Video Games And UK Voiceover Talent
It was once considered a bit of a dirty job, providing voiceovers for video games, but in our increasingly digital lives, the opportunities and challenges of acting in the latest video games are changing the industry. Voice over studios in London examines the growth of talent moving between stage, screen, and games.
Not too long ago, you wouldn’t have expected a ‘serious’ film, TV, and stage actor to be spending their time on computer games, and neither would it be expected that a regular video game voiceover talent would break in to live action roles. But at last, these barriers are being broken.
It’s perhaps that now we have generations of actors having grown up with video games, and are more appreciative of the visual storytelling involved in the medium. Game stories are getting deeper and with more realistic graphics, and as likely to evoke emotion as the latest west end productions. It has become an arena where voice talent and storytellers are collaborating.
Video games have their own BAFTA categories, and award wining studios such as Romero Games who won in 2019 with God Of War, are leading the effort to attract more talent to the medium. Crossover between screen and games are becoming increasingly common, with the likes of Keanu Reeves in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game, and The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus in the recent Death Stranding, along with Madds Mickelson and Léa Seydoux.
As for our UK talent, we need look no further than Game Of Thrones star, Kit Harrington as a prime example. Branching out after the hit fantasy series, he’ll be on the big screen soon in Marvel’s Eternals, he’s an accomplished voiceover actor in the How To Train Your Dragon series, won rave reviews on the stage in True West, and has his voice and likeness used in the Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare games.
Another actor who has an open mind when it comes to keeping her options open is Hayley Atwell, who shot to fame in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger as Agent Peggy Carter, which spawned her own TV series. She has been involved with video games such as Lego Marvel’s Avengers, one of the only stars to lend her voice to the game. She has also been on the west end stage in Rosmersholm, in streaming only Netflix series Criminal, and her show stopping appearance in Avengers: Endgame.
If there are lessons to be learned in hopping between acting mediums, live action work, and voiceovers for video games and animation, it’s that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and can now only mark a talent as being increasingly versatile.
With video games, it has become easier for voice actors to try their hands at roles they wouldn’t necessarily be appropriate for in live action. Mark Hamil, who rose to fame playing innocent farmhand Luke Skywalker, is also famed for voicing DC’s Joker character in varied animations, turning in a creepy, shiver inducing performance.
If you’re seeking a voiceover studio for your video game release, or for any reason, then get in touch today with our voice over studios and agency in London.
