Game Voice Recording – What Happens When Actors Direct?

In recent years, following the massive success of Genshin Impact, the subculture game market has been growing rapidly. However, with the same voice actors appearing repeatedly and similar characters flooding the market, a clear bandwagon effect has emerged. From a marketing perspective, this trend is understandable, but within this pattern, how can we create more unique and memorable characters?

As a sound director, I experimented with something new: inviting film, drama, and theater actors to direct voice recordings for games.

🎤 Why Bring in Actors as Directors?

• Traditional recording sessions are typically led by people within the game industry (writers, PMs, sound engineers, voice actors) → lacking in detailed acting direction.

• Actors are highly trained in character analysis and interpreting a writer’s intent → well-suited to bring out emotional nuance and depth.

The results were impressive:

• Common issues like inconsistent tension between characters during fast-paced recording sessions were naturally resolved.

• Performances felt more alive and authentic.

• Even when voice actors recorded separately, their performances maintained a consistent tone and energy.

🕹️ Looking Ahead

With modern games increasingly focusing on narrative and worldbuilding, this approach feels more relevant than ever. While still in the testing stage, I clearly noticed how the finer details of acting improved, and as actors grew more comfortable with the recording environment, the results continued to build up positively.

🎬 A Word from the Actor

Actor Jung In-young, who participated in the session, shared:

“Game recordings require building a character in such a short time, which can be very challenging. But as an actor, I felt I could help catch details that might otherwise be missed. Since games feature so many characters, I believe I can contribute by suggesting more nuanced and diverse character interpretations.”

👉 To those in the game industry, if this new approach sparks your interest, I’d love to explore it together. Comments and likes are always appreciated 🙂