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An interesting development in the gaming world is currently taking place right now.

When it comes to narrative and cinematic games, or even the smallest but dedicated story driven games, many of them are make or break the immersion based on a character and their portrayal. This boils down to their mannerisms and their voice.

And now the voices of many of gamings biggest protagonists and antagonists are taking up arms and calling for representation for what they do. Here is the breakdown.

A long-running conversation between publishers and voice actors over contract terms may be coming to a head. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors (including voice actors) is currently considering a strike to push the matter to resolution.

Chief among the issues under discussion is the matter of “back end bonuses.” These are a trade-off, with lower fees for service, but a percentage of the gross. This is becoming more common in film, and now may become a piece of the gaming landscape.


Additionally, SAG-AFTRA is looking for stunt pay for those actors put in vocally stressful situations. Additionally, with the increase in motion capture performance, the union wants to have stunt coordinators available.

The matter has been under intense discussion since the beginning of the year. The two sides met in February and then again in June with no resolution.

Now, SAG-AFTRA is taking a vote on whether or not to strike. In order for that to happen, 75 percent of voting members would need to approve the action. If successful, members would be unable to work during the strike, and the union would ask that non-members abide by the action.

The group goes so far as to suggest that the proposal from publishers, including Activision, Disney, EA, and WB Games may not be legal. “Saying no will be much easier if the interactive community is on board,” the union indicates on its FAQ page. “It comes down to a question of power. The employers can dig in their heels indefinitely. A strong strike authorization vote is the best way to shift the power dynamic.”

So far, a number of notable voice actors have voiced their support of the strike. Included are Wil Wheaton, Phil LaMarr, Jennifer Hale, Ashly Burch, and Steve Blum, using two different hashtags (#PerformanceMatters and #IAmOnBoard2015).

What this boils down to, is that unfair contracts have been asked for by producers in the video game industry, and now to the point that voice actors have to use the organized union to negotiate further. If the negotiations continue to meet with standstills, numerous voice actors will go on strike, and we are not like to hear their voice work anytime soon.

It's a touch and go topic, one that we will be following very closely as it develops.

SOURCE

Spoiler: UPDATE1

SAG AFTRA has now authorized a full strike. This means a new meeting will be held to further discuss future payment opportunities. If no agreement is reached this time around, many major voice actors WILL go on strike.

SAG-AFTRA video game voice actors have authorized the union’s national board to call a strike with 96.5% of those voting backing a work stoppage.

SAG-AFTRA plans to ask companies to return to the bargaining table. Previous talks in February and June failed to produce an agreement on a successor deal.

Reps for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have refused to comment.

“It is important to note that the referendum result does not mean that members are on strike, rather, it gives the National Board the authority to declare a strike,” the union said. “A 75% ‘yes’ vote was required to give the National Board that authority. With this result in hand, the Negotiating Committee will seek to return to the bargaining table and continue to press for a fair resolution on behalf of performers working in video games.”

The contract covers work performed for Activision, Electronic Arts, Disney, Warner Bros. and other employers of video game voice actors.

The strike authorization has been supported by several notable voice actors including Elias Toufexis (“Deus Ex’s” Adam Jensen), D.C. Douglas (“Resident Evil’s” Wesker) and Jennifer Hale (“Mass Effect’s” Femshep). The movement also has Twitter hashtags: #PerformanceMatters and#iAmOnBoard2015.

SOURCE

 

[UltraHurricane]

why is it that some consumers seem to think the polished/final product was easy to make? the reason it seems that way is because of the extremely long and tedious hours that went into making that product, be it a book, video game, movie, poster, painting, whatever. i always love that argument that those jobs are so easy, it never ceases to entertain me.

-another world

also keep in mind that vocal booths have little to no air conditioning since the fan noises and wind would interfere with recording and there have been cases of VAs nearly passing out from exhaustion so don't anyone try to claim that voice acting is as easy as sitting in a comfy room reading lines for a few hours

 

[XDel]

Hire someone else, there are plenty of people with good voice acting skills that just don't make it big time. Dip into that pool, "provide job opportunities", I don't need to recognize the voice of my favorite Hollywood actor. In fact that kind of takes me out of the game a bit because I'm like,"oh listen, it's so and so".

Millionaires should not strike for more cash, they should stop spending it on blow, plastic surgery, sex changes, fancy cloths, jets, and the like; manage their money in other words.

 

[Bladexdsl]

is Charles Martinet among them?

 

[flame1234]

Yelling for hours and hours is gonna kill your voice.
If you're used to it (drill sergeant or voice actor) it ain't so bad.

For main characters in games, it takes multiple days to do the recordings.
For audiobooks it also takes multiple days.

1) Back-end pay = "We want more money"
2) Stunt pay = "We want more money"
3) Stunt coordinator = "We want safe working conditions" (this one is reasonable)

 

[ut2k4master]

maybe we'll get to hear some new voices then, finally ;P

 

[omgpwn666]

Not sure how much they get paid, so I can't really comment if they should be making more or not. I do love voice acting though, it adds a lot for me, so I say they do what they can to make voice actors happy, or find new ones.

 

[caboyzcoti]

Am I the only person that finds a common voice actor to be jarring in "cinematic" games? Games are the only medium in which the same person can embody radically different characters. They can come close in movies and I say it's equally immersion breaking. Maybe I'm just tired of the same va's in games. Hopefully the more appreciative unknowns can bubble up if the strike happens.

 

[tony_2018]

There physical body is taking the toll, in order to perform more voice acting care needs to be given to voice so yes I believe they should get paid. Now how much they are getting paid and how much more they are asking is something the news has not given. I just hope the actors are fighting for what is needed to ensure the longevity and no physicial damage, and not being greedy.

 

[Foxi4]

Let them strike. Aside from a select few AAA productions, video games are not treated as serious endeavours by voice actors and their performances usually suck dick. They're paid according to the quality of their performances. Maybe if they actually tried, they'd get better pay.

Am I the only person that finds a common voice actor to be jarring in "cinematic" games? Games are the only medium in which the same person can embody radically different characters. They can come close in movies and I say it's equally immersion breaking. Maybe I'm just tired of the same va's in games. Hopefully the more appreciative unknowns can bubble up if the strike happens.

Voice acting in Hollywood is mostly present in animation, hence one voice actor can voice numerous characters, it's no different than video games.

 

[driverdis]

it seems Steve Blum is supporting this too, you know what that means....

Spoiler

 

[tbb043]

Careful, entitled babies, or you're gonna push the industry back into using the guy from accounting and the custodian's wife for voices again.

I can't even fathom how people would think voice acting jobs are easy.

It's easy in a grander sense. It's not hard labor or something where you could wind up crippled (or even killed) on the job. Doesn't mean it doesn't take time and effort and talent, but it's not digging ditches or mining or anything that actually deserves some consideration beyond "here's what we're offering, take it or leave it".

 

[grossaffe]

It's easy in a grander sense. It's not hard labor or something where you could wind up crippled (or even killed) on the job. Doesn't mean it doesn't take time and effort and talent, but it's not digging ditches or mining or anything that actually deserves some consideration beyond "here's what we're offering, take it or leave it".

So all white-collar workers should just work for whatever's offered, but blue-collar workers should negotiate better contracts.

 

[Hyperstar96]

So all white-collar workers should just work for whatever's offered, but blue-collar workers should negotiate better contracts.

Try actually reading the post. He said blue-collar workers (i.e. voice actors) don't take any significant risk with their jobs, therefore they shouldn't feel the need to negotiate. White-collar workers, on the other hand, perform dangerous tasks that do justify negotiation.

 

[grossaffe]

Try actually reading the post. He said blue-collar workers (i.e. voice actors) don't take any significant risk with their jobs, therefore they shouldn't feel the need to negotiate. White-collar workers, on the other hand, perform dangerous tasks that do justify negotiation.

Perhaps you should look up the definitions of blue-collar and white-collar.

 

[Foxi4]

In an ideal world everyone should be able to negotiate their pay with their employer and the employer should always have the option to agree or refuse depending on the employee's performance, collars have nothing to do with this. A good voice actor, if he's proud of his work and performs well, should negotiate for higher pay. Unfortunately, most of them are rubbish, thus so is the pay.

 

[Hyperstar96]

Perhaps you should look up the definitions of blue-collar and white-collar.

Did I get them mixed up? Whoops

My apologies. Then yes, that's what he's saying.

But as for my two cents on the subject: I don't know the exact details of the strike or negotiations, but I'm on the side of "a VA's voice can be an integral part of their character, so a particularly important VA should be able to negotiate".

 

[Foxi4]

I don't know the exact details of the strike or negotiations, but I'm on the side of "a VA's voice can be an integral part of their character, so a particularly important VA should be able to negotiate".

Except they're not. A voice actor merely gives a voice to a character that's already been created by a writer, graphically presented by a slew of artists from sketch artists to 3D modelers/2D pixelartists and animated by mo-cap actors/animators. A voice actor is just one cog in a much bigger machinery and for all intents and purposes can be easily replaced with a voice actor who has a similar voice - the rest can be adjusted in post. They're not irreplacable, but that's not the point - I will agree with you to the extent that they should get a wage reflecting their contribution to the project. There are some obvious exceptions from this rule, for instance actors who were specifically pre-picked due to their fame in other media, such as the cast of Until Dawn or Beyond: Two Souls, but those are rare exceptions in which it's the star that matters, not the voice. In normal circumstances what matters by and large is the performance of the employee and that's what's gauged by the employer when creating a contract for a given job. If the employee is not satisfied with the offered wage, there are two options - further negotiation or just not signing the contract. If they're so "irreplacable" then surely the creators will up their wage, if not, then the actors grossly overestimated their own value.

 

[driverdis]

Did I get them mixed up? Whoops

My apologies. Then yes, that's what he's saying.

But as for my two cents on the subject: I don't know the exact details of the strike or negotiations, but I'm on the side of "a VA's voice can be an integral part of their character, so a particularly important VA should be able to negotiate".

If anyone can negotiate, it would be Steve Blum, He is "The Negotiator" after all.

 

[tony_2018]

Let them strike. Aside from a select few AAA productions, video games are not treated as serious endeavours by voice actors and their performances usually suck dick. They're paid according to the quality of their performances. Maybe if they actually tried, they'd get better pay.
Voice acting in Hollywood is mostly present in animation, hence one voice actor can voice numerous characters, it's no different than video games.

I concur, only a few selected games actually sound legit.

 

[Pikawil]

Careful, entitled babies, or you're gonna push the industry back into using the guy from accounting and the custodian's wife for voices again.

Anyone else reminded of Chaos Wars with its voice acting done entirely by the publisher's CEO's family?



Or perhaps they'll push the industry to the point where the only available VAs in the industry are Hatsune Miku and Microsoft Sam.