New improvements in face-capture animation make it possible to capture an actor’s expressions and port them quite realistically into a game, while at the same time, traditional animation and voice acting are only improving as budgets soar and the medium continues to mature. Recently, even major screen actors have found themselves doing extensive work in video games, not just making cameos, like Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077 and Giancarlo Esposito in Far Cry 6. Rust had plenty to say about what is drawing acting talent over to games, and how video games are becoming more like film and TV, but first we asked her what the major differences are between screen acting and video game acting.
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Rust then transitioned into describing what brings actors over to video games.
Performances like Norman Reedus in Death Stranding, Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, and Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito’s role as a menacing dictator in the upcoming Far Cry 6 may soon not be as surprising as they were when first announced. While it hasn’t been uncommon for film and TV celebrities to make minor appearances in games, actors like Reedus, Reeves, and Esposito are taking major roles with hours of presence in their respective games’ stories. To draw a conclusion from what Rust pointed out, these are likely not isolated incidents but may represent a growing trend in the industry.
Storytelling in video games is becoming ever more nuanced, and as Rust said, actors can now find very appealing roles in video games. She also expressed the hope that, as more prominent actors take roles in games, it may remove some of the stigma that the medium occasionally garners. “It will help show people that [games] really can be art.” As face tracking technology improves as well, some actors may see the appeal in having themselves represented digitally. When asked if face tracking is helping to bridge the gap between film and video games, Rust had this to say:
Games are certainly becoming more cinematic as every year the standards for storytelling, visuals, and art direction are raised. That cinematic feel may be less a result of games aping film, and more an effect of video game development studios achieving the high production value that film and TV often enjoy. Hopefully, Rust is spot on that an increasing number of people with acting talent also want to contribute to the world of video games, which will only serve to improve the medium as more catch on.
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