The video games’ industry has earned more revenue than the movie and music industries combined, every year for the past eight years.
These incredible numbers filter down to our industry in the form of work for our many talented artists – sneak a peak at Dan Fraser’s work as the Warlock master in the latest Warhammer blockbuster, ‘The Prophet and the Warlock’, here.
There are ever more large scale projects like this one, where up to 60 artists may be used for a single game, but, whilst these opportunities
are increasing in number, so too are the plethora of competing artists that are after the gigs
So… what makes a good Games VO artist and how do you become one of them?
Well – the 1st not so secret ‘secret’ is of course, being hardworking with a love for the craft. It also helps a lot to know the industry – we reckon the guys and girls who are most often repeat hires for our clients in gaming have a background of growing up playing them; this gives them an insight into what they’ve seen/heard in the past that they enjoyed. So, if you haven’t sat down for a good gaming session recently – do it and call it research!The lesser known secret is how many roles the same voice over artist often plays within the same game. So here is where the real tips lie – work on your ranges, your accents, and your different characters you can play – Perhaps the most comment character that is requested is the leading ‘hero-warrior’ voice – so daub on your blue warpaint and pull out your best Braveheart impression.
Also, the bigger parts can take a while – Red Dead redemptions gameplay can last up to 50 hrs – that’s a lot of lines for the lead – so expect to be ion the booth for quite a few hours on the trot and with that, make sure you warm up your voice and have some strategy to keep your voice fresh. Unsurprisingly there can be a lot of action, high intensity shouting and screaming (games have got to be exciting right…) so this can be a tricky thing to keep on top of.
Lastly, with many plots more complex than Game of Thrones, Voice Actors often need to be able to dial up their dramatic skills – make sure you’ve got your skills tuned in before you head into an audition…
About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.
