ABSTRACT
Writing for video games sometimes means voice actors performing dialog and narration. This has different challenges than if story is conveyed entirely through text and gameplay. Haris Orkin, writer of award-winning games and film, provides advice on how to set yourself up for success writing for voice actors. He suggests games to play as examples of good voiceover work and books to read to understand how to get a good performance from actors. The chapter includes advice for casting the right actors and working with voiceover directors - or sitting in the director’s chair yourself. Voiceover performance in games has its own unique challenges – asking actors to do ten different “death screams” and exertion noises can ruin an actor’s voice for the rest of the performance, so Orkin recommends you save your screaming for last. Exercises at the end of the chapter provide opportunities to practice.
