– It is completely surreal, but at the same time very beautiful. That’s what 25-year-old Nora Gjestvang says. She has dabbled in dubbing and acting since she was eleven years old. Recently, gaming giant Riot Games launched a brand new character in the online game Valorant. Nora has been given the honor of being the voice behind the character – a Norwegian woman named “Deadlock”. It is a rare commodity in the international gaming industry. This is Valorant Valorant was launched in 2020, and is made by the international game company Riot Games. They are also behind the huge success League of Legends. Valorant is a free game where two teams of five people fight against each other. The aim is for one team to place and detonate a bomb, while the other team must prevent them. Each player can choose between 22 agents, all of whom have different roles and skills. Heard by many millions You may have heard Nora Gjestvang’s voice before. She has previously dubbed a number of films and series. Among other things, she was hired as the Norwegian version of Vaiana in the film of the same name. Now many millions of players will hear her voice every single day. – Riot Games told me that Valorant has around 25 million monthly players. I can’t quite understand that so many people should listen to me. ACTRESS: Nora Gjestvang is a trained actress and has, among other things, dubbed several films and series. Photo: Riot Games Nora says that she didn’t quite know what she was trying to join. Last autumn, a studio had said that they wanted many girls her age to audition. No one knew exactly what kind of production it was about. But when Nora had been to a couple of auditions, she began to understand that this was something big. One day an e-mail arrived – she had been given the role. – I was in a place with quite a few people around me, and this was top secret. I wanted to shout, but had to keep the joy inside, she says. The role she secured was the agent “Deadlock” in the online game Valorant. NORWEGIAN: The new agent “Deadlock” comes from Norway and speaks both Norwegian and English in the game. Photo: Riot Games Recognizes a responsibility The recording of the main lines for Deadlock took place in Oslo this winter. There, Nora was able to help shape the character, and come up with suggestions for good, Norwegian replica vessels. – Among other things, I was allowed to say “go for a walk, never be sad”. It’s actually not a very badass thing to say, but it’s as Norwegian as it gets. She believes it is important that Norwegian shoe actors are hired for Norwegian roles. – It is a game that is played all over the world, and then it is wise to include the whole world. Riot Games is very good at that, she says. RARE: Characters like Norwegian are not that common in international games. Photo: Riot Games Nora also says that she feels a responsibility to represent Norway, and the Norwegian language, to an international audience. – It is perhaps part of the poor impression people around the world get of the country, she says. Norwegian is not particularly widespread in the international gaming industry. – Rare language in games Håvard Haugerud is the daily leader of the Hamar Game Collective. There is a “cluster” of game developers gathered in Hamar, and they are considered to be some of the country’s best. Haugerud thinks it’s really fun that Riot has created a Norwegian character, who also speaks Norwegian in the game. He says that Norwegian is a rare language in international games. – It’s a small language in an international industry, so you don’t hear it very often. INSPIRED: Haugerud says that several international game developers are inspired by Norwegian culture. Photo: Kristina Hågensen / news But according to Haugerud, it is not unusual for international game developers to be inspired by Norwegian and Nordic culture. – What is normal to us seems very exotic to others. Especially this with Vikings and the Norse is often brought up in the big titles. Must promote Norwegian to get support Håvard Haugerud says that the companies at Hamar Game Collective are busy promoting Norwegian language, culture and history in their games. In fact, it is the case that everyone who wants to receive public subsidies for audiovisual productions in Norway must pass the “Culture test”. According to the Norwegian Film Institute, productions must meet at least three of the four criteria in order to receive support. This is the cultural test Manuscript or literary submission is originally written in Norwegian or Sami. The main theme is related to Norwegian history, culture or social conditions. The action takes place in Norway or another EEA country. The work has a substantial contribution from authors or practicing artists resident in Norway or another EEA country. If an audiovisual work meets at least three of these requirements, it is considered a cultural product. Source: Regulations on grants for audiovisual production Haugerud highlights the games My child Lebensborn from 2018 and Draugen from 2019 as games that promote Norwegian culture and history. – Both games also did very well internationally, says Haugerud. Criticism for the script Even if the Norwegian player base is mostly satisfied with being represented in Valorant, some are critical of the Norwegian language that is being used so far. Players heard the Norwegian agent’s voice for the first time in a six-minute long video published on Valorant’s YouTube account. In the video, Deadlock and three other people explore a building on Svalbard. They meet a polar bear, which Deadlock fights alone in the end. Several Norwegian Valorant players, including on the online forum Reddit, believe that the Norwegian dialogue in the video is unnatural. news has asked Riot Games what they think about this, but they have not replied. Hey you! What do you think about this case? Do you have any tips for other cases I should look into? Then please feel free to contact me!
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The PC game Valorant gets a Norwegian character – Nora Gjestvang is the voice behind Deadlock – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
