Even with a small game development team, there are many different roles to fill. It’s easy for us, as players, to forget that. We can take issue with or enjoy things like sound design, visuals, or individual characters, but it’s rare for us to know the names of the folks behind those things. Even when you don’t know the names, you definitely know the characters and games. That speaks to the importance of the work these actors do. Recently, BAFTA Guru shared a compilation video featuring several voice actors talking about video game voice acting, specifically: Ashly Burch (Life is Strange, Horizon Zero Dawn), Nolan North (Uncharted), Cissy Jones (Firewatch, The Walking Dead), Valerie Rose Lohman (What Remains of Edith Finch) and Abubakar Salim (Assassin’s Creed). Note: these actors have appeared in many games, but the ones listed are among the most notable performances.
The commentary from the voice actors starts with the basics and describes the ways that video game voice acting is set-up. While some games use motion capture for things like cut scenes, other times the actor is isolated in the booth. On that note, one of the biggest skills a video game voice actor can have is the ability to cold read. Often times, an actor doesn’t have a script before hand, doesn’t know what character they would be playing, and doesn’t know what game you’re in. An actor has to know how to embrace those situations. Each of the actors spends ti...