By Jeremy Azeved

Voice acting in video games is an under-appreciated art that adds a tremendous amount of value to most of the games that we play these days. David Sobolov is a veteran of the craft that has appeared in over 40 games, often times playing the villain. You may not even realize it, but you've probably killed David Sobolov more times than you've had hot meals in your life!

We talked to David about what it's like working in the industry and how the business of voice acting works. We also talked about his new iPhone app, "iMEvil", and his roles in high profile titles like Halo Wars and Brutal Legend. What follows is a fascinating glimpse into a world that provides a human voice to the multi-billion dollar industry that we all enjoy on a daily basis.

CraveOnline: So you’re sort of like a video game celebrity. How did you get started in that?

David Sobolov: I’ve been doing voiceovers since about 1995. I started out doing cartoons. Some people that lived through the 90s would remember (Transformers) Beast Wars… I was Depth Charge in Beast Wars and I was Spooky Jar in Sabrina the Animated Series, I did Robocop, Spider-Man Unlimited…

Around 1999 the technology got to the point that you could have a lot of voice in games. And I did a game called Homeworld, and that kind of started it off. I’ve been doing video games ever since.

CraveOnline: The game industry has grown to a point at which sales have been outpacing movies and music in just a few short years. Have you noticed as much of a change working from the inside as we’ve seen from the outside?

David Sobolov: Yeah, especially with the content of the games. It’s a lot more like a theatrical motion picture. I mean, of course you’ve got cut scenes in the middle of everything. But even the gameplay, it isn’t just about screaming “Die!” like it maybe used to be. And there’s a lot more nuance to the characters, a lot more nuance to the story. So you need real actors. You can’t just have someone from accounting go in and do the voice. It just doesn’t work. The gamers aren’t going to buy it.

CraveOnline: Do you think gamers are responding positively to that shift for the most part? Or does much of the talking take away from the concept of being a “game” (like in Metal Gear 4, for instance)?

David Sobolov: Well, it depends on what kind of game you’re looking for. I think if you want just straight action, the more traditional types are still out there. You remember years ago, of course, people would turn off the voices? And they wouldn’t even be listening to the sound. But I think now, people are looking for more story and they want to get involved in the characters. So they’re going to be interested in the acting part. I think there are games for both types of people.

CraveOnline: Do people ever recognize you by your voice alone?

David Sobolov: Yeah, sometime it happens. Especially at game conventions. I’ll speak in a deep voice at the booth and they’ll go, “You sound like the Arbiter…” And I say, “Yeah. I was the Arbiter.” And they’re like, “Oh! No Way!”

CraveOnline: You’ve done some mighty popular characters in a few titles. What was it like to play Arbiter in Halo Wars?

David Sobolov: For me it was a really great, what I call a “delicious villain”. I like the fact that he was a religious zealot. That added an extra level to it as well. He was a fun character to play because he didn’t just stand there and say “Watch out! Wait!” And he was actually involved in the story line. A storyline that I could really get into.