Baldur's Gate 3: What it's like acting in a virtual fantasy world

Fans have been waiting 23 years since the last Baldur's Gate game

You might think video games and TV soaps don't have much in common. But if you speak to people who've worked on both you might be surprised.

No, we're not talking about warp pipes or a battle royale in the Queen Vic.

But we are talking about what it's like to act on a big-budget game.

For most actors, getting a long-running, steady gig can be difficult, but soaps can provide one.

Jennifer English and Devora Wilde tell BBC Newsbeat that working on fantasy role-playing game Baldur's Gate 3 gave them the same sort of stability.

The long-awaited title, which officially releases later, is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, and Jennifer plays Shadowheart - a half-elf cleric.

It's not her first time acting in a game, but this is the longest project she's worked on.

That's not too surprising - Baldur's Gate 3 is a huge title, reported to have 17,000 possible variations to its ending,

Jennifer first found out she'd got the role in 2019. Since then, she's spent hours and hours recording lines and full-body motion capture sequences.

Jennifer's character Shadowheart can be recruited and befriended in the game

"I didn't realise before starting this is how hard it is, creating this entire universe," she says.

"It's not like an everyday kitchen sink drama, there's a lot going on. And you have to create that in your imagination on your own."

Acting for video games presents challenges you wouldn't find on a traditional TV or film set.

For example, actors recording motion capture have to picture their surroundings in their heads before they're added on a computer later on.

And Baldur's Gate 3, with its branching storylines, presented some new and unique elements.

In the game, players can make choices that influence the story, which means the actors need to record multiple versions of a scene with small tweaks to the script each time.

It leads to a lot of work and studio time, which means stable employment.

"When do you get to play characters for that long unless you're doing a soap?" says Jennifer.

From Hollyoaks to Dungeons & Dragons

Jennifer's cast mate Devora Wilde plays githyanki warrior Lae'zel. She's previously appeared in long-running UK soap Hollyoaks.

She says getting into character can quickly become second nature, even when you're playing a mythical creature with green skin and pointy ears.

"At one point I was in recording every single day," she says.

"By the end, you can just slip into the character. It's become so much a part of you."

Devora didn't just record her voice, she also had to record her movement using a motion capture suit

Jennifer also revealed that parts of the script were altered during recording, with actors and directors workshopping changes as they went along.

"At the start of recording, Shadowheart was very different," she says.

"We've played and created, and we've made a character that's really nuanced. That comes from conversation and collaboration," she says.

That's why Jennifer isn't convinced AI will be coming for her job any time soon - despite concerns about the technology.

"AI is terrifying for us, but can it get the depths of human emotion that actors bring and the surprising creativity we bring?"

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Speaking of human emotions, love, lust and romance are a key part of Baldur's Gate 3, which allows players to flirt and build relationships with female or male companions.

This included Jennifer and Devora's characters, and it meant acting out some potentially awkward love scenes.

Devora says she was pleased game developer Larian employed specially trained intimacy co-ordinators to make sure actors feel comfortable during romantic scenes.

They've become a common feature in movie productions, and advised on live-action sequences in the video game Immortality.

Baldur's Gate 3 maker Larian believes they're one of the first to use them on a fully rendered video game, and say they hope others will follow their lead.

Jennifer met her girlfriend while on set recording her motion capture scenes

Jennifer admits there was some weirdness during recording but the game's story never took things too far.

"I never felt 'yuck' in a recording session at all. And I've got quite a low 'yuck' threshold," she says.

The game's romance angle also throws up another challenge that you probably wouldn't find on the set of Hollyoaks.

You might've seen viral posts about a love scene involving a human character that shapeshifts into a bear.

Larian says a reveal of the scene on TikTok got them temporarily banned from the platform.

But Devora thinks it's hilarious.

"It just shows you how crazy in the best possible way this game is."

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