The video game market size is predicted to hit USD 721.77 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 10.15% during the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. This accelerated growth and popularity of the industry is due to the fact that it is constantly reinventing itself and adapting to the changing times. Game developers are embracing all possible innovations and technologies to create high-tech games that offer immersive experiences that are accessible to all players.
If you are an avid gamer, you must already be aware of the AR/VR revolution that completely changed the gaming industry. There’s another innovation that is making huge waves in the industry, but it is integrated so subtly into popular games that you might have missed it. We are talking about none other than the use of text to speech technology in game development. This technology allows games to be produced using spoken words dynamically. Along with adding depth to the story, it also makes games accessible to visually impaired players.
In this article, we discuss eight incredible games that have successfully used TTS technology to develop immersive and interactive experiences. Maybe you are already playing these games but didn’t know that TTS is what makes these games so special. Let’s go!
Understanding Text-to-Speech in Gaming
Text-to-speech technology reads written text aloud through synthesized voices. In gaming, TTS can be applied in several ways:
- Dynamic narration: Offering real-time commentary or narration that responds to player actions.
- Character dialogue: Enabling non-playable characters (NPCs) to speak lines without pre-recorded voiceovers.
- Cost-effective localization: TTS can be employed by game developers to produce speech in multiple languages without the need for large-scale voice acting or even professional voice actors.
- Accessibility enhancements: For visually impaired or reading-challenge players, TTS offers audio narration of on-screen text, menus, and dialogues, making games more accessible.
Through the use of TTS, developers are able to develop more flexible and responsive gaming environments with increased immersion and accessibility.
Eight Games Utilizing Text-to-Speech Technology
- Bot Colony
Bot Colony is a North Side Inc.-developed episodic adventure game that utilizes TTS to enable natural language interfaces with robots. Players interact with characters within the game using their voices, and the game uses TTS to produce responses from the robots.
This interactive dialogue system makes the game more engaging as players have conversations to solve puzzles and progress through the story.
- Skyrim (Mod: Herika – AI Companion)
Within the modding community, TTS has been used to enrich character interactions. The “Herika” mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim adds an AI-driven companion who can have scripted and open-ended conversations. The mod utilizes TTS to produce responses, making for a more realistic and interactive companion experience.
- Starship Commander: Arcade
Starship Commander: Arcade, created by Human Interact, is a virtual reality game that employs TTS to provide interactive storytelling. Players give voice commands to guide the story, and the game returns dynamically generated speech, creating a personalized and immersive experience. The application of TTS makes it possible for a branching story that responds to player decisions in real-time
- Stardew Valley (Mod: AI-generated Dialogue)
Also, in Stardew Valley, modders have used TTS to enhance character interactions. Through the application of AI and TTS, NPCs are able to have more interactive and personalized dialogue with players, which maximizes immersion in the social atmosphere of the game
- Wraith: The Oblivion – The Orpheus Device
Earplay developed this voice-based adventure game that utilizes TTS to provide a rich narrative experience. The game is controlled by voice commands, and TTS is utilized to communicate the answers of in-game characters. This provides an engaging audio-focused experience where players are able to experience the story through natural language interaction.
- Lifeline
Lifeline, published by Sony Computer Entertainment, is a survival horror title that utilizes TTS to support voice-controlled play. The players give voice commands to control the protagonist, and the game relies on TTS to give responses and narrate the story. This use of TTS makes it possible for hands-free gameplay and provides a sense of immersion in the play experience
- Periphery Synthetic
Periphery Synthetic is an innovative audio-based game that uses TTS to offer an inclusive experience for visually impaired gamers. The game offers audio cues and descriptions via TTS, enabling gamers to explore and interact with the game environment entirely by sound. This creative application of TTS makes the game inclusive and fun for more people.
- GLaDOS in Portal Series
In Valve’s Portal series, GLaDOS uses TTS to read her famous lines. Synthesized speech helps her come across as more robotic and plays a role in the game’s storytelling. Such use of TTS provides character depth and helps players remember their experience.
Conclusion
The integration of text-to-speech technology into games has opened up new frontiers for story, narration, interactivity, and accessibility. The eight games described above showcase the multifaceted applications of TTS, varying from facilitating natural language interaction to designing authentic soundscapes.
As technology of TTS continues to develop, we can expect even more revolutionary applications in the ongoing evolution of games.