Expand Your Voice Over Job Opportunities with Video Game Voice Acting

 

The demand for voice talent has not let up. In fact, there has been an upswing in both union and nonunion opportunities. While there are many types of voice over jobs that are available based on your skills, there is one very large area that you may want to consider.


One of the largest sectors of the voice over acting industry is video game voice overs. Video games are a huge aspect in our culture. There are 2 billion gamers and the industry value of the market is continuously growing and is expected to hit $180 billion in the next year, especially since the pandemic and more people are at home. The skills that are in video game voice acting are similar to other jobs, and they are in high demand.

Video Game Franchises

The most popular video games are their own franchises and have production budgets, crews, and global audiences. The developers are constantly in search of diverse and skilled voice over actors that can perform an assortment of roles. It is essential for the creators to find the best voice over talent to bring the characters and stories to life.

Voice Over Types in Games

There are two primary categories of video game voice overs; video game voice actors and video game narrators.

Video game voice actors are needed for role-playing games. These feature thousands of lines of dialogue that require dynamic deliveries. Many of the phrases and lines are recorded in a variety of tones and attitudes that matches the player’s experience. While it is the same phrase with the change in tone it takes on a new meaning. This is why having a trained voice over actor is so important. It makes the game content. In this context it is similar to audiobook narration and animated movies.

Video game narrators are a major role in the game. Narration takes place when instructing the player on how to play the game and inform gamers of their progress within the games. Narrators also connect crucial aspects of the game to the storyline such as new characters, antagonists, settings, and more.

Why Book These Jobs

The diverse content on video games allows for you to further develop your voice acting skills. You will be representing diverse characters with unique personalities. It gives you an experience that can further your voice over acting career in a variety of industries.

The video game industry is only growing, so the opportunities are there to book jobs.

Finding the Voice Over Jobs

Just like looking for other types of voice over jobs, finding gaming jobs is fairly easy. Online voice over marketplaces will have postings as the jobs are available.

The video game industry is looking for unique voices, and voice over actors understand this. They want voices to be distinct and recognizable for the branding of the game. The best way to do this is to prepare before the read or sending over the audio of your audition. While it may not be a genre of work that you have considered it can produce some new skills while utilizing skills that you already have and create a new stream of jobs for you to work on.

5 Ways to Improve as a Voice Over Talent

 

The goal of any voice over talent should be to continuously work on their craft. Some people are born with a magnificent voice, however, all voice over talent work hard to train their voice to sound better. There is always room to improve and learn so that you are booking the jobs that you really want to have a successful career. Let’s look at the 5 ways you can improve as a voice over talent.


Take Care of Your Voice

The first step in improving is to care for your voice. In order to have the best performance, you need to loosen up the cords and get yourself ready. Incorporate vocal warm-ups as part of your morning routine. With only 10-20 minutes you can wake up your range and be ready to perform. Warming up can also help minimize the occurrence of mistakes, mouth noise, and voice cracks.

Understand Your Voice

Voice acting is a skill. In the past, voiceovers were all about having that “announcer” style, a deep booming voice with a consistent tone and enunciation. That is not so common anymore, a wide variety of styles are now being used. Voice overs now seemed to be more relaxed and conversational in style and tone.

The one thing that has not changed is the importance of speaking clearly and with vocal presence. Be sure that for any style of work that you are performing to the best of your ability. Understanding your individual style and tone will help you decide the best type of jobs you are suited for.

Learn the Material

Some jobs are very specific, and others give room for flexibility. In either case, you should know the material extremely well. The better you know it, the better you can deliver it. Just like an actor who's been over and over his/her lines until they feel second nature.

Once you have read it a few times test out different styles when practicing. This is an excellent way to train your voice. By testing out other styles, you may find that certain words or phrases sound better in one of the reads. Ultimately, it gives you a better read and performance for the client. It also gives you the voice over talent, the opportunity to learn new voiceover tricks.

Equipment Other Than Your Voice

There is more to selling your voice as talent in this business, it is also about editing and technical skills as well. It is crucial to know how your equipment works and be comfortable using it, while investing in a few quality pieces. Star by investing in a quality microphone/preamp/interface and good audio software.

The basic skills that you should understand are how to record, mix, and edit your audio. This will set you apart from the competition, as many voice over actors focus on their voices, not all can put together their own audio. With the movement to working from home studios, now, having the skills to produce your own audio makes the turn around time faster. It also means that you can market yourself as being a one-stop shop.

Learn from Others

Finally, listen to other voices as much as possible. In addition to coaching, this is a skill that can help train your voice. Learn from successful voice over talent and from your competition. You can find out what it was that landed them the gigs that you would have liked for yourself. DO they emphasize certain parts of the script differently. What type of tone do they use? There are multiple places that you can do the research and learn from. Even the best voice over talent learns from coaches, colleagues, and others to improve and continue training in order to improve themselves and be better at their job.