Voice acting has been a more essential aspect of game creation in recent years, raising many games to really unforgettable experiences. From the outside, voice acting may appear to be an ideal career, allowing you to be your boss and work on a range of fascinating projects. However, while many voice performers like their profession, the reality is a little less glamorous.

“At the end of the day, this is still a business. You spend a lot of time emailing clients, updating profiles on various networks, updating your website, invoicing, promoting — there are so many aspects to this profession. I spend a lot of time at my desk.”

“It’s still a company at the end of the day. You spend a lot of time emailing back and forth with clients, updating profiles on various platforms, updating your website, billing, promoting, and so on. I spend a significant amount of time at my desk.”

Actors for video games work from their homes or in recording facilities alongside voice directors and game developers to bring interactive storylines to life. Before providing high-quality performances throughout extended recording sessions, you’ll need to locate jobs through auditions and outreach. For those working from home studios, voice acting is a highly collaborative process that may need a rudimentary understanding of sound editing and sound engineering.

Smith typically concentrates on video games, with sessions lasting about two hours. One of these sessions every few days will pay for the remainder of the week, which she spends prospecting for new leads and sending out about ten auditions each day.

“You’re always asking yourself, “What’s my next lead?” What is the date of my next employment interview? What’s the date of my next audition?” According to Ashe Thurman, a voice actor and director located in the United States who runs Pixels and Pins Studios,

Thurman has appeared in games such as Paladins, My Time at Portia, and Paranormal Files: The Tall Man. He studied computer science and mechanical and electronic design at university. “The job of a voice actor is seeking for employment: completing the task is merely gravy,” they quip.

Our respondents indicate that the day-to-day experience for UK-based voice-over artists is a little different since they bookwork based on their samples rather than auditions. Additionally, while the use of home studios has risen as a result of the epidemic, voice actors in the UK may not always work from them.

Voice-over artists can work in several genres, including commercial and corporate work, audiobook narration, e-learning initiatives, and voice acting for cartoons, anime, and video games. Still, if you’re interested in bringing gaming characters to life, we’ll go into the details to see what it takes.

Experience to Become Voice Actor:

“Start with training if you want to work in voice-over, no matter where you are in the globe. Train to be a voice actor, especially if you have no previous acting or presenting experience.”

Kirsty Gillmore, a voice and casting director, sound designer, and voice actress based in London who has worked on games like Destruction All-Stars and Baldur’s Gate 3, offers this advice. Before investing in pricey equipment or a home studio, Gillmore urges performers to develop their talents and gain experience.

Classes, amateur theatre organizations, exercise groups where actors rehearse scripts together, web panels, and improve workshops are just a few places to start, according to Gillmore.

Thurman also emphasizes the importance of any acting experience, recommending voice acting boards, social media, and forums as ways to get engaged with unique projects. They also urge everyone still in school to participate in the theatrical activities at their school.

“Having some type of [coaching, workshop, or one-on-one session] is extremely important because you don’t want to pick up negative habits,” Thurman adds. “Apart from your booking rate, you have no one to offer you feedback on whether what you’re doing is successful or not if you’re only ever practicing yourself.”

Learn How You Would Choose Direction:

Performing with others allows you to gain experience being directed and receiving feedback, which is important for voice directors, according to Gillmore.

“It’s not very useful to me if I can’t get a performance out of an actor because they don’t know how to apply what I’m asking them to do, and they don’t know how to reflect it in their performance,” she adds. “You don’t develop video games in solitude, and you’ll need to be guided for the great majority of high-quality video games out there.”

With credits on games like We Happy Few: Lightbearer, The Solitaire Conspiracy, and Fable Fortune, actor, comedian, and voice-over artist Inel Tomlinson has a long history in television, theatre, and radio.

Tomlinson studied Drama and Theatre Studies at Middlesex University, topics he previously taught as a secondary school teacher, and believes that his background as a voice actor has been tremendously beneficial.

“It’s all about being able to take instruction, modify things on the fly, collaborate with others rapidly, and [adapt] very quickly,” he adds.

Mikee Goodman is a musician, voice actor, voice director, and the founder of Cartoon Voices, a voice-over firm. Goodman was one of the voice directors for Disco Elysium, which boasts a variety of musicians, including Tariq Khan and Lenval Brown, among its voice cast.

As a director, Goodman is completely open to non-trained performers, but he recognizes that professional actors may provide more stability to a production, stating, “You’re not always going to have Tariq Khans — it’s actually quite unusual.”

When you’re just starting out, don’t worry about your demo reel.

When they first started, Tomlinson, Thurman, and Smith all made their demo reels, which are brief audio samples that illustrate an actor’s range of abilities, but they have since all had professionally produced demo reels.

Smith, on the other hand, advises prospective voice actors to focus on learning what vocal kinds they can do effectively. What kind of work they can get, and whether or not they love voice acting before focusing on their demos.

“[My initial demo] was terrible: it wouldn’t fly today because I was so inexperienced,” Smith explains. “Do not acquire a demo if you don’t have any experience voice in video games or if you don’t have any coaching or stuff like that because you’ll discover that when it gets back to you in two weeks, four weeks, whatever, you should already be better by then… it’s a complete waste of money.”

A professionally recorded demo, according to Gillmore, should highlight the many acting styles you have in your repertoire — games acting, for example, is frequently more dramatic and realistic than anime and animation acting — as well as a variety of credible character voices.

A demo should also be free of distracting sound effects or music. Gillmore, on the other hand, books individuals based on their auditions rather than their demonstrations as casting and voice directors for video games.

Equipment to get started:

First, take care of your surroundings, then enhance as you go.

When Thurman initially started voice acting from home, they used their Twitch streaming equipment, but it quickly became clear that this arrangement wasn’t cutting it. The answer was to turn a closet in their spare bedroom into an improvised recording studio by padding it out with blankets.

While Thurman has since improved their equipment and relocated to a custom-built recording room, they still advise beginning voice performers to focus on addressing their surroundings first.

Smith began by recording herself using the built-in microphone on her PC in an untreated environment. “If I did this now, I’m fairly confident I wouldn’t have been cast,” she says. She updated to a USB microphone a few months later and secured paid jobs like Freedom Planet. When you’re starting from scratch, though, the answer may be as simple as a duvet.

“You can certainly start off with a USB microphone with a pop filter attached, sitting under a blanket and any recording software,” Smith says, “and reinvest your money into equipment as you go further — once you figure out if you even enjoy it, once you’ve had the time to [play] and figure out your bookable vocal types through jobs and classes.”

Learn the fundamentals of sound engineering and sound editing.

Outside of performing, voice actors who work from home need software as well as basic sound engineering and editing abilities to refine their recordings.

If something goes wrong with an actor’s home setup during a remote recording session and they can’t fix it, a studio or director may be hesitant to hire them again.

“When I hear actors with home studios say things like, ‘I’m not particularly tech-y, I don’t know anything about it,’ I’m like, ‘why do you have a home studio then?'”

According to Gillmore. “If you don’t know how to use the equipment, you should just not do it and rent a studio when you have tasks that require a home studio.”

Thurman now uses Adobe Audition for audio editing, although he began off with Audacity, a free audio editing program with limited capability.

“Start using Audacity for free to get a feel for how audio editing and recording operate,” Thurman suggests, “and then select whichever program works best for you.”

Thurman also has game development, voice direction, and voice casting expertise, and believes that all of these skill sets complement one other. Making their games has also helped them expand their acting resume.

“Making my games has been the most important aspect in my being able to direct games. I can just say, “I made it myself,” “I can do whatever I want,” and “I’ll cast myself as a role,” yeah!” Thurman explains.

Preparations for Auditions:

Know your ‘toolbox’ from top to bottom.

Smith carries a mental checklist of the traits a studio is looking for in a character when auditioning. In addition, Smith and Thurman both have a ‘toolbox’ of character archetypes that they may alter and change on the fly.

“Obviously, you want every audition to seem as fresh as possible, and we all work very hard to achieve that. I just don’t believe it’s practical or realistic for every audition, so having that baseline, knowing that you’ve played a similar role before, might assist “Smith explains.

Thurman agrees, “I’ve got my angry little 14-year-old boy, my nerd girl, and my kinda-goofy weird scientist character.” “I’ve got my characters, I know what I’m capable of, and I know what I’ve previously been hired to do.”

Actors need to develop a thick skin when dealing with rejection because voice acting can be a very competitive field.

Thurman replies, “You can’t take it personally.” “Let’s say 500 individuals auditioned for five parts; you’re among the 495 who didn’t receive the part. You’re not alone in this.”

While it’s tempting to attempt to wow casting directors, it’s critical that performers don’t audition with a voice type that they won’t be able to sustain for the duration of the recording session.

It’s also vital to be professional and nice to deal with if you’re one of the lucky ones who wins the job — Working with tough performers is “tiresome, time-consuming, and unpleasant,” according to Gillmore.

Make your tape as brief as possible.

When it comes to self-taped auditions, clarity and conciseness are essential. Actors should follow instructions carefully, read lines fluently one character at a time, and do no more than two takes unless they truly believe they have something special to offer.

It’s critical to make self-taped auditions as clear and concise as possible. Actors should follow directions carefully, read lines fluently one character at a time, and do no more than two takes unless they are confident in their abilities.

For Goodman, an audition film must be labeled accurately, that the actor’s voice is highlighted without the use of special effects, and that the performer is in character flow.

“I enjoy it when someone just records one take and it’s good,” Goodman adds, “because then I know they’re simply in a flow and can do it.”

What abilities are required of video game voice actors?

Be flexible and adaptive.

Many video games are notable for their non-linear storytelling when contrasted to other narrative media. As a result, flexibility is a crucial talent for game actors to possess. Actors are frequently required to envision the other characters in a scene while bouncing around different timeframes and emotional states on the fly during voice recording sessions.

In one version of a scenario, your character enters a crypt and has a chat with your brother, according to Gillmore.

You may then be told to repeat the process, but this time with the knowledge that your brother has betrayed you, or that you’ve just finished a combat battle and are out of breath. Versatility is also crucial since it allows performers to get hired more frequently.

“Being able to portray a variety of dialects and personalities is really useful in video games and animation,” adds Goodman. For example, he completed a recording session for the upcoming video game Road 96 ahead of schedule and was then requested to voice several more characters to fill in the gaps.

Physical acting skills may be beneficial for both motion capture and voice-over work in general. For example, you can tell when a voice actor is physically smiling, according to Gillmore.

Practice your sight-reading skills:

Sight-reading, or the ability to execute a previously unknown script on the spot, is “imperative” for all performers, according to Tomlinson. This enables students to learn how to transition smoothly between tenses, moods, and emotions while also boosting their capacity to “make rapid decisions on the fly.”

Is my location a hindrance to my career as a game voice actor?

For AAA titles, several game developers opt to employ commercial recording facilities close to their headquarters. Being situated outside of major hubs, such as London in the United Kingdom or Los Angeles in the United States, might restrict voice actors’ chances.

However, according to Gillmore, AAA games aren’t the be-all and end-all; “there are lots of fantastic independent games being produced out there, and indie is a really broad spectrum.”

“There are studios all over the world, and I’ve directed lots of films where we’ve done it through home studios,” Gillmore says, citing Destruction All-Stars as an example, which included international performers working remotely.

An agency may help an actor’s career, although being signed is a difficult process.

“I wouldn’t advise folks who are just starting out to go straight to agents; instead, build up your expertise and credentials first. Build up your portfolio to the point that you can approach an agency and say, “Here I am, I am a viable product.” “she explains.

In his mid-twenties, Tomlinson hired his first voice-over agency, and he believes that representation is crucial in the voice-over profession.

“It’s really difficult to get in unless you’re part of that circle, and I wish it wasn’t like that,” he adds. “It usually means that a lot of individuals don’t get jobs because their agency doesn’t know the proper people, which I despise.”

To stand out from the throng, Tomlinson advises performers to focus on what makes them unique: for example, he has a distinctive voice, which he emphasised in his reel while approaching agencies. He also advises performers to be their own biggest supporters by promoting their work online.

Tomlinson advises performers to focus on what makes them unique in order to stand out from the crowd: for example, he has a distinctive voice, which he emphasized in his reel while pitching agents. He also urges performers to promote their work online and become their own biggest cheerleaders.

How can voice actors build long-term businesses?

Maintain a website as well as social media accounts.

Tomlinson has found employment in the past using social media sites such as Twitter, noting that independent game developers frequently post job openings online and that being active and visible online may help actors network. He also thinks it’s vital to have your website where you can show off your portfolio and video.

Be conscious of your prices.

It might be tough to determine how much you should charge for your services as a freelancer. The Global Voice Acting Academy, the Voice Acting Club, Gravy For The Brain, and — in Australia — the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance all give online rate guidelines, according to Tomlinson, Thurman, and Smith.

Actors can also get work on pay-to-play websites, which charge a monthly fee in exchange for access to more private auditions. Smith books some work through the pay-to-play website Voice123 but advises that these services can be contentious and/or shady.

Keep in mind why you’re doing it in the first place.

Despite the fact that some elements of the job are demanding, everyone interviewed for this piece is happy about their work. Smith confesses that as time passes, some aspects of the work grow less fascinating.

She notes that some individuals may detest the business aspect of the work and that she doesn’t necessarily jump with excitement every time she books a task. She does, however, believe that becoming a voice actress was the finest move she has ever made.

She notes that some individuals may detest the business aspect of the work and that she doesn’t necessarily jump with excitement every time she books a task. She does, however, believe that becoming a voice actress was the finest move she has ever made.