Please don’t flirt with GTA Online exotic dancers

We can hear you

So here’s a little pro tip for playing Grand Theft Auto Online: Don’t have a microphone connected to your console if you decide to test out your sweet talk on the virtual strippers. This (somewhat disturbing) video features a player who makes a wide assortment of grunts and moans, flirtatious compliments and just a hint of overt degradation, with everyone else in the game session laughing at the absurdity.

Even if it were a troll, that the player was well aware of what he was doing and just trying to get a laugh, this is some pretty sad stuff. It’s also connected to an issue which has kept me from participating in Grand Theft Auto Online: the open session chat system which is enabled automatically on launch of the mode. Once I realized I may have to mute players on a regular basis, I was out. Hell, once I knew my PS Eye camera was automatically connecting its microphone to the game, I unplugged it out of respect for other players who might not want to hear my frustrated mutterings.

It’s totally cool that people want to be able to chat across the game session. Designers could probably stand to consider that there are those of us who have absolutely no interest whatsoever in listening to the inane, often bigoted, comments from players and make it an opt-in feature. And this, right here, makes a strong case.