"and, if yes, mate. ..." : Why voice acting in games is poor...

For anyone else who's wondered how the hell that line at the beginning from the ArmA2 "Trial By Fire" misison could make it into the game, this article is revealing...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/mar/16/games-controversy

I for one abhor the trend of making video games into movies. Nothing turns me off to a game more than one that tries to be a movie. When I lay down my $50.00 I want to PLAY the friggin thing not sit through some lame cut scenes waiting for the next chance to actually play the game for 10 minutes before I have to sit through another labored cut scene. When I want to watch a movie I put in a DVD.

Same goes for games where you pick up texts along the way that are meant to expand the story. When I want to read, I open a book.

I have countless games I never finished because I was so put off by the 'movies' I lost interest very quickly.

^ One of the main reasons I will never try MGS4. Ever.

I think BIS need to spend money elsewhere than on the voice acting, but I don't disagree that it can be immersion breaking at times. Most of the voice acting in the game is ok, but there are some, like the new Kozlowski, who are just horrible. However, I'd much prefer better game improvements over better voices. :D

"A game can't be successful anymore if it's developed as a piece of software. It has to evoke emotional reactions and create a reality a gamer wants to buy into to be successful. In the best titles, good voice acting can be the glue that keeps a gamer immersed in the world that the developer is creating, often subconsciously. The human voice is the one thing in a game that's 100% real…"

If there is a story (campaign) publishers/devs should invest in good voice recording and believeable voice acting too. Fast & cheap solutions here do backfire and turn all of the work on missions into trash bin.

The main reason is that voice casting and directing aren't taken seriously. Either the developers get their friends and relatives to do it, or they get professionals/celebrities to do it but give very few clues to the situation and the required emotions and context. Letting the actors see the scene would work wonders.

There's no excuse for not having a developer with some sort of knowledge of the story sitting with the actor while the lines are being recorded. I remember playing Oblivion and talking to NPCs that didn't no how to pronounce names, and spreading rumors about people while using the wrong gendered pronoun.

Most non native english speakers wont really notice that there is somthing wrong with the ingame voice acting.

You may also notice that there was no complain about the russian or chech voice acting in ArmA...maybe these are rather good.

Me as a german did never notice the voice acting as really bad...its simply a foreign language to me...and as a notice...when I encountered my first G.I.s in real life NATO operations I wondered about their strange language too.

Well imho a good voice acting adds to the imersion of a game. For example "Fly like an eagle" Armed assault mission by Saok had a good voice acting made by savedbygrace. The mission was great and the voice acting was the icing on the cake. I think a good voice acting is important especially in expression to reflect a certain mood the character's in. You definitely transmit emotions to the player when it's well done.

Just my 2 cents.:D

best regards

P.s. get me a corpsman now:D

Personally I don't think Arma should be like a movie, but there's many times that you're half listening to the lines while planning your next strategy when you suddenly get hit by this image of a janitor sitting there reading a script in front of a microphone while trying to find his glasses so he can finish the line.

There's been many attrocities to voice acting and narrative in video games, but personally the worst one I've seen is Far Cry 2. Not because the voice acting was bad, but because the they got some very nice voice acting done on it and then wasted it on second rate audio editing.

Every line in Far Cry 2 merges into one another. It's like reading a post from a person with a 3rd grade level of English who doesn't know how to use full stops, commas, and any sensible breaks of any kind in their text. This is doubled by the dull tone over the audio where the engineers have put little effort into emphasis and actually seem to have leveled out the sounds so every conversation sounds like a random low level mumble of jibberish.

Most non native english speakers wont really notice that there is somthing wrong with the ingame voice acting.

You may also notice that there was no complain about the russian or chech voice acting in ArmA...maybe these are rather good.

Me as a german did never notice the voice acting as really bad...its simply a foreign language to me...and as a notice...when I encountered my first G.I.s in real life NATO operations I wondered about their strange language too.

That's true. I enjoy listening to the Czech and Russian voices in the game, but I thank God and Sixboy every night for disabling the voices so I don't have to listen to the English.

Reputedly, however, the Russian acting is just as terrible. I only hope the pronunciation is correct, given how much of it I am picking up after several hundred hours. :p

The main reason is that voice casting and directing aren't taken seriously. Either the developers get their friends and relatives to do it, or they get professionals/celebrities to do it but give very few clues to the situation and the required emotions and context. Letting the actors see the scene would work wonders.

This plus they're probably illiterate to whatever they're acting on.

BIS cant you find some Soldiers to do voice acting? They have a ton of free time you know.

There is nothing special with soldiers voice. Anybody can become one. I did not notice that anythings happened to my voice or the way I speak just because I served.

Well...but my girlfriend back in the days said she noticed it, but it was more of the kind of language, like more swearing and gutter language.

I lol'd at this. Actually, that's one of my highlights of BIS games, the hilarious voice acting. I don't know about you guys, but I find it quite hilarious.

I love how the idiot in the chopper completely flies off the handle, adding to the trainwreck that is that mission's voice acting.

<calm, 12 year old voice> "...we'll show them who's the boss."

"I'M THE FUCKING BOSS AND I SAY STOP SPEAKING REASONABLY IN DA CHOPPA!"

It sounds like he's just been caught rogering the work experience girl in the stationary cupboard and is trying to bluff his way out of it.

I lol'd at this. Actually, that's one of my highlights of BIS games, the hilarious voice acting. I don't know about you guys, but I find it quite hilarious.

Have you played Men of War? You'll love it.

have you played men of war? You'll love it.

oh god yes.

You honestly can't beat this

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=aAWxw0wmeNQ&feature=related

You honestly can't beat this

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=aAWxw0wmeNQ&feature=related

Oh what is this I don't even...

You honestly can't beat this

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=aAWxw0wmeNQ&feature=related

HAha! Thats classic :D

Goldman will be missed :(

Here's some more classic drama from da good old days

"THIS IS SPARTA!

AIeee

Coops I thought you were my mother? :lol:

Lets squeeze a few off at the range.... PAT!

CORPSEMAN!

oooo MY f**king LEG!

ooo MY arm!

HODE ON WEEPA FOA! "Trial by fire" sounds like an Asian too me!

Settle down mate youll have your turn.

Enemy MON

Dude

Priiiiivate?

I saw a western mon and Medic mon"

Me and my buds always make fun of the VA in this game! :p :D

Me and my buds always make fun of the VA in this game! :p :D

...and i cant get my mates to play because of the VA. They said whats with the robot voices? Got to agree with them.

F*** it hurtsssssss

At least we've moved on from "all your base are belong to us" :p

I dont mind voice acting & cut scenes in games as long as they are done well & not 10 - 20 minutes long a la the metal gear series! the voice acting in Arma 2 is strong in some parts & weak in others, but at least when theres action going on you can pick up a bit of panic in the voices, not like in the recent Aliens vs Predator game where all the marines talk like theres nothing happening even after they're ship has just been destroyed & they're under attack by hordes of Xeno's!

oooo MY f**king LEG!

I think the wounded lines are pretty well-voiced. They should sound garbled and pathetic. No "it's only a flesh wound" here.