Video Game Voice Over

Video game voice over has significantly impacted entertainment over the last 40 years, and it adds a new dynamic to the realm of on-screen pleasure you can experience. With many different genres from many game developers, the video game industry produces tens of billions every year. 

From a performance perspective, video games allow a voice actor to combine many different performance elements into one art piece. For example, actors generally are much more exaggerated in theatre than on screen. A video game calls for a higher level of performance in many scenarios but also demands strong discipline with microphone techniques. 

The exciting thing about video games is that it is not just a voice performance. With motion capture becoming more and more popular, we find that delivering a performance in video games requires versatile experience. Often, a voice over artist will record a video game performance in a selected studio or a home studio. This is especially true with the more prominent companies. These sessions will range in length, but the performance element is the same. The performer must have the technical skills to immerse themselves in character and ensure the audio does not peak. 

Performance and motion capture requires an entirely different performance style. Though the actor will still need to immerse themselves in character, the performance space in mocap is called a volume as opposed to the usual voice over recording studio. A volume is a recording space set up with many cameras which detect an actor’s movement. Unlike a TV and film, which pick up the person, the cameras used in motion capture detect movement and convert it into an animated character. 

A performer can deliver just the movements, which is called motion capture. Or, they can provide an additional element like voicing the character; this is called performance capture. If one actor delivers every character element, including facial recognition, this is called full performance capture. Of course, not all video games have performance capture elements, and there are so many different types of video games that all require something different. 

Racing video games, for example, require more attention to current trends with car companies. The games give the driver a realistic delivery of what the real-life car counterpart can offer. On the other hand, first-player shooters require a more historical element to recreate the past accurately. The detail must be perfect for making the player feel what the period was actually like. Then we have fantasy games which differ again. 

It is safe to summarise that the genres and types of video games offer players a range of different experiences. From the performer’s perspective, they enter the game at a critical point. So much time, effort, and money go into a game to ensure its content, controls, graphics, and music are perfect. A video game voice performer has to work at the same grand level to compliment the beautiful music and magnificent graphics. 

All the elements in a video game create an immersive, unique, and powerful experience for the player. Modern-day graphics in a video game are beautiful and realistic, so it is essential to have voice over that matches that level of dedication. Like a film, tv series, or even a good book, a video game can have countless side stories, sequels, and prequels. Additional content and features like extra characters provide a rich supply of ongoing opportunities for video game voice over artists. If you are working on a video game project, call Alan for an audition!