews. The results show that the broadened notion encompasses not only self-interested strategic acts but also ones that are perceived of a general performance as a player or citizen of the gaming society.

The use of an in-game communication system enables players to feel closer to each other. This can be explained as a result of both the way messages resembling human interaction are transmitted and the shared gaming experiences. From the game theoretic perspective, it is through a shared history in gaming that players are able to understand each other and to engage in processes such as signaling their strategic intentions. Furthermore, the development of a player’s abilities depends on his interactions with other players since they can learn from the knowledge of their opponent and decide if they should imitate it or forget about it. And in the context of social networks, the number of members and their reputation is perceived as a proxy for the service quality, thus positively affecting other players’ propensity to join the group and game intensity.

4.2. Fostering Community and Social Interaction

Despite the preponderance of negative communication depicted in most studies, gamers play for extended periods of time in part because the game serves as a stage for social interaction, and the community matters to the gamer. And even though trash talking, racism, slander, and unsporting behavior are widely discussed issues within the community, many games do not experience that behavior as the majority of player-to-player communication during a game. Indeed, in certain games that belong to a male-dominated genre, many gamers enjoy the camaraderie with other players and welcome the chance to engage in the verbal aspect of the competition, hoping for a fun social atmosphere. Mellner has suggested that much of the player-to-player communication in these male-oriented games is of a «cooperative or supportive» nature, in that the positive communication between players centers around the shared interest in playing the game and the social value in participating in the game community as a permanent part of their absence from the single player realm. The company of others may be the main reason for playing games such as EverQuest.

5. Challenges and Limitations of In-Game Communication Systems

Also, basic game design principles such as consistency demand that in-game worlds be conceptually coherent, meaning the world must have semantic integrity where role-playing games must have archaic language or fantasy themes, and so forth. Chat messages are often inconsistent in these respects as they are spoken by the character but not always in character, and they contain words that will spoil illusion. Furthermore, chats can convey too much information; a good game also demands some obfuscation to introduce an element of chance and surprise and encourage the development of strategies. Participants have to lie or bluff for reasons which may not be immediately clear to all team members. Chats are subject to recording, while speech is not, neither is a whisper within direct hearing range of another team member. In the real world with speech, players within this area could overhear or deliberately eavesdrop on opponents. The portability of chatless complex systems presents an interesting user interface challenge, but the dichotomy of auditory and other objects appropriate to character action carries some inherent benefits.

From the perspective of chat system designers, a common concern about chat is its potential to be used by players for inappropriate or anti-social activities such as cheating, abuse, harassment, and so forth. Aspects relevant to this concern are the functions and expressive tools a chat system provides, and the membership system. For example, a simple membership system may attract solve interaction burglars in dull moments. On the gamers’ side, issues also include the ease with which the chatting function can be accessed and understood; e.g., we have found chat commands that are not accompanied by appropriate graphics very hard to convey to other players. While enabling chat functions is desirable, especially in a game with large virtual worlds, possibly multiplayer early online games masked the game control text, the private whisper and tell commands, and the ability to disable chat. Even more basic systems that provide significant downtime challenges can fail to engage players because of the effective absence of communication systems.

In-game communication systems, if implemented well, are an excellent means for players to ask for help, to build social networks, and to share and acquire information of mutual value. However, there are challenges in the design, implementation, and use of in-game communication systems. How can these communication systems be designed to meet players’ expectations and requirements and, at the same time, help minimize the risks of player misuse of the system?

5.1 Challenges and Limitations

5.1. Toxicity and Harassment

In the game community, harsh toxicity and harassment create a negative game environment, leading to excessive user stress and then a sharp decrease in user concentration and satisfaction. In particular, fierce harassment of tender-hearted users in stagnant or defeatist team-based online games can cause these users to become online game leavers and then create a team equilibrium problem. Accordingly, many game users leave the game to seek diverse and high-quality in-game communication systems offered by competing game products and services. Although the importance of developing an in-game communication system that provides high comfort to users is emphasized, the guideline to minimize the toxicity and harassment of the in-game communication system for safer game play has not been established.

When using in-game communication systems, a user may experience various harassment and bad behavior, ranging from inappropriate remarks that offend the user to intentional damage, without any rational reason. Online game users are subject to antisocial behavior such as account theft, sexual harassment, and discrimination in gender, race, or nationality, which violates the game rules and moral boundaries. In particular, such antisocial behavior is common when playing team-based online games together through an in-game communication system. When using an in-game communication system, players must engage with the game, deliver the most relevant information to the game, and ensure fair play. As a result, teammates often lose their temper and use in-game chat to provoke, curse, or harass their teammates.

5.2. Language and Cultural Barriers

It is argued in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), and it is generally accepted that to effectively learn a foreign language, there is no substitute for being in an environment that necessitates its use. It’s called a «language bath,» and it’s what makes living in a foreign country so effective. Even individuals with little or no experience who are put into this situation are forced to adapt and rapidly become more comfortable and capable in a short amount of time at a social or professional level. Providing an informal environment for students to practice their language skills is a huge problem. This will make virtual worlds such as Black Game that facilitate language learning and cultural interaction more popular in the future with professional institutions.

One of the main social barriers is language. A variety of people from different countries with different native languages attempt to communicate during virtual play games. This specific kind of interaction is easiest with a common spoken language. Spoken language is natural and familiar, and it is used to both express one’s thoughts and emotions, and gain insights and feedback. In written correspondence, as well as correspondence through instant messaging and email, the writer can plan his or her message, and the reader can read at their own pace. This is argued to be more impersonal, as it lacks those minor errors and less formal facial expressions people do.

6. Best Practices for Utilizing In-Game Communication Systems

The data were analyzed using the QGIS software and Excel program. Participants found many problems with the communication tools built across almost all types of networked or internet-based commercial games.

The questionnaire consists of 2 sections and 5 open-ended questions. The first section contains 20 questions, with a maximum of 3 options each, about basic demographic information, online game communication usage habits, and technology usage statuses. The second section asks 5 open-ended subjective questions to the participants who are the study group, seeking their suggestions and opinions. They are offered a platform to express their personal thoughts and experiences.

A study was carried out, and a survey was applied to players who match the related search criteria during a period of about 2 months, which consists of this study’s participants. Self-administered in-game questions were asked about inventory items and services that have denomination values of about $10 to $12,600. Item orders with a total monetary value of $7.12 were placed from the service provider’s webpage.

This study aims to determine the disadvantages of players disabling the in-game communication tools purposely to stop abuse, threats, and harassment activities conducted via the in-game communication systems, as well as its effects on the use of the game and the enjoyment of the player.

The purpose of the communication tools that are included as communication channels (text, audio, and video chat, emoticons, image copy/paste, quick chat, please be quiet, and other) in the network communication infrastructure that is used by players while playing network or internet-based games is to enable a better gaming experience and meaningful social interaction among players. However, these tools can be abused by some players for various reasons, leading to contra-advertising activities and even the sale of in-game situations.

6.1. Establishing Clear Communication Guidelines

Miscommunication issues generally fall into six main categories: game information, announcement, rules, unifying language, conversation without the expected distinction, and dishonesty. Knowing and considering the possible interaction between these communication problems is important in order to improve players’ ability to communicate effectively with one another. In order to minimize the occurrence and impact of communication problems, the black games’ designers should be able to detect as many problems as possible. But how can these be addressed in this new game style? The earliest step is to assure a level of respect with a foundation of clear communication between players.

Whether they know each other in «real life» or not, the verbal communication choices made by game players in game situations are often affected by their prior experiences and special relationships with the other players. Since players generally enjoy the feeling of interacting with other players, tensions of various kinds may come up among them. They may spoil their attitudes and feelings of joy about the game as a result of hearing things they do not want to hear or by understanding things they do not expect. In order to avoid or relieve such problems, it is most essential for players, especially in the «black games» community, to communicate honestly and completely in a constructive way with other players. Constructive communication of this kind allows a form of personal approach aiming for better gameplay experiences for players.

6.2. Encouraging Positive Communication Behaviors

The situation of issuing a timed event warning has clear disadvantages when the player uses harassment, interrupting dialogue because they consider it a waste of time. Such harassment can take the form of quick repetition of warnings or taunts such as «Hurry up, noob!» If you issue a command with a predetermined interaction time, the client is exempt from inciting harassment, as the server’s command implies a character reaction. Setting a time clock arrangement provides emergency service for players who want to provoke a good response by simply doing nothing and hoping to be rushed. A situation in which the interaction time value is transparent, even more so about the actual duration remaining unknown to players. However, the player knows the duration of a timed event, so we will not tolerate any attempts to delay or hurry up.

Respond quickly to user actions. If other users are dependent on your client’s actions, encourage fast action and quick decision making. Constantly remind your player that the opponent is waiting for their turn. Also, be aware of how quickly you are actually taking your turn, so hurry up! The fact that you control your interaction time can lead to quick responses. At the same time, it also serves as a warning that slow reactions can give the opponent a speed advantage, so be sure to act quickly.

7. Case Studies of Successful In-Game Communication Implementations

7.1. Fortnite’s Communication System

8. Future Trends and Innovations in In-Game Communication Systems

A lot of research is being carried out on how motion-sensing devices can provide intuitive, more natural means of communicating inside a virtual world. The inclusion of these devices might be considered a leap in the way we interact with a computer system but means no more than that in the specific field of in-game communication. This kind of interaction is applicable not only to multi-user 3D computer games, but also to applications that are being developed, such as virtual reality therapy, training and learning by simulation, etc.

In this chapter, we identify several potential future trends and innovations that may become reality in the in-game communication arena. Given the fast evolution of multiplayer gaming, and in order to avoid focus dilution, we decided to omit from our study some fields that we consider to be special areas by themselves, such as motion-based interaction.

8.1. Integration of AI for Automated Communication Moderation

In this initial iteration, the chat moderation uses pattern matching and does not use much of the Black Game coverage as chat logs do not have directly associated coordinates in Black Game. Since content coming from newly supported games from the Black Game service is always available with close to full spatial context, additional layers of sophistication are possible when these specific packages are utilized. By and large, many games use their own text parser and ignore all text from Black Game, never referring to the same concepts between their game world and the game’s Black Game coverage. Since these parsers throw away large parts of the spatial context, Black Game integration would make little difference using this interface alone.

With millions of players connecting to play every day and hours of game lore to be absorbed, moderating and censoring in-game communication in online games can be a taxing task. This is particularly an issue in open world and wide open game environments because the sheer amount of content produced is magnitudes more than lobby-based and MMOGs with a game world further broken down into instanced player areas. Problems that arise with user communication in online games include chatting restrictions on users, lack of voice-enabled chat systems, and unreadable chat because of filtering systems that are too aggressive. In this chapter, we discuss the API to the Black Game system that was designed to help process, filter, and control user in-game communication.