Online gaming really hit the big time with mainstream audiences when the last generation of consoles was released 8 years ago. Since then there has been a plethora of games released for the online multiplayer market dominated by the likes of the Battlefield, Halo and Call of Duty franchises. Whilst these games are the best at what they do, their formats are beginning to become stale. New weapons, new vehicles, new maps, new game types are all designed to refresh each new title, however they all essentially play the same way as they always have done. When I sit down for a multiplayer session, the least I can hope for is a mildly entertaining break from reality for an hour. When I'm finished I wont begrudge the hour of my life spent playing, although it was ultimately unsatisfying. Just occasionally I will be playing and Ill hear some chatter over my headset. 'Whats that?' I think to myself. 'Hello?' I call out, a pathetic, hopeful octave higher than usual. 'Hello?' It just might be that I've found that rare beast. A player, or dare I say it, a whole team of players, real human beings, who want to play the game the way it was meant to be played. With a mic. For me this is the holy grail of multiplayer gaming. When you triumph due to team work it can be so much more satisfying than going it alone. When you shoot down the child prodigy with the lightning quick trigger finger (the one whose mum keeps telling him he really needs to get a girlfriend) due to a well planned ambush, theres a sense of achievement. Youve participated in what puts mankind above all other species, the ability to communicate and think above the level of pure instinct alone. After all, why bother playing the part of an elite US Marine if youre going to charge around like a maniac with a paintball gun and a twitch? The Left 4 Dead games have come as close as any to making a game which demands that a microphone is used (certainly on the harder difficulty settings). If you are very lucky you will find a game populated by three other mic wielding zombie slayers. When played in this way you have a tense, action packed game which encourages you to adapt your strategies and tactics on the fly, to work together towards an otherwise unobtainable goal. Played without microphones, this game is a horror show. Its slow, its frustrating and on harder settings it is virtually impossible to complete successfully. Why then do some people insist on playing multiplayer games but ignoring the fact that theyre designed to be team based? The games industry cant be entirely to blame for the lack of emphasis on teamwork and more specifically the use of a mic. There needs to be a demand for it and there is. The problem is that people suffer from a well if hes not using his, then whats the point in using mine mentality and before you know it nobody is using their mic. You only have to look at forums to see thousands of complaints about the lack of mic users on multiplayer orientated games. Game developers will throw resources at improving whichever area of a game will help them sell it. At the moment its graphics, in-game rewards, collectibles, new weapons etc. The list goes on. How much better do the graphics of Call of Duty need to look before we decide that enough is enough? How many different outfits does a soldier really need? Does it matter if your gun is grey or pink? The possibilities for multiplayer, cooperative online gaming are boundless but as of yet unexplored. Its fine if you want to put your latest character in an SS uniform with a sombrero or if kids want to cause mayhem, mash the buttons or play music down their headsets but the gaming community is maturing and with it there will eventually be a re-think of what it is that people want. There will always be some people who dont want to use a mic for various legitimate reasons and there will be some people who will use it just to spoil others enjoyment. I would personally like to see a developer brave enough to introduce a game which gives you the option of a micd (one day I hope to make this will be an accepted use of grammar) game or a mic free game. A peer review system would give the community the power to single out those who use a mic only for spoiling thus removing many peoples reason for not using the mic in the first place. I believe that playing online multiplayer games with a mic is the most enjoyable way to play a game and is the key to longevity in a crowded market. The consumer market for games is maturing. I'm now in my late twenties and represent the second wave of adult gamers. Until the start of this century, games were played mostly by children and teenagers. In the last fifteen years those children have grown up. Those children are now adults with jobs and mortgages and children of their own. If you speak to most people over the age of 40, they will probably have played Super Mario at some point, they may well know somebody with a PS3, an XBOX, they may even own a Wii but theyre not gamers. They dont get home from work, kick off their shoes and spend 2 hours shooting at strangers in their living room. In ten years time, today's 30 year old's will be 40 and many of them will player computer games. People like me. The average age of the gamer will rise and with it shall come the rise of the microphone. So dig out your microphones, blow off the cobwebs and plug them in for the beginning of the revolution.