"I am a real actor!" – Neil Newbon talks Pixel Pack and the problems that video game actors face

The Pixel Pack was revealed earlier this year with a glossy photoshoot and an eye-opening article, all about video game actors and the problems they face in the industry.

Newbon has brought together an all-star group of video game actors to help raise awareness of the issues they face, as well as highlighting the amazing work they do to bring your favourite games to life.

As you can see in the video above, Newbon was happy to talk about the project on the red carpet at the BAFTA Games Awards.

“The Pixel Pack was an endeavour that I came up with," he explained. "I had the idea, like, last year, and I was just amazed that nobody had done it before.

“I just wanted to try and help raise a conversation about how game actors are the same as TV and film actors and theatre actors. We’re actors, and we shouldn't be relegated into, ‘Oh you’re a voice actor’, or whatever it is.

“I like the idea that people understand the craft work that goes into it, the amount of work that goes into it, how hard it is, how wonderful it can be as well, and to treat us the same as everybody else. Also, there is the issue of AI performance, which is insane and is boring as hell.

“And I just want to sort of reaffirm, these are the people to go to, who are creating some of the best roles that the players and the audience really connect with. And these are the people, so keep them employed and keep them working.”

Touching on some of the struggles that video game actors face in comparison to TV and film actors, Newbon said: “We are not paid the same. That is a huge difference, I would say, between TV, film and the rest of it, we're not paid nearly the same.

“Also, AI performance is not as big a threat in film and TV, I would say, or theatre for that matter. So I think there is a difference.”

Newbon did point out, however, that many actors work across multiple mediums and don’t solely work on games.

Newbon also recounted an anecdote that he told in the EW feature, a time on set many years ago when a crew member told him ‘the real actors are coming in tomorrow’.

“I remember exactly who it was, I remember exactly where it was,” Newbon said. “This was a long time ago. It must be like 12 or 10 years ago. And somebody said that to my face.

“I looked and went, ‘Hi, have you seen? We've talked for a while. I am a real actor!’ In fact, anybody stepping into a performer's role is an actor in that way.

“Obviously, your skills are different, your training is different. But I think it's really important that people get educated – performers are there to enhance the story, and so treat them all the same, you know? But it was an interesting moment. ‘Yeah, I did Shakespeare!’”

We also caught up with Alix Wilton Regan and Abubakar Salim, two members of the Pixel Pack, whose game Tales of Kenzera: Zau picked up the Game Beyond Entertainment award later in the night, to hear their take on the initiative.

As Wilton Regan put it: “The Pixel Pack came about because Neil Newbon is a mover and a shaker and a magic maker in the industry, and he approached me.”

Remembering the recruitment process, she added: “Neil said, ‘Will you do the shoot?’ I said, ‘Of course, I'd absolutely love to and be honoured to.’

“And I was honoured to! I got to meet loads of lovely people that I hadn’t met before, and catch up with old friends. And it's been kind of revolutionary. It's a really smart thing to do.”

Salim recalled a similar story: “Neil approached me with it, and he was very open about this idea of being like, ‘Hey, we want video game actors to be seen and regarded and heard in this industry. And do you want to be a part of it?

“And I was like, absolutely. This is for our rights. This is for, like, whether to use AI or not. It's for us to be just regarded and respected in the same way that everyone, all the developers, should be respected, you know? So I was very lucky and fortunate to have been asked to be part of this group.”

As for what the future holds for the Pixel Pack now that it’s been introduced to the world, Newbon said: “The endeavour’s not done yet. We're going to do other things with it.

“I believe we're trying to work out the best route through to what we can do with this idea. We definitely can do another shoot, I hope, at the end of the year hopefully.

“And we also want to see if we can do things like mentorships, to be able to help actors get into game work. But also to help people that have been in game work for a long time, to get the recognition they deserve, beyond just the game itself.”

Certainly, we’ll watch this project develop with great interest! At the BAFTA ceremony that followed, Pixel Pack member Ben Starr made a memorable appearance, and Astro Bot was the big winner of the night.

Read more:

• Baldur's Gate stars cameo as BAFTA reveals special trailer to celebrate gaming stories
• Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion and Karlach actors have different thoughts on revisiting their characters

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