There used to be a time when voice acting was only something in cartoons and movies. Video game characters didn’t have voices-they had text. It was up to the gamer to hear the character’s voice in their minds. Remember when Sonic didn’t talk? The Final Fantasy characters were silent. “Do a barrel roll!†wasn’t spoken, but instead followed with strange garbled noises. Giving voice to video game characters was inevitable though. Sonic talks now. The Final Fantasy characters seem more like movie actors. “Do a barrel roll!†is one of the most well-known video game catch phases (even if you’ve never played Star Fox).
Currently video game acting is becoming a stable, well established trade. Most video game developers take voices seriously. A game doesn’t seem complete without voices now. It’s important to have solid, first-rate acting to support a game. It doesn’t seem plausible to return to characters speaking with just text. Video game acting should be just as significant as graphics, story, and gameplay mechanics.
In order to appreciate and recognize the magnitude of good voice acting, it’s vital to look at the bad and the ugly of voice acting first. I don’t think there is a gamer out there that hasn’t cringed at their screen a few times when an actor fails. Bad voice acting can really shatter the magic of a game. When I started my research for horrendous video game voice acting though, I couldn’t believe just how powerful that shattering could be. While listening to Youtube clips I had to step away from the computer, both from fits of laughter and bouts of anger. (more…)
