Voice over IP is a common feature of most, if not all multiplayer games. Some games choose to limit who can hear in-game chatter, keeping team chat streams separate from one another. In an open-world online game like GTA Online, however, there aren’t any teams, so the in-game chat can be heard by anyone who’s logged into that particular session. This means unless fellow GTA Online players are actively muting their counterparts, they can hear all of the verbal diarrhea being spewed. This, unfortunately, includes poor attempts to flirt with virtual strippers who appear in the game.

As you can see in the lead video, such attempts at flirtation can lead to funny and embarrassing results. Who knows? Maybe the guy being recorded was only goofing off, but the end result is pretty cringe-worthy. Again, this might be the intended reaction by the lady’s man being recorded; but if it’s not, then the awkward level increases exponentially.

With that in mind, what did we learn from this little public service announcement? Everyone in your GTA Online session can hear what you say, unless they’ve muted you. Granted, such a feature only invites the trolls to come out, but that’s why Rockstar was kind enough to include the mute option. Of course, some players would like to do away with the default open mic status, but I’m not sure how realistic that is. Rockstar has already patched GTA Online a few times, and the open mic status remains. This means player awareness is important. When playing, keep in mind that if your mic–or PS Eye camera is on–everyone who logged in the same game can hear everything you’re saying.

Tread appropriately.

[Lead image via Rockstar]