Video Game Voice Actor Strike Continues, as Union Pickets Batman Publisher This Week

As for the negotiations, SAG-AFTRA says that its package of proposals is "not loaded with any crazy demands." Several prominent voice actors have spoken out in support of the strike, including Roger Craig Smith (Batman, Assassin's Creed), Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect, Guild Wars), and actor Wil Wheaton. According to Deadline, only about 25 percent of video games use union voice actors. This is the first strike in the history of video game performers.

The gaming industry refuses to offer residual payment bonuses and other profit-sharing opportunities, according to the union. Specifically, SAG-AFTRA asked that its performers receive an additional "full-scale payment" for every 500,000 units sold, for a maximum of four secondary payments if a game sells 2 million copies, Deadline reported. Additionally, the union claims that the industry has denied a proposal that would reduce the recording time for "vocally stressful" sessions to two hours to help prevent an actor from damaging their voice. For its part, the industry came back to the bargaining table with an offer for helping to ease the stress of voice recording.

"The [video game companies] offered to split a 4-hour recording session into two, two-hour portions with the second session to be performed within five days of the first session to ease the stress on performers, but this and other offers were rejected by SAG-AFTRA," the industry's lawyer said. "This is an area that the parties have agreed to continue to collaboratively investigate during the term of the next contract. Exploring ways to further improve working conditions is something both sides should be committed to."

According to the video game publishers, it offered a 9 percent wage hike as part of the negotiations. Additionally, it offered additional compensation of up to $950 per game based on the number of voice acting sessions an actor did on a particular game.

With the wage hike, this package could apparently lead to a 23 percent increase in pay for some actors, the publishers said. As it stands, video game voice actors represented by SAG-AFTRA are paid at least $100/hour, plus benefits, though working hours are not "normal" by the conventional standard.

For the full article, please go to:

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/video-game-voice-actor-strike-continues-as-union-p/1100-6445037/

Oh the poor voice actors. "Its hard to read a few lines a day for 100$ an hour. Give me more money!"

This is going to end in failure. They don't have any leverage whatsoever

Voice actors don't really get that much, the person who earned the most as a voice actor in video games made a total of 300.000 bucks and appeared in more than 400 video games as a voice actor.    You should watch this segment that talks about this strike:  https://youtu.be/pmWk3Q6a_64

Brandon's wife is a voice actress that's why he is also passoniate discussing it.

I genuinely hope this strike will succeed in its goals to at least some extent. Based on a lot of stories that seem to come out of the industry in general, working in it isn't very often a pleasurable experience. If they succeed it could potentially lead to other sections of the industry to begin demanding better working conditions and the like.

It wasn't that long ago when Amy Hennig (the writer of the Uncharted-games) talked about the massive amounts of stress the industry can create due to how game development works right now.

Improved working conditions, sure. Residuals? I have no idea why they would expect that. This isn't film.

Its hard enough for developers and publishers to make money in this industry without having to pay voice actors extra if the game is successful. Studios are closing down left and right these days. What will happen is just that companies will hire less voice actors to do more work. They arent that important. Its not like in a movie where the voice acting is crucial for the success of the film. Theres so many people working on a game that deserves bonuses more than voice actors.

I guess because if devs make a remaster of release a game again and sell millions the voice actors will see nothing from it.

Commercials used to be the same which is why they striked a few years ago, and why writers striked a few years before that. Even in film, it's actually not common for an actor to demand them, big names sell a film so sure, having Tom Cruise on the film will help sales and therefore he is entitled to them but Jason Flemyng? He's probably happy to receive the good wage he gets for the job for a few months work, probably cares less about bonuses if the film does well.

They are however entitled to the money as their voice acting can make the character come to life (so to speak), and they do more than just voice acting now with many doing the motion capture too. So the next iteration of the game they should just be demanding it as part of their contract in the negotiations.

I think the pay increase the game companies offered is good, residuals should be down to individual actors contracts but as long as neither undermine the wages of the developers of the game.

Why would they? They dont have to do anything.