Word Play: A History of Voice Interaction in Digital Games

Abstract

The use of voice interaction in digital games has a long and varied history of experimentation but has never achieved sustained, widespread success. In this article, we review the history of voice interaction in digital games from a media archaeology perspective. Through detailed examination of publicly available information, we have identified and classified all games that feature some form of voice interaction and have received a public release. Our analysis shows that the use of voice interaction in digital games has followed a tidal pattern: rising and falling in seven distinct phases in response to new platforms and enabling technologies. We note characteristic differences in the way Ja..