Video Game Voice Actors: Are They Earning More Than Top Hollywood Stars?

Have you recently played a video game and wondered how much you could make doing voice over as a video game voice actor? 

In this article

1. The Video Game Market
2. Video Game Genres
3. Action Adventure
4. Auditioning For a Role as a Video Game Character
5. Preparing for the Recording
6. The Main Character
7. Background Characters
8. Voice Effects
9. Motion Capture
10. Video Game Voice Acting Pay
11. Annual Salary of a Voice Actor
12. Video Games Session Fees
13. Video Game Commercial Work
14. AAA Gaming Studios
15. Independent Gaming Studios
16. Conclusion

Are you designing a video game and looking for estimates on how much to pay the voice talent who will be working with you? 

But quickly: How much do video game voice actors make? Voice actors in video games charge $1,300-2,499 USD for 45-60 minutes of recorded finished content.

In this blog, we’ll explore the characteristics of video games, the work talent can expect to do, the general pay grade for video game voice actors, what influences pay, and the opportunities talent has to increase their earnings.

Let’s begin with a look at why voice over is so important in video games.

The Video Game Market

The world of video games is a rapidly expanding industry, with the medium being a popular way to tell stories and provide a leisurely escape from the real world.

One of the captivating pieces of a game is the voice overs, which help players connect with the characters and the world within the game. 

Video Game Genres

In video games, there are a vast number of genres, roles, character personalities, and sound effects.

With such a variety, there is always the opportunity for voice talent to hone their skills and find a video game voice over job that speaks to them. 

Some video games have smaller casts and others larger. Some have many smaller characters and opportunities for less experienced talent to enter, while others focus on a few larger characters. 

Action Adventure

Video games in the action and adventure genres are more likely to require movement sounds, with one example being Mario’s iconic ‘jump sound’.

Some video games are driven by complex stories that require a wide range of acting, and some characters only have a few repeated lines. Whether you are more or less experienced, want a quick job or want to contribute to a very large game, or simply want to find opportunities that line up with your interests, there is a job for you in the growing market of video game voice acting.

Auditioning For a Role as a Video Game Character

There are several things to consider when applying for a video game voice acting job.

The first thing you should consider is the type of genre you are interested in, the sort of character you desire to voice, and what sort of game you’ll be doing voice over for. 

Playing games from various genres with differing levels of story complexity, as well as characters from many archetypes, can help you develop an understanding of video games and define your interests.

Once you understand what the genre of your choosing demands, you can begin looking for jobs. 

Clients may have partial scripts available, and one way you can stand out is by mastering the cold read.

Successfully completing a cold read shows you can give convincing and enthusiastic character voices, even with minimal familiarity, or none at all, with the content at hand. Giving an enthusiastic performance will allow the client to see your personal charm and see if it fits their idea of the character’s personality.

Preparing for the Recording

Once you have been hired, there are a few other things to keep in mind to ensure you have the best performance and an impeccable character voice for your client.

The first thing you should do is familiarize yourself with all the game’s content, whether it is directly related to your character or not, so you can understand the atmosphere of the game and how your character will interact with other characters, the player, and the world. 

The Main Character

If you are a main character, you can expect to do a lot of voice over work.

It should be enthusiastic and endearing, as clients desire the protagonist to be memorable and likable to players of the game. If you are playing an antagonist, you can be more rough and imposing, and a well-voiced villain can also be memorable.

As such, it is important to warm up and cool down to protect your vocal health and not spend too much time in any one recording session. Be sure to discuss your vocal health needs with your clients and other team members. 

Depending on the requirements of your role, you may be narrating a story or instructions, or voicing an in-game advertisement, or reciting many variations of a select few catchphrases in different tones and attitudes, or being engaged in many rounds of dialogue with other characters. 

Background Characters

Even as a background character, you should speak with enthusiasm. The most important aspects of a character’s voice are expressiveness and authoritativeness; practice these two elements and you will do well.

A few other things to keep in mind is that your role may require special actions or alterations to achieve the perfect line readings and sound effects for your character.

Some character voices may require the use of voice changer software to sound more robotic or alien. Other voices may be raspier or otherwise be rough on your vocal health. Sound effects, whether panting after running, coughing, screaming, or any other intense sound effect, can also be rough on your voice. 

Voice Effects

On the topic of sound effects, you can add to the believability of your voice acting by acting out the scene as you record.

If one scene has you yell and swing a sword, bring a prop in and swing it, if you have enough room in your studio to do so. 

Doing this can make voice over more accessible to those with visual impairments that make it difficult to understand what is going on the screen. Your voice, paired with the game’s action, will make the game more enjoyable for everyone, especially those who would otherwise have a harder time playing, and your clients will thank you for being so strong in your acting.

Motion Capture

If you are fortunate enough to be working for a client that has motion capture technology available to them, you can add an extra layer of realism to your voice acting by simulating the body language of the character, and even have this transferred into the game.

Having experience in on-camera acting can give you a competitive edge in this regard.

Video Game Voice Acting Pay

The rates you can expect to be paid vary greatly depending on several factors.

The biggest factor in most scenarios is your level of experience. Voice over work has a general pay grade that sees the income of talent rise with their level of experience. 

Annual Salary of a Voice Actor

American voice actors are expected to earn $50,000 USD a year as beginners, who are those who have worked between one to four years as voice actors, at a rate of $24.50 USD per hour. 

After that, intermediate voice actors with five to nine years of experience can expect to make $52,000 USD per year on the low end, with their incomes rising as they become more experienced. Veterans who have ten or more years of experience can charge $40 USD an hour or more, making approximately $83,000 USD a year.

Video Games Session Fees

Most of the work in the world of video game voice over is non-broadcast, with the rate sheet showing a progression of between $1,300-2,499 USD for 45-60 minutes of recorded finished content. 

Video Game Commercial Work

However, some material, like video game promos, advertisements, and trailers fall into the broadcast job category.

These jobs have listed rates for the mediums the advertisements are communicated through, starting at $1,000 USD for a national TV advertising campaign and going as high as $5,000 USD for a year-long campaign.

Talk through the rates you can expect with your client and determine a payment model for the entire job or hours and minutes of finished content at a fixed rate.

AAA Gaming Studios

If you are working for a AAA studio, you can expect to be paid more, as their games are held to the same standard as the movies made in Hollywood, and you would be hired to match that quality.

For smaller jobs with independent studios, you can still negotiate a fair rate while considering experience, job complexity, production costs, and time needed to complete the job. 

Independent Gaming Studios

Don’t write off smaller studios, though.

If you voice a character in a well-crafted story and consumers love it, you may be invited to a multi-game deal to continue your work with them.

While few characters will be as popular as Sonic or Mario, there is a chance you could voice your character for years to come and have your talent appreciated by millions.

Conclusion

Now is the time to get started and look for video game voice acting roles that interest you on Voices.

We hope you get your first job and unlock the achievement of becoming a video game voice actor.