Video Game Voice Actors Vote to Strike

[ktchong]

It's in the news.  Google it yourself.

Edited October 8, 2015 by ktchong

[Nonek]

Mixed opinions, very mixed opinions.

 

On one hand this seems enormously detrimental to developers whom basically give up their lives to bring projects to fruition during the crunch, and before that spend years working on them, these are the true creators and to prioritise voice actors above them seems simply wrong headed. Especially if the voice actor is Wil Wheaton, i'd pay more to specifically not have him in a game.

 

However one cannot fault a certain group for negotiating for better conditions, especially in the video games market where publishers have an unhealthy amount of control and property rights, perhaps developers should have done so long ago?

 

However as a realist I can see a simple resolution to this: Publishers simply hire voice acting talents from abroad, i'm sure there are voice actors and editing studios in England or Canada that would for instance happily provide this service. Fly the audio director over, keep in touch via Skype and I can't see much difference or unusual problems arising so long as contact is maintained when the usual changes, last minute additions and retakes arise.

 

It will be interesting to see how this develops, and whether it affects the smaller developers for whom voice acting is not such an important factor.

[Malcador]

Hope they get what they want, maybe others in the industry will look at them and figure something out.

[Leferd]

Not all voice actors --let alone for video games-- are card carrying SAG members. May as well go exclusively with the scabs.

[Hurlshort]

Oh no, we might need to go back to reading stuff.  

[Blarghagh]

Whelp, there goes the budget. I guess we'll drop ten features.

[ktchong]

Here are their demands at the union website:

 

http://www.sagaftra.org/interactive/what-we-stand-for

 

On the other hand, game studios and publishers have also been making very unreasonable demands:

 

https://deadline.com/2015/10/sag-aftra-strike-video-game-industry-authorization-vote-1201568991/

 

After reading the articles, I'm more inclined to support the actors over the video game industry, which seems to be very exploitative.

Edited October 9, 2015 by ktchong

[melkathi]

Oh no, we might need to go back to reading stuff.  

 

"Back"?

Didn't you just move from Dead State to Age of Decadence?

[Blarghagh]

Seems exploitative towards actors! Actors have it better than literally every other cog in the machine. Have you ever met a bug-tester? No, you haven't! You know why? Because they are locked in a dank warehouse filled with cubicles right now and are not allowed to leave until they meet their quota.

 

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned they get to wait their turn, and that is after literally every other cog in the exploitative machine that is AAA gaming. Performance Matters indeed, I want it to run at a decent framerate before I want to listen to some stilted lines.

 

[vent] To be fair, I may be just a teensy little bit biased since I have worked with actors a lot in a motion capture and sound recording studio (though for either indie or small licensed products) and literally every single one I have worked with was a complete and utter moron and it has left me with a completely irrational but aggressively burning hatred for their ilk. How can an actor not understand simple concepts like "walk here and stop on the mark"? The amount of sound mixing my friend has had to do because they're always talking in the wrong direction or not projecting their voice, and the amount of retargeting mocap data that I have had to do because maybe 5% of mocapped performance is even useable... Why weren't you following the required technical directions? "Because I'm an artist and my gut told me the performance was better this way!" ARGH! I always dread hearing we're going to be using actors, because it means you can throw your schedule in the trash and most of the time all it does is make your game worse. [/vent]

Edited October 9, 2015 by TrueNeutral

[Malcador]

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned they get to wait their turn, and that is after literally every other cog in the exploitative machine that is AAA gaming. Performance Matters indeed, I want it to run at a decent framerate before I want to listen to some stilted lines.

So they're dependent on the developers and artists finally finding some balls to demand their share?

Edited October 9, 2015 by Malcador

[Blarghagh]

Fair point. They might as well wait until the heat death of the universe.

[melkathi]

Next thing you know, there`ll be video game voice actors starting kickstarter campaigns to cut out the evil publishers. Stretch goal 2: hire an actual dev studio to make the game to go with the voice acting.

[Volourn]

The companies' proposals sound EVIL.

 

As for cheering on having no voice acting. ARE YOU SERIOUS? No Irenicus voice actor? GET OUT OF HERE.

[Orogun01]

Seems exploitative towards actors! Actors have it better than literally every other cog in the machine. Have you ever met a bug-tester? No, you haven't! You know why? Because they are locked in a dank warehouse filled with cubicles right now and are not allowed to leave until they meet their quota.

 

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned they get to wait their turn, and that is after literally every other cog in the exploitative machine that is AAA gaming. Performance Matters indeed, I want it to run at a decent framerate before I want to listen to some stilted lines.

 

[vent] To be fair, I may be just a teensy little bit biased since I have worked with actors a lot in a motion capture and sound recording studio (though for either indie or small licensed products) and literally every single one I have worked with was a complete and utter moron and it has left me with a completely irrational but aggressively burning hatred for their ilk. How can an actor not understand simple concepts like "walk here and stop on the mark"? The amount of sound mixing my friend has had to do because they're always talking in the wrong direction or not projecting their voice, and the amount of retargeting mocap data that I have had to do because maybe 5% of mocapped performance is even useable... Why weren't you following the required technical directions? "Because I'm an artist and my gut told me the performance was better this way!" ARGH! I always dread hearing we're going to be using actors, because it means you can throw your schedule in the trash and most of the time all it does is make your game worse. [/vent]

This

 

**** those overexposed pieces of ****, they're not even real actors.

[Blarghagh]

Saying that gives other actors too much credit.

[Orogun01]

Saying that gives other actors too much credit.

Well, in major motion pictures having a name attached to a script is a deciding factor on whether the movie gets made or not. I don't think that having a voice actor has ever been a deciding factor on whether a game gets made.

[Blarghagh]

Yes, but only because they're overexposed pieces of ****.

[Bryy]

Oh no, we might need to go back to reading stuff.  

Anyone who trivializes the bull**** that these people are fighting against down to this is worth an ignore, in my book.

 

 

Seems exploitative towards actors!   Actors have it better than literally every other cog in the machine. Have you ever met a bug-tester? No, you haven't! You know why? Because they are locked in a dank warehouse filled with cubicles right now and are not allowed to leave until they meet their quota. 

 

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned they get to wait their turn, and that is after literally every other cog in the exploitative machine that is AAA gaming. Performance Matters indeed, I want it to run at a decent framerate before I want to listen to some stilted lines.

This is the issue that I and a lot of people I know in the industry have at this point. 

 

Another is that there just isn't enough money to go around if everyone in the industry unionizes.

 

**** those overexposed pieces of ****, they're not even real actors.

 

.... are you effing kidding me with this BS?

[Gromnir]

stunt coordinators?

 

*chuckle*

 

and how dare companies use their non-sag employees to do voicework in games.

 

HA!

 

if the voice actors can force better pay for emoting into a microphone, then so be it... and good for them.  get points for boldness.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Bryy]

and how dare companies use their non-sag employees to do voicework in games.

This is also going to be a huge contention point.

 

Video games are not movies, and can't be treated as such by a movie union. The "SAG Only" rule is already broken all the time in filming.

[Volourn]

"Another is that there just isn't enough money to go around if everyone in the industry unionizes."

 

\That ius bull. That's what the bigwigs tell you but it is simply a lie.

 

I also find it interesting how people will always go against their inetrests and side with the uber greedy bosses and not the 'little people'. Look at what the companies are demanding. they are demanding the right to STEAL people's money. And, people are saying that is a-ok. EVIL.

 

I'd rather have some voice actor get a few extra thousand than have some big wig at EA get another few million. L0L Not enough money to go around. L0L

[majestic]

I also find it interesting how people will always go against their inetrests and side with the uber greedy bosses and not the 'little people'.

 

That's fairly simple, because voice acting is seen as an easy job that pays exceedingly well for it being only a couple of hours of work per week. After all Mark Hamill once said it's a good job where you can show up in your pyjamas, and who is to argue with Luke Skywalker?

[Bryy]

"Another is that there just isn't enough money to go around if everyone in the industry unionizes."

 

\That ius bull. That's what the bigwigs tell you but it is simply a lie.

 

I also find it interesting how people will always go against their inetrests and side with the uber greedy bosses and not the 'little people'. Look at what the companies are demanding. they are demanding the right to STEAL people's money. And, people are saying that is a-ok. EVIL.

 

I'd rather have some voice actor get a few extra thousand than have some big wig at EA get another few million. L0L Not enough money to go around. L0L

Um, I'm not saying that's okay.

 

But, you know, whatever makes you feel morally superior to everyone in this thread.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Good on them and I hope their demands are met.

 

More likely the scags will be bussed in though.

 

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned they get to wait their turn, and that is after literally every other cog in the exploitative machine that is AAA gaming. Performance Matters indeed, I want it to run at a decent framerate before I want to listen to some stilted lines.

Say what you will about the VAs, but I doubt everyone else would have the balls to ask for better conditions. More likely they continue to lube up and say "thank you master" while they take what pennies they get.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I also find it interesting how people will always go against their inetrests and side with the uber greedy bosses and not the 'little people'. Look at what the companies are demanding. they are demanding the right to STEAL people's money. And, people are saying that is a-ok. EVIL.

But the bosses are being bullied. If executives have to pay decent rates for labor, they can't buy a third house or a yacht! Can you imagine not having a yacht because some greasy actor wants to be paid better for his time in the studio or an agent not scheduling their actors for an audition the studio demanded? Utterly monstrous.