Hugo Weaving - A great voice actor

“Dialogue, it can be argued, is perhaps the single most important aspect of video game audio, in that it is often the only element of the audio that a reviewer will mention, and poorly implemented and badly directed dialogue can completely ruin an entire game.” – Rob Bridgett, “A Holistic Approach to Game Dialogue Production (available here)

The quote above is from an interesting article on audio production.  It is, of course, a subject close to my own heart as I have done a great deal of it myself, including the acting part, appearing on stage in front of thousands of people. 

The sound production in video games seems to be one of those odd dichotomies in that no one seems to notice it until it is done poorly.  I know there are those of our readers out there who pay little attention to the sound. In fact it was just the other day I read the following in guild chat:

 “This game has sound? I have been playing it for 2 years and I haven’t had the sound turned up even once.”

To some of us the sound we hear is the chatter over the Ventrillo server, which is nice at times but for my dollar it tends to ruin the immersion in the game.  The sounds in the back ground (and here I am not talking about the music) can draw me into the game like no other aspect…not animations, not game mechanics or lore.  There are some games I have played where the combat sounds alone are done so well that they have a “visceral” quality (as NCSoft so aptly describes the combat in Aion Online).  Standing in a creek in the Shire in Lord of the Rings Online and listening to the sounds of the afternoon makes me feel as if I am almost there.

The opposite side of the coin is just as true, however – case in point, Age of Conan.  The first 20 levels of Age of Conan were simply astounding. They were so good, in fact, that when the rest of the game rolled around it was a let down.  Not the least of what was done so well about the first 20 levels of Age of Conan is the voice acting.  Of all the types of acting, the most difficult is voice acting.  The reason is simply this:  Some time talk to someone with whom you often converse, such as a good friend – but try to do it without moving your hands or making any facial expressions.   The point  is a good voice actor has to convey all the emotions, all the nuances and inflections that we see on a screen, but do so with only their voice.

One of the best voice acting jobs I have ever seen was in the movie “V-for Vendetta”. Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in the Matrix, Elrond in Lord of the Rings) is a superb actor to begin with.  Consider that he had to create a character such as V, who has such depth and such a wide range of emotions and do it all behind a “Guy Falkes” mask.

There is, of course, some voice acting in video games that stands out above the rest.  A good example is Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online. Add to that well done music and you have a winning combination.  There may be times when players simply stop and admire the view.  I am sure that there aren’t many, but there must be some, like me, who often stop just to admire the music. This is, of course, when the music is well done and not simply the audio version of “boiler plate” writing.

So even if you are the type of player who turns down the audio in a game and cranks up the mp3 player, some time stop not to smell the virtual roses, but to listen to the wind blowing through them and the music playing in the background.

See you online,

Julie Whitefeather