Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
drawn animation by Don Bluth). Due to a very limited budget, the voice-
over was provided by the game's developers and animators rather than
professional actors. Don't laugh, it still happens all the time!
Over time, storage increased, and so did the amount of dialogue. Voice-
over became less of a novelty and more of an essential ingredient. A
famous i rst of its kind example is the game
Seaman
for Sega Dreamcast
(2002).
Seaman
included voice-over narration by famed actor Leonard
Nimoy. Using famous actors to play well-known characters has become
quite common in games today.
Credit:
Seaman.
VOICE-OVER FUNCTIONS IN GAMES
There are a few dif erent types of voice-over that are used in games. Keep in mind that these can appear
in both diegetic and non-diegetic forms.
Game Feedback Voice-Over
These are character clips that tell you how you are doing in the game or give you vital feedback
while you are involved in gameplay. It has become increasingly common for voice feedback to take
the place of regular sound effects or in some cases be used in conjunction with them. Basically,
instead of hearing a “loser” or “death” sound when you mess up, you hear a character voice say, “Oh
no, that's not right, try again!” One common use of voice feedback is called “time out” instructions
found in games of all types. For example, if a player sits too long on one screen in a game, you might
hear a character voice give a hint and say something like “Keep going, don't stop now—click one of
the giant mushrooms.”
Narrative Voice-Over
Is often used to give instructions within a game, for example, before each level of gameplay. This can
be either a long or short burst of dialogue that gives the player context as to the game's goals and
objectives. You i nd them in games of all types from action adventure to kids' titles.
Dialogue-Based Voice-Over
This is by far the most common type of voice-over and is especially common in adventure games of all
kinds. Games that feature involved plots will often have more involved dialogue. This most often occurs
between two or more characters on the screen, but there are other instances, such as in sports games,
where dialogue between of screen commentators is used.
