Let’s get straight to it: more games need a ping system like Apex Legends. It’s 2025. There’s no excuse left. And yet, developers keep pumping out multiplayer games where voice chat is basically mandatory — and it’s a f***ing joke at this point.
Voice comms are trash. You jump into a match, ready to coordinate like a pro, and what do you get instead? Some dude mouth-breathing like he’s summoning a demon through a $10 broken headset. Another guy arguing with his parents. Someone else live-streaming their Doritos chewing session right into your ear drums.
Helpful? Nope. Annoying? Every damn time.
But it’s not just that voice chat is an unbearable mess — it’s that it excludes people. And that’s where I take this personally.
See, I’ve been a no-mic streamer for more than six years. I deal with personal anxiety and speech issues. I talk too fast when I’m nervous. I have a minor language impediment — I literally can’t pronounce “R” properly — and yeah, that’s something people love to point out like they’re comedians. Voice chat? It’s never been a “fun feature” for me. It’s a wall. It’s a constant reminder that the way I communicate isn’t “good enough” for online games.
And I’m not alone. Some people are muted. Some have speech disabilities. Some suffer from social anxiety. Some just don’t want to put up with being judged, mocked, or harassed because of how they sound.
When you force voice comms as the only real way to coordinate, you’re not just making the game annoying — you’re telling all of us that we don’t belong.
Accessibility f*ing matters.**
This is why Apex Legends got it right years ago. Their ping system is a godsend:
- Enemy here? Ping.
- Go here? Ping.
- Need loot? Ping.
- Thanks? Ping.
It’s fast, it’s clean, and it lets everyone communicate — no mic, no judgment, no excuses.
Meanwhile, let’s look at the hall of shame:
- Escape from Tarkov — Nope, you better voice comm or die.
- DayZ — Hope you enjoy random weirdos ASMR-ing in proximity chat.
- Overwatch 2 — “Good luck!” if you don’t voice — even with pings, the system feels slapped on, not serious.
These are massive, serious multiplayer games, and they’re still stuck acting like it’s 2005 on Xbox Live. No robust ping system = no serious excuse. Period.
It’s not optional anymore.
If your multiplayer game in 2025 doesn’t have a full-featured, smart ping system, you’re not just behind — you’re actively telling people with disabilities, anxiety, speech issues, or even basic human decency that they aren’t welcome.
And that’s a bad f***ing look. Devs: fix it. Yesterday.