Blogpost: Voice Overs for Indie Games 🎮?

src/nav/blog.js

@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@
  */
 
 export default [
+  {
+    group: 'TTS',
+    title: 'Voice Overs for Indie Games 🎮?',
+    url: '/blog/tts/voice-overs-for-indie-games',
+    splash: 'images/blog/splash-screens/blog-splash-screen-voice-overs-for-indie-games.jpg',
+    description: 'Pros and cons of indie voice over',
+    height: 500
+  },
   {
     group: 'TTS',
     title: 'Introducing Prompt-to-Voice',

src/pages/blog/tts/voice-overs-for-indie-games.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+---
+title: 'Voice Overs for Indie Games 🎮?'
+name: Kelly Davis
+picture: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/75583352?s=96&v=4
+date: Jun 4, 2023
+---
+
+import { graphql } from 'gatsby';
+
+### Intro
+
+Developing a video game is like embarking on an epic journey 🗺️.
+
+The script is your map 🗺️, the visuals breathtaking landscapes 🏞️, and the game’s sounds the conversations
+of your fellow travelers. A key decision in this journey is how your game’s characters communicate -
+through the written word 📖 or through spoken voice overs 🎙️?
+
+This blog post will weigh both the pros and cons of the decision.
+
+### Pros of Voice Overs
+
+#### 1. Immersive Storytelling 🎭
+
+Just as vivid descriptions of locales and events can immerse a traveler in a new world, voice overs can make
+your game's storytelling engaging and personal. They add texture to your characters, making them feel alive
+and relatable. Remember Kratos in _God of War Ragnarök_? His voice adds an extra layer of depth, bringing
+him off-the-page in a way that text simply can’t.
+
+<div align="center">
+
+![IMAGE](../../../data/images/blog/posts/blog-tts-kratos.jpeg)
+
+</div>
+
+#### 2. Accessibility 🌐
+
+Voice overs make your game accessible to a wider audience, much like tour guides who can communicate in multiple
+languages. For those who might struggle with reading due to dyslexia, visual impairment, or age, voice overs
+are the perfect bridge, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in your game’s narrative.
+
+#### 3. Multi-tasking Gameplay 🕹️
+
+During intense gameplay, reading on-screen text can be at best distracting and at worst impossible. However, with
+voice overs players can continue gameplay without missing crucial narrative beats, allowing them to focus on what
+matters, getting that next boss!
+
+### Cons of Voice Overs
+
+#### 1. Cost and Logistics 💰
+
+While adding voice overs to your game can enrich its journey, it also means a significant investment of resources.
+You'll need to hire professional voice actors, arrange for sound engineers, and secure a recording studio 😓. If
+your audience speaks different languages, you'll need to consider localization, which further escalate costs 💸.
+
+#### 2. Limited Flexibility ⏰
+
+Adding to the headaches, voice over revisions are complicated and costly. Late changes to your script or characters
+require calling your voice actors back, calling your sound engineers back, arranging for new recording sessions,
+and ultimately delaying your development timeline 😭.
+
+#### 3. Potential Disconnect 🎭
+
+Furthermore, if the voice acting doesn't match the character, it’s jarring! Remember the unintentionally humorous
+voice acting in the original _Resident Evil_. This shows how critical it is to get script, casting, and performance
+right.
+
+<div align="center">
+  <iframe
+    style="width:640px; height:370px;
+           border-width: 1px 0px 1px 1px;
+           border-style: solid solid solid solid;
+           border-color: black black black black;"
+    src="https://youtube.com/embed/cmP5fSQGzUQ?autoplay=1&playlist=cmP5fSQGzUQ"
+    allow="accelerometer;
+        autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
+    allowfullscreen
+  ></iframe>
+</div>
+
+### The Text Route 📝
+
+Sticking to text can be a simpler, more flexible path. It’s easy to revise and doesn’t pose the risks of voice acting.
+However, text lacks the personal touch and emotional depth that voice can provide. Furthermore, players of some genres
+have simply come to expect voice overs.
+
+Choosing between voice overs and text ultimately depends on your game's unique landscape and the preferences of your
+audience. It's about balancing costs, benefits, and overall player experience.
+
+Whether your characters communicate through text or voice, their _voices_ are core to your game. So, game developers,
+plot your course wisely and may your game offer an unforgettable adventure to all who embark on it. 🎉
+
+export const pageQuery = graphql`
+  query($fileAbsolutePath: String) {
+    ...SidebarPageFragment
+  }
+`;