Pathways Into Gaming With Aaron Moy
Here at SUPERJUMP, we always want to talk with game designers and developers to find out how they got into the industry and what gave them the motivation to go after a career in gaming. But we also like to spotlight other careers in the industry, to show those who may be thinking of chasing this particular dream that there’s more than one way to skin the proverbial cat.
Lucky for us, we have an excellent example of just that topic in our own ranks. Our writer Aaron Moy has a lot of different jobs in the industry, and he’s here today to tell us about them and the path he took toward each one. Let’s get right to it!
SUPERJUMP:
Thank you for joining us today Aaron! First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what you do in the industry? We will cover each of your jobs in more depth shortly, but for the moment let’s get the audience up to speed.
AARON MOY:
Sure! I’m pretty new to the industry, but I’ve been partaking in gaming for years. Last year, I graduated from the Writing for Games program at Vancouver Film School, so I suppose you could say I’m a new games writer. I like that term because it implies that you write games but also write about games. I’m also a podcaster and voice actor!
SUPERJUMP:
Wow, there’s a lot there, congratulations on the graduation! So many people just think of the “game development” path — be that coding, animation, level design — as the way to get into the industry. But you have three different examples outside that path that put you in the industry. Let’s start with the school side of things. As you said, it implies that you do both kinds of writing, both for and about games. How did you end up in that program? Have you always known you wanted to write games?
AARON MOY:
Honestly, I kind of did know subconsciously. From a very young age, I loved writing about high fantasy concepts and I’d always try to write out spin-off or sequel ideas for some of my favourite games. I’ve definitely always been into lore and worldbuilding, but I honestly thought I was going to pursue a theatre degree. When I saw the Writing for Games program on the VFS website, I don’t think I realized that game writing was an actual career prospect. I was just looking for a course to take for my post-secondary that I thought at least I’d enjoy. And I sure did.
So I submitted a sample of some game concepts I had brewing in my mind actually just days before the intake cutoff. I was pretty lucky to get into the program that year.
SUPERJUMP:
I don’t think you’re alone in being unaware, at least at that time, that there were actual programs and careers in gaming generally, and something more specific like writing. How long did that program take to complete, and where do you stand now that you’re done. Did you do any kind of internship as part of it?
AARON MOY:
It was a one-year full-time program, so the workload got a bit intense at times. The course actually branches off into TV, Film, and Games, so for the first half of the year, everyone is learning about all three. There was no official internship that we had to complete as a part of the program, but opportunities like that would come up from time to time. I’d say by the end of the program I stood with a good understanding of where I want to take my game writing and what I’m strongest at. The end was a bit rough though because they finish the year with a 1-on-1 session with an industry professional who comes in and gives you feedback on your final project. Mine had some pretty strong, disheartening words towards what he thought of my writing, so that shook me up a bit even after graduating. I think it was a good final lesson, though, to know that some people in the industry won’t understand your work, and that’s okay. I applied the parts of his feedback that I thought were useful.
SUPERJUMP:
A lot of creatives in the industry that I’ve talked with say that feedback and critique of their writing can be the hardest thing about the whole process, especially when getting it for the first time. As you said, though, all you can do is internalize some or all of it and move on. After completing the program, do you definitely want to pursue writing games as your career, and what does that look like over the next 2–3 years?
AARON MOY:
Because of the pandemic, our program head Michael Baser actually arranged for my class to take an extra half a year for free to specialize in one of the streams we didn’t initially take. I definitely do want to pursue games writing, but it’s on the back burner for now because I’ve started taking the TV Writing program. I’m definitely keeping some of it up by also writing about games on publications like SUPERJUMP. It might not happen within the next 2–3 years, but I have a long-term goal of assembling my own indie studio someday to develop my original game concepts.
Having weekly D&D sessions with my friends has also been great to keep the creative juices flowing.
SUPERJUMP:
The pandemic certainly has impacted everything, so it’s good to see how different people and places have pivoted to compensate. Best of luck with the TV track, and with the indie studio idea as well. One nice thing is that the tools and avenues to pursue indie-dev dreams are stronger than ever right now, hence the explosion in the indie scene over the last several years. Let’s move over to the voice acting part of the story, what exactly are you doing there?
AARON MOY:
So true. I firmly believe indie games have become the backbone of the industry. But yes, voice acting! I’ve always idolized video game voice actors. It might have even started with Charles Martinet. I honestly love everything about the voice acting process, from learning about accents to analyzing what characters are thinking as they speak. It’s something that I learned about in theatre growing up, and it’s kind of how I keep the performance part of me nurtured.
So I started taking courses. My first was with Dave Fennoy, an absolute voiceover legend. He really gave me insight into what goes into the audition process, and how closely related voice acting for video games can be to theatre acting. So, with his advice, I upgraded my mic and started following the big voiceover accounts on Twitter, and looked for casting calls. Not too long ago, I landed my first paid gig in an upcoming visual novel, so I can’t wait to see where that path takes me.
SUPERJUMP:
Congratulations on the gig! Dave Fennoy is absolutely huge in games voice-acting like you said, he’s done some iconic roles. How did you find those courses, and were they in a class setting, or was it 1–1 coaching and mentoring? And for the aspiring voice actors who may read this, could you share what mic you chose and a couple of the Twitter accounts you’d recommend following?
AARON MOY:
With Dave Fennoy, it was more of a happy accident to discover that he was advertising voiceover courses on his Facebook page. I knew that I wanted to get taught by reputable people in the industry, so I started investigating the names I knew to see if they offered classes. Dave’s course was a class setting, which I definitely prefer. It allows you to network and forces you to get comfortable performing for others.
As for the mic, I started with a Blue Yeti, which absolutely NOT what you want to waste money on for this career path! It certainly has other uses, but it won’t cut it for video game VA. I now have a RODE NT1-A XLR mic, which works great for now, but I’ll for sure be upgrading when I can. Twitter accounts I’d recommend following off the top of my head: @DaveFennoy, @CashmanMarc, @voicemoto, and @SuChanVA. The great thing about Dave is that he actually does weekly live streams on Wednesdays, usually with special guests, where you can actually ask any VO question and he’ll give you advice.
SUPERJUMP:
From what you’ve experienced, is it important to have a certain voice or sound a certain way, or is it more about how you use your voice? I have to imagine a lot of people reading this might think “my voice is way too high/low/soft/etc to do voice acting,” or some other preconception of their ability that may stop them from pursuing it.
AARON MOY:
I’m definitely not qualified to be teaching anyone anything at this stage, but I’ll pass on some wisdom Dave told me. Mind you, this is paraphrasing. He said that you have to believe your performance. What I think that means is that the more you can put yourself into the mind of the character, the more believable your performance will be. I think generalizing about your voice can stop you before you get started. There are plenty of roles out there for all kinds of ranges, and plenty of classes to train your voice. Everyone will have a different way into the industry. You just need the will to start.
SUPERJUMP:
Great advice, it stands to reason a lot of people stop themselves before they ever get started. Your third “job” as it were is as a podcast host, which could actually be a good way for people to get comfortable on camera and behind a mic if that is something they want to pursue. Tell us about your podcast and how you got started doing that.
AARON MOY:
Yay! Time to plug! Thanks for asking. My podcast is called The S Rank, and my motive behind it is to speak to my favourite people in the games industry. It’s actually the first project of a podcast network called Triple S Studios which I founded with my friend William. I originally wanted to create a YouTube series about the origins of women characters in games, so I started with one of the very first: Ms. Pac-Man. To get that video completed, I actually sought out Steve Golson, who was the hardware engineer behind the original Ms. Pac-Man game.
Fast forward another year or so, I haven’t finished the video, Steve gets interviewed on the Netflix docu-series High Score, and I graduate from VFS. Then, I had a realization: My recording with Steve was almost an hour long. I could definitely release it instead as a podcast! But how do I start a podcast? Luckily, YouTube had some good answers. Against the advice of YouTube to create a concept and join a podcast network, I decided to create my own. That way, I could work on my confidence/interviewing skills and put out whatever game-related audio content I want. So I spent a solid week conceptualizing, paid one of my good friends to make some pixel art, and voila! Triple S Studios and The S Rank were born.
SUPERJUMP:
There is certainly something to be said for jumping in with both feet and doing what you want to do. What would you say has been the most challenging part of the process so far? What advice would you give someone who was in your shoes back then that you wish you had known?
AARON MOY:
That’s a really good question. I would say that having an accessible recording space is crucial. Before, I recorded at the Vancouver Public Library, but the pandemic kinda forced me to create my own studio. I created Triple S in the middle of construction when I probably should have waited for it to be complete. I would also advise recording a few episodes before you start if possible. It’s harder to convince a guest to come on your show when you only have one or two episodes. I was completely blown away when Rachel Fannan agreed to join us for Episode 3.
SUPERJUMP:
You’ve definitely had some serious talent on the show already. Do you plan to keep the podcast going while you pursue your writing and voice-acting goals? And to end on a fun note, who would be your dream guest to have on the show?
AARON MOY:
Absolutely. I think my future podcasts might be pre-recorded a season at a time so I don’t have to worry so much about juggling everything at once. I’m so fortunate and thankful to be doing what I’m doing. The dream guest question is so hard because every guest I reach out to truly is my dream guest. But if I had to narrow it down to one, it would have to be Reggie Fils-Aime. Gabe Newell and Grey DeLisle are close runners up though.
SUPERJUMP:
I really appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule to talk with us, Aaron. This has been a great look at parts of the industry that I don’t think many people know a lot about. Best of luck with all your endeavors and hopefully we will talk with you again in the future as your career kicks off!
AARON MOY:
Thank you so much. It’s been such a pleasure.