Friday, November 28, 2014
5 Tips for Voice Acting in Video Games
Backstage: Video games have morphed from quarter-eating arcade challenges with simple graphics and sound to sprawling, multivolume epics. The video game retail market was worth $790.7 million in the month of October alone—that’s more than twice what “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the recent box office champion, grossed domestically in all of 2014. As the art and storytelling attributes of video games have improved, the need for quality actors has increased.
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13 comments:
Being a huge video game enthusiast, and someone who has always wanted to do voice acting, I find this article pretty insightful and informing. It is definitely true that video games have come a long way, and the performances that they deliver are something definitely worth note. A lot of the games that I play have really long, in-depth stories and it draws the player in when the characters in the game are relatable and diverse, and a good voice actor can do just that. It is so important for a performance from a voice actor to be delivered just right, because I have had games before that I found "not fun" or unplayable because the characters were not pleasant to listen to or relate to.
This is pretty interesting. I, like Nick, am also very into videogames, and I find that the voice acting in video games does a lot to help the game. When the voices are done well, not only does it effect the characterization, but also sets the mood of the universe, helps define the setting, and illicit emotions from the player. As humans, we read a lot from aural cues and so good voice acting in video games does a lot to set them apart from games where not as much thought was given to the voices.
I have always wondered why some video games have the worst voice acting that I have ever heard, and now I know why. Getting down all those lines in two tries must be extremely hard. But when the actors do get it right, it does make the game that much better. That is why I particularly enjoy Tomb Raider games. They spend the time to not only make the story line interesting, but they cast actors well so that it isn't cheesy.
The world of video games is vastly underrated on such a large scale. So many years of work go into any one video game that it's amazing to me when I find out that there's even MORE that I didn't think of. It's truly such a work of art in each game. Layers and layers and layers of artwork go into each individual frame. Artists have built a whole world for you to explore as you please, so really, it makes so much sense that this would be part of it. I thought the voices would have been chosen or created with a computer as well, and there aren't many video games that I can think of where a speaking voice is particularly poignant in the game. But when I think about games like Portal, I realize how important voice acting and that personality is to the gameplay. Also games like Borderlands, where the characters you meet are so emotionally effective because of what they sound like. Thanks for the enlightenment, Green Page.
I love seeing and learning about what goes on behind the stuff i enjoy and how it came to be. Usually I learn about how a film was made or how this was done back stage for theatre. Not often do I get to learn about the video game industry. the only things i know about it is because I talked to Travis Willingham because he was a student at TCU while my mom was teaching there and she was one of his teachers. He is now a video game voice actor among other things and this made me think of him. On another note it's crazy to think how much a character's voice affects a game experience. I remember the voices were so annoying on a game one time I decided to turn them off in settings and listen to trees rustling until I beat it. in reverse if the characters voice is spot on and the story is compelling it can really suck a player in and immerse them into that world.
I had no idea video game voice actors do the entire game's lines in only two takes. In many ways that's extremely impressive, especially since the entire script is essentially a cold reading that I'm sure has gaps in between. That combined with the restrictive nature of a recording studio, helps me understand why many video game voice actors are used in multiple games, and why they form their own special breed of voice actors. I can't imagine having to create a conducive character solely using my voice, after only looking over the lines briefly. It really is a remarkable feat and should be applauded when done as well as it is in a lot of newer games like Bioshock, where the voices are key to telling a larger narrative. Personally I think the idea of utilizing motion capturing technology seems like the most promising way to bring more talent into this growing entertainment industry.
While I didn't actually see any tips within the article, I love that it's shedding light on the detailed intricacies of the video game developing world. I feel like video games are truly becoming their own art form and the fact that players have begun to listen to voice acting is just further evidence of my theory. Video games are becoming similar to movies, however more in depth. While movies give audience members a voyeuristic view on a story while traveling with the action, video games actually put you into the story and you become connected to the characters. I'm anxious to see where the world of video games takes us.
People do not often think of video games when they think of voiceovers. They usually think about animated movies or TV shows. Video game voiceover is very different because the voiceovers could be used for many different things in the video games and the characters might say something different depending on what button is pushed. I think the idea of tracking the actor’s movement in addition to their voice is a very good and realistic idea. If it is an action game, the player may be out of breath or seem like they are struggling with something. That needs to come across in their voice, which is very difficult if the actor is just in a recording booth speaking. An actor may sound different when they are moving and doing the action in the game. The actor will also be more a part of the character if their body movements are used in the development of the character.
Although I don't have the opportunity all the time to play videogames, I definitely love when I can. The voice acting is vital to the game, especially as more and more of them have stories to go with them too. Like Nick, the games I enjoy have long and detailed stories that draw in the players. As such, the voice acting is critical since the voice actor can make or break a game even if the game play is outstanding. The things the article brings up, especially the subtle movements people make when speaking, that is something I don't think people normally think of.
I used to read many articles and stories about voice acting in Televisions, Games, Animations in Japan. They actually take it REALLY seriously. There have auditions, training,they are special rooms for the actors, silent room, hundreds of meetings before they start recording.And it takes a a huge amount of time to work, select, process, arrange, before finalizes it and came out a finished product. I've been wondering why but it starts to make more sense as I grew up. Video games are not just a thing people spend their free time with, it's a piece of art. It teaches, advise, it is one therapeutic ways for people of the new generation, it's a lot. Games nowadays became like a movie, a story, a journey. It takes time and effort and money to research, build, and refine the product. Reading this I can see it can be another great challenge for actors, a great opportunity to learn and gain acting experiences from.
I find this article to be very interesting. One of my favorite things to look at in video games is their sound design. Specifically the voice work. I think it is particularly cool to see how this has changed over the years. I remember playing one of my favorite baseball games as a kid, Slugfest 2003, the announcers said the same things over and over again. Now when I'm playing a sports game it almost feels like the announcers are actually announcing the game live. In games with more of a story it is cool to see how much effort was put into making the video sequences that tie the gameplay together. I can see how this could be very difficult for an actor to get into.
The last line of this article is a no-brainer. Anything that you go out for, you should do a little research on before hand. You don't walk into an audition for "Wicked" to be cast as Galinda as a guy (unless they are planning to make a spoof). No, you need to know what they are looking for. This is a real job, not just a side job in order to make some money. This is a serious venue for performance that not a lot of people pay attention to. I'm not at all surprised about the fact that video games have made more money than a single movie in a month. That makes total sense to me. There are millions of people that will buy video games and sit in front of a TV while never once stepping a foot inside a theatre (I note most of my friends here). There is also a lot of cross over between this and other forms. A lot of movies are getting voiced over now because the quality is better. As an actor, you have to speak it the same way, the exact same way, each time so that they voice will match the mouth movements. Animation is also a huge market for voice acting, especially re-dubs of previously published material. Dubbing a cartoon that wasn't based on you is rough. You have to make sure that the words you are saying fit exactly into the mouth that is already present. You don't get to have the character move the way that you do. That's not how it works there. That is a luxury.
I had absolutely no idea that the process for voice acting in video games was so brief. I had always thought you would get the same prep time you would for any other gig - at least a few weeks. The idea that Video Game voiceovers are essentially cold reads is more than a little bit intimidating, especially since video game voice acting is something I am tremendously interested in. That said, it intrigues me even more so now. I've always been up for a challenge, and this is certainly a challenge. If you're only doing two takes with a cold read, those two takes had better be freaking incredible.
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