Harry Potter Game Diary – Voice Talent

A lot of work goes into making a video game, and voice talent is no exception. Whether you are into the genre or not, you have to respect the work, time, and technology that people put into the craft of video games. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is no exception, and the developers were lucky enough to coerce some of the actors (monetarily I am sure) to lend their voices to the game. Nothing is more irritating than playing a game based upon a movie and having someone other than the actor portraying the character. It ruins it in some ways actually. Actors are more relaxed however about lending their talent to games today than in the past, which we can chalk up to sales, popularity, and product recognition – which makes it a more enjoyable experience for us.

To give you a prime example of a really cool voice talent for a video game, Oblivion has Patrick Stewart lending his voice as Emperor Uriel Septim VII. The introduction at the beginning of the game would have been less dramatic if you had chosen someone of lesser respectability as an actor, and the character himself commanded more respect because of it. This is not to say Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi or any British actor worth his salt would not have done as well, it mostly boils down to voice recognition, and that can also be a contributing factor in sales. What if Vin Diesel had not lent his voice to Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, would game sales had been just as great for the game if Bob Smith had provided Riddick’s voice? I think not. Gamers would have felt insulted and let down, and a great game would have been mediocre at best.

Watch this video, and like I said, if Harry Potter is not your thing it does not matter. It shows you the hard work and effort that is put in to producing enjoyability, recognition, and familiarity into a game.