408 thoughts on “This is why I support a SAG-AFTRA strike authorization for video games — and it isn’t about money.”

1. As much as I want the strike to succeed, realistically, the strike will fail. I respect the work done by voice actors, but they aren’t as essential to the game development process as game designers, programmers, artists, testers, and sound designers. Big publishers realize this. Some AAA games such as the Legend of Zelda have little to no voice acting. The game industry can easily weather a strike.

   The only conceivable way the strike could work is if there was coordinated strike that included both developers and voice actors. Voice actors by themselves have little leverage to change the industry. Even a scandal as big as the EA_spouse controversy was unable to get publishers to treat developers better. The reason why unions are so powerful in Hollywood is because of the cooperation between the SAG, DGA, and WGA. However, the problem is that there is no existing union for developers. It’s true that voice actors have no obligation to fight for the rights of programmers, game designers, or artists. But without reaching out to workers from the rest of the industry, a strike by SAG-AFTRA members won’t be successful. The best strategy right now for SAG-AFTRA is to educate and convince developers to organize. Until that happens, publishers will continue to ignore unions.

   1. There are Reasons that all IT industries are against developers (or any of their white collar workers) unionizing, and this is one of them.

      I also think you underestimate the requirement for voice talent in games these days.

   2. It will take years to organize programmers. What you’re asking for is for no action to be taken about a very present problem. Also there are very few games without any sort of voice acting.

   3. Voices are the game. With all the production value and backbone and visuals, the voice acting personalizes and polishes the vision and can truly set the human (or other) ambient tone, which ultimately can make or break the final expression of the narrative. To say it is less important is ridiculous, of course you dont need voice actors to make a game and there is no game without code, rendering, and experienced designers, but all of that goes to shite when the voice talent is not up to par, the vocal mastering is overlooked, or when it just plain sucks. Its hard to keep a gamers attention if voice actors are not committed to the development, pace and urgency of the story or key moment of gameplaying or cinematic climax. Would you eat the cake if the frosting was made of feces?

      1. 1 – You’ve obviously never played the Metroid series

         2 – PLEASE convince me that MetalGear had good voice acting and that’s what sold millions of copies

         3 – WE ARE ON THE SAME SIDE! There’s no need for voice acting without a game, and games get a LOT from good voice acting. Look at Spider man 3 for a horrible example.

         I’m an ex developer who got out of the gaming industry because we… THEY, lack a union to fight for this sort of stuff. I applaud SAG-AFTRA for protecting their people. But for the love of all my developer friends still in the industry working 90+ hours for weeks/month/YEARS at a time, pleas please PLEASE get SAG-AFTRA to bring them into the fold and unionize them.

         1. The real support for unionization must come from within. The people working 90+ hours a week without overtime for poor pay must realize that they are being exploited in a most unfair way, and want to change that. I don’t get the feeling that there is much drive to change in the industry, and if there is, people aren’t doing it. Unionization is at heart a grassroots endeavor (unless you’re a Leninist, but I digress). If people don’t realize that their conditions are terrible, and are not told that they can do anything about it, they will assume that it’s normal.

            1. The companies will always f— you as hard and as long as you are willing to bend over and be f—ed by them. When you’ve had enough, you will stop bending over.

   4. I’m no soothsayer, so I have no idea whether the strike will fail or not, but as somebody who works in the industry, and a fan on top of that, I can’t agree with you affirmation that voice actors don’t matter. It may be true that there are some games that have very little voice acting (and the little Zelda chirps are actually voice acting), but these are currently the minority, specially in AAA games. Voice is important to a story, the tone, the cadence, the pitch… all this adds to a character.

   5. ” However, the problem is that there is no existing union for developers.” So …. unionize? What is preventing you from organizing a union? Serious question, not rhetorical. (And an important one as my middle child wants to go into game development at some point and I have a desire to ensure my kid is well informed.)

   6. This is pretty much like a person in a band who plays the triangle or cowbell(really well) and gets paid as much as the other members, for only participating in 2 songs of an entire album.

      In the fines section of this article… there’s a lot of ‘wants’. Do they? Have they? Under what real circumstances?

      Post a contract and show us what you made and how long it took. We can compare! Cause I’m willing to bet that you make a lot more than I do in a much much shorter time. Thus, for a lot of the development guys working 60+ hours a week, your words are kind of falling on deaf ears.

      2 hour days, HAH!

      1. The difference is that if you work a 10 hour day, you are perfectly capable of working the next day. If a voice actor performs for 10 hours, they are unable to perform for a week, and incur incremental damage on their bodies each time as a result. If you only had, say, 5000 hours of typing/programming you could do in your lifetime, how would that change the way you work? How you approached contracts?

         1. This is absolute BS. Someone sitting on a phone doing sales or customer service speaks much longer than a voice actor and gets paid much less. It’s pure greed.

            1. I’m sorry but phone operators don’t scream for hours on end and put unneeded stress on their vocal chords. If you think that speaking to a person and actually speaking with EMOTION and screaming lines over and over again is the same than you are sadly mistaken.

            2. Also I guarantee that there are loads more people that could perform the duties of a phone operator, than people who can give an outstanding performance for a AAA game. You aren’t just paying for them to say words, you are paying for a talent to convey a performance that is believable and memorable. Now if you think you could do better than some of the best voice actors in the business than be my guest.

      2. Hey! Glad you have an opinion! Maybe next time you should read the article before commenting? Or at least the article’s title?

         I don’t think (most) voice actors should get a profit share in (most) video games. I do think that the actors should have the right to negotiate, and should not be forced to injure themselves, put up with ridiculous fines, etc.

         (* – I think there’s an argument to be made for iconic voices in narrative-based games to be treated as key players, but I suspect those people already get cushier contracts. Not sure, though, never worked that end of it.)

      3. Bantha, I think you’ve missed the point.

         First, not about money on the whole. Just because it is a part of the strike doesn’t make it a focus point.

         Second, a voice actor is not like someone only playing the triangle or cowbell, as you put it. If it were such a simple job, in comparison, then the drummer/percussionist(varies in different bands) could do it as well. That means the development team could do the acting themselves. But, more than likely, very few, if any, of the team could do voice acting well, and the game wouldn’t sell because the characters sound ridiculous. A voice actor is more like the bass guitar. Mostly there to help the beat, but songs wouldn’t be the same without it.

         Third, whether fines have been enacted or not, how would you feel if you were threatened with having to pay $2,500 on the spot to your employer for something like stretching and not doing your work for a moment. That may sound ridiculous, but there are employers that are that petty, especially if they don’t get along with the employee. On top of that, then having to worry about being forced to try out for a job you don’t want to do, otherwise your superviser has to pay $50,000 – $100,000.

         As for you last point, again, the main focus isn’t money. And if that is the reason this falls on deaf ears, then it only proves to show how little voice actors get heard in their rights. Yes, they may make more in a short time than you do, but you have consistant work, they don’t. As it is stated, they’re lucky to work twice a month, and the money from that work depends on a lot of factors. How famous they are, the budget of the project, if the project is even all that big to begin with, how big of a role they play. You, more than likely, only have to worry about how high in management you are, but every pay check is consistant if you work the same hours each week. A voice actor doesn’t have that luxury.

         As for the 2 hours, their voice is their job. They need to use their voice perfectly. If they strain that voice, then they have no work till it’s better, if they haven’t done any permanent damage. I don’t know about you, but if my ability to work was put on the line due to a stupid factor of someone not understanding how they are effecting my health, I’d be pissed and want it heard how they can keep my health in check as much as they’re able to (pertaining to the job) so I can continue said job without any hassle.

         TL;DR: It’s not about money, it’s about being considered a human, not a robot, and humans have goddamned rightsl

      4. Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.

         “It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”

         So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the women his work of art.

         “It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”

         “Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied.

         “But, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”

         To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”

         These are people with specialized skills they have developed over many years of work, and they deserve to be compensated accordingly, just like you would for any job that requires training, practice, and skill to master. Artists deserve to be paid.

         1. Amen to that.

      5. You completely missed his section regarding this issue. It’s near the top. In addition, check your logic. Just because there are starving kids in China is no reason to finish everything on your plate when you’re already full.

      6. That’s 2 hours of sessions which require shouting, etc. Not for all voice work,

         Frankly 2 hours of shouting, etc.is way too long if you need your voice for any other work in the next day or two. Imagine doing a couple hours of bare-knuckle boxing and then doing a job that required detailed use of your hands.

2. Thanks for this enlightening post, Wil. I think part of the problem here is an aversion to union actions in the US and also that employees tend to be treated badly in many jobs (this is not meant as US bashing and I know this statement is not true for every job, but for a large number of jobs, it is true). So people who don’t have a union to fight for them tend to feel that other people don’t have a right to be properly represented either. Now I’m from a country with strong unions and I know this creates problems as well. However, employees have certain rights and this doesn’t mean they can take the job or leave it.

   I also understand that voice work is hard work. I sing as a hobby and if we rehearse for more than 2-3 hours (which happens at times), I can definitely feel my voice deteriorating. Now, I wouldn’t say it’s ruined for a week and I would imagine that acting on a TV show involves more than 2-3 hours of speaking as well, but I don’t think you’re arguing exact numbers here anyway. I hope there will be a reasonable agreement that both sides can live with. Maybe the limit will be a bit higher in the end and the pay is higher, but no royalties or something like that. The other conditions are just outrageous and need to go anyway.

3. You forgot to mention how much you get paid for such a gig. Kinda important. I worked customer service and we talked more than you do with just as much enthusiasm and it was 5 days a week 8-10 hours a day for I’m sure what was for a fraction of what you get paid for a day’s work. Hard to muster up some empathy for what sounds like a cushy gig.

   1. Hey Rod, as someone who has also worked as a customer service, phone sales, tech support and multiple other jobs similar, it is not at all similar to the stress on the vocal cords someone would expect to gain from voice acting, since most of your speech patterns are the same as your normal conversation with just forced enthusiasm. Voice acting from that regiment above and just previous small experience is a complete different beast as you are forcing your vocal cords out of the normal alignment, yes its easy (With Practice) but it is not something that can be done for extended periods of time without repercussion.

      Also as for how much they get paid, you forgot that yes its an ‘easy’ gig but they have one job maybe two at a time with large periods of nothing, during which they will need to compete for their next job with god knows how many other talented people, so their pay is going to be inflated as they need to stretch it as far as possible to minimise the risk of not getting work for a couple months. While someone like myself and yourself who works 8-10 hours a day we have job stability, with no need to worry about the actual job that we are doing causing us lasting damage that will make sure that we are not able to perform our job the next day.

      Lack of enthusiasms is not necessary for this whole situation, the core reason (I cant really say but I am assuming) is for Wil to give a reason for his situation so people can understand.

      1. This sounds very odd to me:

         they will need to compete for their next job with god knows how many other talented people, so their pay is going to be inflated

         For most jobs, the existence of lots of other people who could do the same job just about as well, means that the pay is going to be reduced, not inflated. If you want $XXXX for a job, and lots of others are willing to do the same job for $XXXX/4, why should any employer hire you?

         That said, this is complicated by a whole range of issues. Residuals and workplace safety issues and cooperation penalties are really three complete different things. The latter two are, or should be, pretty simple. Just as factories have certain protections enforced by OSHA, the voice acting workplace needs corresponding protections. I don’t know if two hours is the right limit, but there should certainly be one, and having experts supervisors for any kind of dangerous activity should be a no-brainer. Similarly, the penalty proposals sound absolutely idiotic – I cannot think of any employment relationship in which that is done. I suspect it is simply a bargaining point.

         But residuals? No, I don’t agree that VAs should be getting those as a matter of course. I recognize that commercials include them, but I suspect that largely goes to the history of commercials, which started as live performances alongside the live performances of the TV shows themselves. When recordings started being used instead of additional performances, the unions sought and received residuals to compensate. But video games have always been about repeated plays. If you want to get a cut of the profit, you should take less up front, and be willing to share in the risk. Including this as an issue is going to lose you sympathy from many people.

   2. The difference, though, is though you’re talking constantly, you’re doing so at a normal conversation voice. Most people who work customer service are going to do a ton of talking during their work shift. I work customer service as well as a dog trainer, so I’m giving constant direction and information for an hour straight for several hours, but what I’m not doing that these guys are is purposefully stressing out my voice out of normal range over and over and over. They have to groan and yell and grunt and make all kinds of noises, then do it several times just to have options (as he said in his article). I’d compare it to going to a concert or big event, where you’re spending several long hours yelling and screaming and singing. You’re quite likely to have either made yourself hoarse or lost your voice entirely by the end of the night if you’re not careful, and that’s just one night. Some of these gigs are more than just one recording session.

      As for the pay, sure, they make a lot more than a retail job, but it’s a work-for-hire type gig (and Will can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here). Once they’re done with one job, they’re out of work until they find another, unlike someone like me who has steady employment. It’s not that difficult for the big names like Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, or Will here, but for those just starting out or the lesser known ones who aren’t into leading roles yet, they may go quite awhile before they pick up another job.

      Either way, he said himself it wasn’t about the money, and I’m not sure why everyone is so focused on it. Seems like it was just something their union people discussed and put on the table as an option (Heck, it may have been a strategic play, by putting something on the table that they knew their employers probably wouldn’t go for so that when they remove it, it makes the proposal more appealing to them.). All the rest, the stuff about bettering the working conditions and how the VAs are treated? That’s what’s most important here, and that’s what needs to be focused on.

   3. This right here is the problem, instead of saying today you get yours and tomorrow I get mine people are saying F**K you for trying to get yours I never got mine when I did XYZ.

      There is a direct correlation between the buying power of the middle class and union membership. Maybe call centers should unionize and demand SLAs that are with in reason and not continually raised till you burn out or other BS.

      This is pure red herring and you should feel bad

   4. I very much disagree with your assessment of what’s required for customer service. I’ve worked both retail and behind a bar and as a waitress and I’ve never seen anyone who speaks as much or as emphatically as a voice actor has to. Its difficult to imagine a scenario where you would have to, except for maybe a call center which are pretty well regarded as terrible places to work for a slew of other reasons as well.

   5. As someone who has worked as a phone rep and is also a vocal performer, the stress incurred during voice acting is MUCH different. If we delivered our lines like we’re on the phone just talking (albeit enthusiastically), then it wouldn’t be a problem. But I highly doubt in customer service that you were asked to do 10 different yells at least 3 times a piece and then do 4 different death screams at least three times a piece. There is a very technical way to do those without hurting your vocal chords so that you can continue to do what’s asked of you, and without proper care of your vocal chords, you won’t be able to give them what they want. As Wil said, this isn’t about the residuals or the pay. It’s about their ridiculous demands on fines and “owning” our careers while neglecting the safety of our instruments.

   6. Rod, did you find it unfair? Did you ask for a raise. Did you organize? Did you take charge of your situation? Or did you feel it was a proper wage? Get it?

4. Wil, I want to first say that I love your work and I totally get the working conditions side of things. Yes, you deserve to be able to have better working conditions when it puts your body and your health on the line. I get that it’s not about the money. Personally if the cost of my game goes up 2-5$ to cover your residuals I am okay with that. Everyone should be able to make a living somehow. I personally think that the main people who should get residuals are the programmers, engineers, and designers but I can also understand it being like a contract for a movie, tv show, or audio book/other audio recording. You should get royalties if your voice/image are used. I do get it.

   What I don’t get is the 2 hour working day. I work in a call center. 8 hours a day 5 days a week at minimum. If I want to be able to afford the games and audio books that I am interested in, a lot of the times I have to take voluntary overtime to be able to have some, somewhat disposable income. I come home with a hoarse voice every day. I don’t understand the comments here that being a voice actor, and doing the call center jobs are not the same. I know that you have things you have to yell, and I get that there is a lot of repetition. I repeat the same opening line between 50-70 times a day. “hello, welcome to ____, my name is Grayce with ____, how may I help you today?” and then proceed to have anywhere from a 2 minute – 1 hr conversation with someone about the reason they called. And while I may not have to yell “GO GO GO GO” 4 times in 4 different ways, I do still have to put on an act. I have to sound happy to be there. Happy to have a job, happy to be able to work for barely enough to get by. I cannot sound frustrated with the person on the other end of the phone, even if they’ve called my support line 6 times in the past 2 days for the same issue, have gotten me at least 3 of those times, and been told the same thing all 6 times, but just HAVE to hear it one more time because they also have to worry about keeping their job if they do something wrong.

   I have to sound like I’m happy to help them with their issue. Even when, if they had just read the 2 sentence procedure on our intranet that I have sent them via email, no less than 3 times in the last month, that they wouldn’t have had to call in. I have to pretend that I want to walk them through a step by step process that’s going to take 30 minutes, when we’re so back to back on our calls that I’m an hour over due for my break, and about to actually have to work through my lunch. And I still have to make sure my handle time comes in under a certain number of seconds per call, that I don’t put people on hold, and that I meet all the required talking points in my call, greeting, appreciation, confirmation that I have resolved their issue, and more.

   So I hope you’ll forgive me if I think you saying one, single, 8 hour day with at least 2 breaks and a lunch (which is probably far longer than my 30 minute one, that a lot of the times I have to work through) kills your voice for the rest of the bloody week is totally crazy. If that’s the case I’d hate to hear what you thought of my voice, because if your definition of a voice that is “wrecked” is what you sound like after an 8 hour shift, well, I’m guessing mine is beyond reparation. Which sucks for me, because I used to sing, and did an okay job of it if I do say so myself.

   So yeah, I get you want safer working conditions for MoCap actors, and none of those ridiculous fines and fees that your employers want to institute. As well as the restrictions on HAVING to audition for certain companies, I think that’s total bullshit, and I support your right to object to that. I support your wish for residuals, because the gaming companies are using your image and voice. But the idea that you deserve a 2 hour workday because your voice is famous and it’s how you make your living, when my voice is how I make my living and I make just barely enough money to pay most of my bills, and I sure as hell don’t survive on 2 hours a day or make enough in 2 hours to pay even one bill, is absolutely ridiculous to me. That part I cannot get behind, the rest of it though, you all deserve. Safer working conditions for any job is something worth striking for.

   Also yes, I’m posting under an assumed name, I’d like to keep my job, and losing it would be a real possibility if any of the management at my company were to put things together. Gotta love living in a Right to Work state….

   1. “I walk 8 hours a day, I don’t see what’s so hard about doing lunge squats for more than 2 hours.”

      SMH

      1. You’re comparing apples and oranges here. Physical work and voice work are different. Just like the guy earlier who tried to compare it to the restaurant business. That was a ridiculous comparison. I work with my voice every day, have to use more than just conversational tone, have to fight my own emotions and stress to keep it out of my voice when I’m talking to people. It’s insulting to me as someone who works with my voice constantly that one 8 hour shift “wrecks” your voice for a week. When I have to over-work my voice 40 hours a week at minimum.

         If you want to compare physical activity to it, it would be more appropriate to say “I do cross country running for 8 hours. I don’t see what’s so hard about having to do a 100 meter race.” But even that is a ridiculous comparison because voice work and physical work are very different things.

         Also, I’ve DJ’d and done some voice work in the past, and I would LOVE to be able to make a living doing that. I just didn’t want to say anything because it wasn’t important to me to mention it. This was about the shift length exclusively. Even going out and singing, which I used to love to do but don’t have time for not can I afford to anymore, due to work, didn’t stress my voice to the point it was “wrecked.” So no, I can’t see what is so difficult that it requires a 2 hour workday when I use my voice for 8-10 hours a day.

      2. Actually, this is a bad example to prove your point with. Walking for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week vs lunge squats for 2 hours once a week?

         The walking is harder every time. That’s 40 hours of walking a week vs 2 hours of lunge squats a week.

         1. 40 hours of walking a day vs 2 hours of squats is still a pretty good example as 40 hours of walking is tough sure but its something your body does naturally so the stress is minimal and can be easily done the only real risk comes from trying to do it all in one go.

            However the 2 hours of lunges will cause long term damage and probably be more painful than anything since your body is not designed to do that motion for long periods of time.

   2. Let me ask you, Grayce, and I am being 100% serious. Do you have fake accents for your job? Mind you, this means a variety of them from many different countries. Do you have to change the pitch of your voice to something that’s extremely high or low to sound like a different person? Do you have to pretend to be two or more different people while talking to the same person without them realising that they are only talking to one? Do you have to try and convey motion while you’re talking?

      I ask this because this is what a voice actor does. To try and get more roles, they have to show that they can play a wide variety of characters, and sometimes play multiple roles in the game, all having to sound different so the player can’t tell the characters are voiced by the same person. Not to mention that even though the character is animated, the voice actor can’t use their own body language to help with emotion, movement and actions. They have to use their voice for all of it.

      I have no doubt your job is straining on your voice, but it’s not the same as voice acting.

      1. Sitala, lovely name by the way, no, of course I do not have to do those things as part of my current job. If I tried to I would get fired.

         Have I had to in the past? Yes, as part of my work for an online radio station that I did not get paid for as we were all volunteers and did it for fun. I also do things like that every weekend as part of my gaming group and as part of running my online RPG. And the games will run from 10 am -7 pm, so yes I’ve done it for extended time periods. So while I’ve never done it for pay in a studio, I still have experience in it.

         I also spent a number of my formative years in musical theatre groups where, yes, I had to do accents and convey complex situations and emotions with my voice.

         I would love to be able to make enough of a living off of my voice to only have to do one or two 8 hr shifts in a month. Or you know maybe one a week, if you’re lucky.

         So I have, in some ways, experienced both sides of this voice work coin. I would do just about anything to be on Wil’s side of it over mine.

         Don’t think I’m commenting without experience of having to do the voice acting side of things. Just because I never got paid to do it doesn’t lessen what o have done in the past. I would love to be able to make voice acting my job. Even with an 8 hour shift doing the voices.

   3. I work in a call center doing customer support. And I’m an actor. I’ve also done radio.

      Working 8 hours a day on the phones is NOTHING like doing voice acting. I think you really need to know what your talking about before you start tossing out a lot of false information.

      1. Thank. You. This one made me mad.

5. Well, now I’m definitely in support of this movement, and if game corporations think they can get away with putting VOs under sweatshop conditions like these, they damn well deserve a strike.

6. I can’t support this. It would put voice actors in a position far superior to the people who developed the game.
   6 months in crunch time knowing you’re probably going to lose your job whether the game succeeds or not ‘because that’ just how it is’ is a struggle.

   Having to talk for 4 hours is far less of a struggle

   Unless they’re part of a successful indy start-up, gamedevs don’t get residuals. The art wasn’t created over and over again, the music wasn’t reorchestrated for each sale. The voice actor didn’t individually voice each sale.

   If they want residuals they can start and sell their own project.

   VA’s get far better treatment than the people making the game, they always have. Some of what they’re asking for make sense. a lot of it is bullshit.

   #thisisnthollywood

   1. “I can’t support this. It would put voice actors in a position far superior to the people who developed the game.”

      That’s entirely the fault of the people who developed the game. Don’t like it? Unionize and fix it. Don’t want to? Quit complaining.

      1. No, this is how this should work.

         Voice actors: “Hey, we’re a union, we want more money!”

         Game devs: “Hold on a second, we’re not a union, and you’d be making way more than US, and we were here first!”

         Voice actors: “Oh, that’s a good point. Why don’t we help you unionize first, and then we can both go to the negotiating table?”

         Game devs: “I support this idea, and will support you in the future!”

         Greedy game fatcats: “Nooooooooo!”

         /strokesbeard

         Right now, neither side wants to help the other because both sides’ attitudes are, “Well, your situation sucks, but I gotta get mine.” Why would game devs ever support voice actors getting a bigger slice of their pie when voice actors have never supported game devs?

         1. My understanding is that, because of federal labor laws, we actually can’t do this. I think it’s a great idea, and I would love it if everyone involved could band together and fight for the best contracts we could all get, but I believe that the law says we can only organize in certain groups, with those groups meeting certain criteria.

            But, again: this is not about taking pieces of a financial pie away from anyone. This is about working conditions and protecting our ability to keep doing our jobs.

            1. But lets be honest, it’s not. Perhaps for you it is, but for 90% of the people it is about money. If it wasn’t, why would they be using the hashtag performancematters? That implies right off the bat that it’s about compensation. Performance has nothing to do with working conditions, that’s just human rights. But it’s about money. And Actors need to realize that developers aren’t looking at it thinking Actors shouldn’t be getting any residuals because we aren’t. If actors get residuals that’s going to be mean less money for developers plain and simple. So you’re indirectly saying that the Actor is so much more important than the developer that they should get more money at the cost of the developer.That”s not fair, but that’s the reality.

               Let me break it down to you from the perspective of a developer.

               The average game developer will dedicate 2-3 YEARS of his life to a project. They pour their heart sweat and sole into it and it becomes their baby. This is a creative art form indeed, but it is not driven by actors as is Hollywood. It is driven by engineers, designers, artists, etc. The actors play a very small role in the project. It’s important, but small. We create immersive virtual worlds unlike any other form of entertainment. Video games sell because of what we create. Voice acting is just polish. It is one of the many factors that can define a game, not THE defining factor.

               Here’s an analogy. Say you were writing and directing your own movie. You have a team of 1000 working on this project and they all expect work 70+ hours a week to make sure it is a huge success. At some point you decide you want have have a website made to sell the movie, so you hire a freelance web developer. What would be your response if he or she said they think they deserve residuals for creating the site. Keep in mind nobody, including yourself is getting resuduals. All profits go to the publisher, but your team does get a performance bonus. Now the web dev says he wants residuals because his work is the face of the movie. It’s where people will go to purchase it, it is what defines the success of the movie. You would not only be perplexed as to how someone could have such an overinflated ego to think they would deserve such a thing, but you would be insulted to hear someone say that the web development is the most important part of the movie. Without it, the movie would be nothing. He also says that he’s, you know freelance, so he’s not sure if he’ll have more work after this site is done so he thinks it’s your responsibility to ensure he is taken care of financially for the unforeseen future. How would you respond to that web developer?

               Why should video games be different than movies and tv?

               Because they are different. They are very different. In other mediums, Acting is the main focus. It’s the only focus actually. That is their whole point. The idea is to watch an actor on the screen tell a story. Games have cutscenes, that’s it. 95% of the product has nothing to do with the actors in the cutscenes. For most, they are a simple facet to introduce the next section of gameplay. Some games are more heavily story based such as Until Dawn, but not most. So with that in mind, why is it you believe VA’s should receive residuals?

               Again, this is not a movie and the cutscenes that the player “sees and hear” is a very small part of the product if looked at in perspective. It’s this over inflated ego that is causing them to think otherwise. I’m not saying it’s not important. It does add a level of quality to a game. But in the grand scheme of things it’s not the most important part as they seem to believe. In fact it’s the least important part. You could remove every cutscene from 99% of games and still have the same, full experience. You can’t say that about any other part of the game. I don’t mean that to be an insult. It’s just the truth. I believe that all areas of the game are important, cutscenes and acting just happen to be the least important. This is why they are so inherently different than movies.

               Giving VA’s residuals would be like giving a freelance artist with a 3 month contract health benefits, a 401k, and stock options. It’s not going to happen and nor should it. Doing so would be taking money straight of the developers pockets. It would be morally wrong and quite frankly, undeserving.

               I fully support almost everything else they are asking for. Safety for the actors when required and health concerns regarding their voice. That’s fair and reasonable. Residuals is purely out of greed and an over inflated ego. Period.

               If it is truly not about the money, then take that part out and you can get the support of the developers. You aren’t going to win without the developers support and right now you’re making enemies rather than allies. I can guarantee that if the residuals part was not in there then developers would be supporting actors. We understand what the working conditions can be like. We get it. We support you in that regard. But first trying to make the Acting sound like the most important part is extremely insulting. You have to come at it a little more humble than that. And second, we aren’t going to allow residuals to go to someone who puts in 1% of the amount of work that we do. Every aspect of game development is important, including the acting, but realistically it is a very small piece of the puzzle, comparatively speaking.

               Let me ask you, would you be willing to take the residuals out of negotiation in order to get the rest? If so lets here you publicly suggest it. Lets see you post it on twitter saying that it should be removed. Better yet, lets see you publicly say it to SAG-AFTRA

               Until the residuals is taken off the table then it is100% about money and saying it’s not is b.s.

      2. Ironic coming from someone with Chicago in their name, you know one of the most politically corrupt states in the entire 50 or 52 if you’re Obama. Unions more often than not are the bastions of corruption in the US, much like politicians. Always entitled to other people’s money.

         1. That’s enough. You hate Obama, you hate unions. We get it. Now you’re just being a dick about it.

            1. I hate that progressives are slowly turning the US into a socialist hellhole like most of Europe, and rightfully so. If you progressives want socialism/communism so badly there are plenty of places that support those systems. You hate corporate profit we get it, yet your fine when it’s the government profiting and in turn spending like the world is ending tomorrow.

         2. So you are anti-worker and anti-union, regardless of the facts, justice, or reason. That doesn’t completely invalidate your argument(s), but it does color them.

   2. Instead of saying “I don’t support the union; other people aren’t treated that well,” why not say “I support the union; everyone should get that?” Someone’s making money off this stuff. Why should it be shared more equitably?

      When you’re saying “I don’t support the union; other people aren’t treated that well”, you are making the argument that every working person be dragged down to the lowest common denominator, whilst management makes out like bandits.

      1. ^^^^THIS. EXACTLY THIS.^^^^

         Management wants workers fighting with each other, and that sort of “Hey, my job sucks so yours should suck more!” nonsense is playing into their hands. C’mon, gang. If your job sucks, you should be GLAD to see other people in the industry successfully negotiate for better conditions and pay. If nothing else, it shows a roadmap that you and your fellow workers (be they developers, programmers, chefs, bankers, whatever) can follow to improve your own lot.

         Your fellow workers are your allies. Don’t let management tell you otherwise.

         1. Yup – rather than saying, “you know, you’re right, and we notoriously overworked and underpaid game developers ought to have better working conditions! We’re with you, man”, rather than supporting everyone’s right to a reasonable standard, prefers to drag everyone down into their own muddy ditch, smoke screening this with pretensions of being tough. Great way of cutting off the heads of anyone who dares to stick theirs above the crowd. Not impressive, not a show of strength,but a show of what a big doormat you are. If you don’t make demands you won’t get anything. If you don’t think you deserve better or have the power to get what you want, maybe you don’t, but leave everyone else out of your miserable state of mind. Further, one person’s single example of their mutant ability to talk or sing all day long (because I can’t – I’ve tried, and so have many people – famous people – who lost their voices) doesn’t prove anything. You may as well just flat out call Wil and every other angry voice actor a total liar. I trust thousands of voice acting professionals to know what they want and need, and I take a dim view of employers who don’t treat their employees decently. Everyone should.

      2. That’s a mighty large strawman, No what I’m saying is those that put in the 60 hour weeks if anyone should be the ones getting royalties if a title surpasses the ROI, which 90%+ of the games being made don’t at all. Not someone who does a few voice overs and gets a paycheck for it regardless of the quality of their work. (Like Peter Dinklage for a perfect example) There are plenty of non union people who would absolutely jump at the chance to do game voice overs, all this is going to succeed in doing is the publishers will go to non union folks instead and those in the SAG who happen to have made money and in some cases big money like a Steve Blum just as an example, are going to find that they totally bit the hand that’s been feeding them. And I suspect the main reason publishers are suggesting fines and the like are directly tied to the SAG expecting these voice actors to be granted residuals on games they have very little to actually do with aside from recording some lines for a week or two. The whole entitlement mentality that’s being pushed so hard these days really needs to just die already. People are not entitled to a life off the backs of others, they’re not entitled to free this and free that. Life is what you put into it, not what you demand to be handed to you.

         More often than not Union is code for “I can half ass it and not get fired” because of union protections. People can deny that til their blue in the face but it’s true way more often than it isn’t. That’s not even getting into the amount of straight up corruption that goes on in most unions to begin with. There’s likely a good reason they never found Hoffa’s remains after all.

         1. ” “I can half ass it and not get fired” because of union protections. People can deny that til their blue in the face but it’s true way more often than it isn’t.” Prove it. Go on.

            And who was talking about Straw Men?

            BTW it’s the corporations-as-victims meme that “really needs to just die already.”

            1. Who even suggested corporations were victims? That’s the problem with you people, you have such a victim mentality to begin with you see the cries of victim when they’re not even there. I’ve worked in a setting with union requirement. I’ve SEEN first hand people half ass it on a daily basis but have no fear due to their union dues being paid each pay period. I’ve watched members of teacher unions demand things or threaten to strike until they get their way, again with union backing. All while indoctrinating little Suzi and Billy into thinking like good little progressives and getting participation trophies just for showing up. The progressive ideology is flat out poison. Again if you love your socialism/communism, because really the two are one and the same when you break it all down, I’m sure Russia or North Korea would welcome you all with open arms. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

   3. You’ve got it a bit backwards. By prioritizing one group over another, you play right into the hands of the production companies, and act to the detriment of all. The only way to gain true job security, residuals, reasonable pay and work hours, and the like, is to unite. Negotiating individually, the worker is weak and the company is strong. United, the workers negotiate from strength, as they are the only ones able to produce the finished product. Unionization is the way forward. It is either unionize, or starve.

7. Yep.
   They are accustomed to exploiting a willing and enthusiastic, if slightly ASD, workforce with appalling conditions. I know a few people who have been in the industry and their stories are caricature tales from Victorian Workhouses dressed up in modern clothing.
   Expectations of 60-80 hour weeks as the norm, with occasional 38 hour weeks, but more 90 hour weeks. Abusive and/or Incompetent business management, late payroll, late superannuation and gross ‘you are a Contractor’ abuse.
   Yes, the SAG should seriously punch them in the face over professional working conditions for their members, and then maybe the programmers can get unionized to protect each other as well.
   Certainly some members of the Gaming Industry are going to be doing it right, but too many of them are base exploitation for profit organizations who need to be slapped hard.

8. Can you explain how an audiobook conditions are different? How long do they make you work and what breaks do they give you?

   1. I think I can fill you in a bit there as I do non-Union audiobook narration.

      A typical day for me is about eight hours, including breaks. I get an hour for lunch and two 15-20 minute breaks as well. Beyond that I can ask to take short breaks as needed to rest the voice, drink some water, and use the restroom. Outside of those breaks I am in the booth the entire rest of the time reading.

      Sounds great so far, right? Not too difficult. I certainly enjoy it, but don’t let the break schedule fool you. There is a reason breaks are easy to come by and that’s because dramatically reading a book puts a strain on the voice, the mind, the body, and sometimes the heart.

      Most of what I read are novels with multiple characters. That means I have to create multiple voices for all those characters, young and old alike. More challenging is that the major characters of most books are around the same age range. Try prepping voices for a book with three main female characters who are all the same age and with a shared history together, plus the eight other ancillary female characters and five more male characters, also the same age. How do you make them all unique?

      So I’ve done my prep, read the book beforehand, made all my notes and now I get to sit down and read. This is fun for me I think in the same way a carpenter enjoys crafting furniture. It’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone, but I enjoy it. I sit down in the booth at the beginning of the day and start reading. It’s about 8:30am. From the get-go I’m switching from playing the narrator, to the male lead, to the female lead, to her father, then back to the male lead, then to his buddy, then the narrator, and so on. I constantly switch voices and am expected to perform each voice with energy and make them all unique characters. This goes on until around 10:30am, with me hitting all the highs and lows and acting the crap out of multiple characters. I take a 15 minute and then head back in. I continue as I have been, but now there’s a huge argument, characters are yelling at each other, guns are drawn, people dive for cover and I’m yelling and balling my fists and tensing my spine and legs and my whole body is shaking and CRAP! I have to grind to a screeching halt and start a sentence over because I read “into” instead of “onto”. I get through that sequence and the book calms down, but I’ve gotta keep going. Despite all the yelling I’ve just done I have to keep the narration smooth and voices consistent. I push through to lunch.

      Lunch goes by quick, despite it being an hour long. I avoid salt like the plague (seriously, why Wil goes for salt is beyond me, it sucks the water right out of your body). 1:30pm sees me back in the booth and now I’ve got a big party scene to do. This scene has a bajillion characters of different nationalities. Australian, Irish, or French would be accents you might normally expect, but this scene is full of Turkish, Armenian, Greek, and for some reason Icelandic. Ever done those accents? I had to learn them for this project. I muddle through with a lot of flubs and restarts, I feel crappy about the performance, but I can’t stop. Eventually my 3:00 break comes around, but I get back to it pretty quickly. What’s this? An intimate sex scene? Great! I will try not to laugh at the absurdity of it as I deliver a soulful performance. With that done I get to the end of the day when a particularly emotional scene comes up. I really get into it, letting the words flow through me. Suddenly the drama being described reminds me of my father-in-law who died of cancer last year. My throat tightens and tears well up in my eyes. The emotion is great for the read though so I keep going. It drains every bit of energy I have, but I finish strong at 5:00pm.

      The day is complete and I head home to rest. After all I have three more days of recording to look forward to!

      That was a bit tiring just writing all of that down. Every bit of what I have described is something I’ve experienced at least a few times while narrating a book. I hope that gives you some insight into what audiobook narration is like.

9. Okay Wil here is my thoughts on this.

   First, let me state that I am very much and anti-union person. I have seen to much corruption and greed in unions from a personal standpoint as well as personal experience my father dealt with while her was alive, as well as myself in two different unions.

   About this whole thing of a SAG-AFTRA strike authorization… As much as I am anti-union, this is a completely one sided argument, in favor of the game companies. They want the whole pie, and to be able to penalize the voice or motion capture actor (or even the union) if you even dare to glance at the pie, let alone try to sample it.

   Would that be a correct analogy? I believe so… so my feeling is the union MUST strike, not should… but MUST!!!

   Should actors receive residual payments for their work? ABSOLUTELY!!! The sale of video games is no different than a show going into syndication/reruns, DVD release, digital media release. You should be under contract for residual payments… that’s it. You should also receive physical, written credit within the confines of the game as well. Your work as an actor should NEVER go unnoticed. Your work is your professional resume.

   Acting is acting, and voice/motion capture actors should be paid accordingly and afforded all the right and protections thereof. To me, voice actors in video games are the same sort of skill sets as the old-time radio shows. It is a professional job, and you deserve to be paid (and treated) as professionals… and that’s my thoughts on the matter.

   1. I sincerely hope that all of the issues that you are all fighting for comes to a peaceful resolution soon! As someone that has interviewed many voice actors this year it is very clear that all of you love the work that you do and you have the right to fight for its future! 🙂 Best of luck Wil!

   2. Until dev team members receive royalties for years of work on a title, then no, voice actors who do a week or two max on a title should NOT receive royalties, sorry. People wouldn’t even know who Blum, Hale, Burch etc are if it wasn’t for the video game industry. If nothing else, they’ve made quite a bit of money from the very industry they’re now demanding more from. Considering high profile voice actors in gaming DO get sizable pay as it is.

      This is just another case of greed and union strong arming.

      1. “Until dev team members receive royalties for years of work on a title..”
         “…greed and union strong arming.”

         That second thing? That’s why you don’t have that first thing.

         1. That second thing is a big part of what brought US Automakers to their knees and required bail outs of other people’s money to stay afloat. I get it with liberal progressives, you’re all for wealth redistribution and outright theft but I’m sorry, I’m not going to support you if you can’t make the effort to support yourselves.

            1. Jesus, how many times can you do the progressive bashing thing? It’s really getting to get old. We get it, you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You don’t need to keep rubbing it in.

      2. So because it’s awful for programmers it should be awful for everyone else? That’s your stance?

      3. Perhaps everyone ought to receive residuals, and more importantly, be able to work in a safe environment. Perhaps the reason that dev team members do not have these benefits is because they negotiate with the company from a position of weakness, as individuals. United, they would negotiate from strength, and be able to secure normal work hours, residuals, and the benefits traditionally associated with a steady job.

         Unionization is the only way for the worker to negotiate fairly with the company. It is either unionize, or the company will strip you of your rights, your dignity, your pay, and leave you, work complete, to die in squalor.

   3. “About this whole thing of a SAG-AFTRA strike authorization… As much as I am anti-union, this is a completely one sided argument, in favor of the game companies. They want the whole pie, and to be able to penalize the voice or motion capture actor (or even the union) if you even dare to glance at the pie, let alone try to sample it.”
      This is pretty much what I got also. I’m in the IT field and I see the same thing happening there also. One company even wanted to claim all of my work (even personal work done outside of the company) as company property. This meant that if I wrote a book during my off hours it would become owned by the company. I refused to sign the contract until I had a lawyer look over it.

10. This reminds of how little sports companies like NFL care about player’s health. “Oh, did we push you too hard and you broke 5 bones and got a concussion? Well we won’t pay you until you get back on the field so get better soon!”

11. Honestly, money really needs to be taken off the table if you want more support on these issues.

    Saying “Oh I don’t know your contracts, but I support more money for everybody!” is a thoughtless answer. Who is going to pay for this?

    In an industry that already poorly compensates the core workforce, doesn’t pay overtime and delivers layoffs like candy…you want a bigger slice? Gamers aren’t going to pay more per-box, here’s what’s going to happen:

    More developers are going get fired or laid off, and what’s left are going to have to do extra overtime (we already do a lot) to compensate. Working conditions are already rough for the game developer, you are essentially making things worse.

    Until you re-think the money aspect of this, you are going to be antagonizing the people actually making these games. After that, I’d worry less about job conditions and more about finding a job elsewhere.

    1. Frank, your stance is exactly what the publishers want it to be. You are playing developers against voice actors. Meanwhile the publishers are making huge profits and refuse sharing that profit with either the core workforceor voice actors.

       If you think big publishers cutting labour costs for voice actors will secure jobs or improve pay for developers or vice versa, you are deluded. Every cent the publishers save on any costs goes into bonuses for the executives and dividends for the shareholders.

       1. I’m taking the publisher’s stance because I kind of understand them.

          90% of these games fail to make a ROI, and many successful AAA games use this cash flow to invest in other titles, which is more job opportunities for everybody, including voice actors.

          If you think all profits go to the executives, video games would have stopped growing decades ago.

          1. Frank, I think you are confused.

             Profit is what is left after all the costs, including labour. If there is a profit, it goes to the shareholders and/or bonuses. Re-investing into the next project is obviously part of the process of creating games for the publishers and profit is what they don’t have to re-invest from the money that they make.

             Keep in mind that increasing profits is what executives are hired to do in large companies and cutting labour costs is the most straightforward way of increasing profits, since it does not involve raising prices (which lowers demand) or innovation. (which is hard)

             If the video game industry was not profitable for the big publishers and their shareholders, they would invest their capital in other industries.

             The thing is, if a company increases it’s profits, that does not mean that they will re-invest more into the business. From what I’ve seen big investments in the gaming industry rarely means creating new jobs. More often it is about buying other game companies for their brands and skilled workforce. These investments don’t create jobs, they just maintain the jobs that exist in the company that is being bought.

             An investment that involves expansion that creates new jobs requires a lot of capital, more than you can get by cutting labour costs in your existing productions. Labour costs are just a part of a companies expenses after all.

             The idea that increasing profits equals increasing investments is only partially true. The smaller the company, the higher the propability that it re-invests and higher the share of the profits that will be re-invested.

12. Totally on your guys’ side, Wil – and I know what this situation is like. I’m an Ontario high school teacher, and we just went through the exact same challenges as you guys are right now. Striking and job action sucks, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and go along with it. Don’t let the people think that you getting something means less for them get you down. Hang in there, Wil – there are way more supporters out there in the interweb! 🙂

13. Speech-language pathologist here! We can help with strategies to keep your voice healthy when you’re using it a lot. I think you are fully within your rights to request measures to keep your voice intact, but I wanted to throw the option for professional help out there for folks who need it. asha.org will let you search for an SLP that specializes in voice work. Good luck!

14. As a university lecturer I know how exhausting lots of speaking can be when constantly projecting enthusiasm. And speaking loudly. After two or three lectures in a row, I’m finished and can barely speak afterwards. So I sympathise.

    I also stand with anyone whose work conditions are worsening and want to fight against it. This is not to say there aren’t worse jobs out there; there are always worse jobs out there. But when others have worse conditions, those conditions need to improve even more. It doesn’t invalidate your struggle.

15. Just a heads-up that your math is off. 20 pages at 6 minutes a page is 2 hours per readthrough, so 6 hours for those three readthroughs you had before lunch, not 3 hours. So the day could be significantly longer than your example.

16. I will never understand the mindset of people who see somebody getting something they don’t have and lash out to get it taken away. It’s like they’re so beaten down by The Man(TM) that it never even occurs to them to try to get the same thing for themselves! And, hey, maybe they’ll even have an ally in those other folks who just got it, too.

17. I completely understand, and support this action on your part, Wil. As a counselor one of my duties is to give lectures. That usually requires me to speak for 1 to 1 and a half hours straight. I am usually horse by the end of that. When I have to fill a 2 and a half hour core lecture, it’s broken up with short videos and activities to give my voice a break. Stand your ground!

18. Way to go, Wil! I’m a part-time community college teacher (miserable working conditions) and am afraid to turn down a 3 hour class. After 3 hours of lecture, I can’t talk the next day. I have learned to break up the class with activities in order to save my voice, but you don’t have that option. Your description of your work day is vivid and compelling. In solidarity!

19. I’m always amazed at how teachers and others who have to speak all day to a large room are able to do it.

20. I’m just flabbergasted over this. How on earth do people think they can get away with fining people so much money for not getting certain talented actors/actresses to even audition, much less, be douchey-enough to nitpick reasons to fine even more money if you yawn in the studio or something ‘they deem’ as being inattentive?

    Oh, sure, why not let them have a whip and a pistol while they’re at it?

    What I wanna know is who, specifically wrote those terms in the first place. I’m thinking it was some rich, self-important, fat, power hungry fktard who was probably scheming a way to pay for another….[breathing…counting to three….oooohhhhmmmmm….] [zen-ish state achieved]

    Listen, I am a musician. Iv’e sang Birthday songs to you and to Anne, and no, I don’t expect anything from that, but recently, I had given up on ANY possibility of making real money doing this thing because I’ve read David Naggar’s book, (the one about the music industry and how the pie gets cut so unfairly). What I read here and what these dopes think they can get away with is simply appalling.

    I’m behind you 100 percent and if I were part of this union, I’d be right there beside you pumping my fist in the air.
    The rocker in me hears a song fading in….heavy drums…..and then….Dee Snyder…..

    “We’re not gonna’ take it!
    ….NO, WE AIN’T GONNA’ TAKE IT!
    WE’RE NOT GONNA’ TAKE IT
    ANYMORE!!!”

    1. Arise, ye prisoners of starvation!
       Arise, ye wretched of the earth!
       For justice thunders condemnation:
       A better world’s in birth!
       No more tradition’s chains shall bind us;
       Arise, ye slaves, no more in thrall!
       The earth shall rise on new foundations:
       We have been nought, we shall be all!

       Workers, UNITE!

21. Sounds like a great reason to form a programmers union as well.

    1. You’d think. Techies consider not being in a union to be some sort of badge of honor, though. “Look how strong I am on my own! Natural selection has selected ME! Raaar! Okay, now to start my 48-hour straight shift. Crunchtime, yo! It’s like the weather, nothing to be done about it!”

22. I’m sick of people who are clueless treating the “underlings” like robots who have no feelings, treating us as if we’re disposable (because to them, we are, even in my job as a mental health therapist). I wish you luck in this endeavor! I wish we’d get a turnaround in this country so that workers are treated as human beings with choice, feelings, and needs that can be taken care of to ensure we are productive in a happy, fulfilling way.

23. don’t get why they won’t say what the job is. i know a lot of the other stuff is bad, and maybe i shouldn’t focus on this aspect. i just kind of figured they would tell you at least the premise of the game. me and my developer friend have begun working on a game, we’ll see how far we get it’ll be at least 10 years before we’re at this point, and i just sort of assumed when we needed voice talent we would tell them what their character was exactly. but then again i’m going into web design and this is just because i had a dream that would make a really cool rpg and i told my friend. so i love video games (playing god of war and witcher currently). I’ve babbled long enough. sorry this is happening, but i find any time anyone in the industry strikes the media tries to make it look like its only about money. oh and i love voice stuff, and amazed how much people can get their voices to change, it’s like woah to me. sorry this is long i get if you stopped reading 5 lines ago or at all. i decided to try death wish coffee, so i’m blaming that.

    1. Death wish coffee? I’m not sure I want to know. Enough details will be shared to get the job done e.g. “Your character is not confident they will succeed at this point.” There is really nothing to be gained from the producer’s side by talking about the project. In an attempt to avoid pretty much everything from actor/actress A talking to actor/actress B about the gig they are doing and finding out they are doing the same gig and then asking for something different all the way up to royalties on a AAA title. It’s a move used to compartmentalize the talent away from production. It stems from perceiving them as replaceable labor. Funny thing is, even construction workers get more protection.

       1. Makes sense, I think. I guess it’s strange because that’s not how I operate i’m very oh sure i’ll tell you everything, and it doesn’t occur to me that stuff like that happens by default.

          also it’s easier for people to be outraged about a worker that has lost his arm than someone who has a wrecked voice upon first glance. Not saying it’s right but i’m not a big talker so me not saying anything isn’t odd, but if i didn’t have an arm people would want to know. i know i would, though i probably would know why. Just saying it’s easier for people to fight for construction worker protection where the injuries are more likely to be obvious.

          deathwish coffee is just coffee with like 600mg caffeine vs normal coffee which has way less. so it’s not coffee mixed with crack or anything, which is good because i don’t want to try crack.

24. Developers don’t get residuals because it isn’t “normal” in the greater development industry to get residuals. Instead we usually get stock options, which are usually worthless because the company uses the profits from a successful product to offset the losses from a failed product, thus preventing their stock price from going up more than a tiny bit, which is only enough for their big investors (read: the board of directors) to make a significant profit. Some companies don’t even pony up stock options. Salary should be enough for you lowly peons. I’m prepared to bet those companies don’t pony up for voice acting either, though.

    Working conditions for the developers are just as terrible. “But you get paid more!” No, not really. Most game companies pay 70% of rates in other industries. “But you have regular working hours!” No, not really. Overtime is de rigeur in the game industry; often overtime to the tune of 80 hours per week. “Well, at least you get paid extra for overtime!” No, not really. Developers are almost always “exempt” employees. Which sounds nice, like we’re “exempt” from something onerous, but it actually means that our employer is “exempt” from paying us overtime. EA lost a couple of class-action suits back in 2006 over utterly unlivable working conditions for graphic designers and programmers. The “funniest” thing about it was, it wasn’t the employees themselves pursuing the suits. Because they were too busy, working 80+ hour weeks, with no overtime pay, for under 70% of standard market rates. No, it was their husbands and wives, who were fed up with never seeing their loved ones. EA (and most of the rest of the games industry) is still infamous for terrible working environments. There are a few companies, even a few big companies, that are different (Blizzard, Firaxis, and Harmonix are particularly known for treating employees like people) but not many.

    Why don’t developers unionize? Honestly, I don’t know either. Probably because, since programming has existed as an industry, the word “union” has been so poisoned (after the rampant corruption of the ’50s – ’70s) in the collective consciousness that new ones could never be created. Maybe it’s time to change that. I’m lucky enough not to work in gaming, but for a company that actually respects me, pays a decent wage for my expertise, and doesn’t actively try to kill me. So I have no need to unionize. Most developers don’t need to; it would be pointless. But the game industry is different. They seem to think that just the chance to “work on games! how awesome is that?!” is fair recompense for destroying their employees’ lives, sometimes literally. I applaud SAG-AFTRA for stepping up and saying what everyone knows, even if they’re not willing to admit it. I just wish there was some organization that would do the same thing for my fellow engineers, artists, and everyone else in the game trenches.

    1. As a programmer, I have worked in one large company that actually had a programmers’ union in certain other divisions. They had tried to unionize elsewhere and were constantly shut down. It wasn’t so much a macho thing as… well, some programmers are actually better than others. The union tended to tie compensation to years of experience rather than valuable skills. That meant that is was mostly attractive to the weaker programmers, while the better programmers would find their pay limited – and also their flexibility limited.

       1. That is interesting to hear. In Finland the contracts between the Workers’ Unions and the Employers’ Unions only define the minimum wages (and other minimum benefits) based on experience.

          Employees and employers then negotiate an individual’s contract based on that minimum level, so skilled workers can ask for additional compensation or better benefits if they possess particular skills or are especially talented in some skills the employer needs from the employee.

25. Thanks for your insights into the issue, Wil!
    The comments were quite enlightening as well. I already knew, unions aren’t quite the common occurence in the US as they are in other countries. Here in Germany, for example, they are quite common. I myself benefited from a union contract in my last job (as a software developer from a metal worker union contract of all things). Sometimes I am quite critical about union action, because some unions seemingly just “do stuff” to legitimize their existence. But I also think it’s uncalled for to just trivialize it from the get-go. Especially all the “my work is hard, too, if not harder”-outcries seem unnecessary. The issue in those cases shouldn’t be “How dare you trying to improve your work environment!?” but “What’s wrong with my work environment and how could that be changed?”. In this case, the confrontation between actors and game devs is especially astonishing in that regard. I hope more game devs come around to see this as an opportunity not an insult or a threat for/to their profession. Maybe they should take a critical look at their working conditions and their pay as well. Both are not great as far as I can tell from the outside.

26. You guys could just tell the companies to eff off, lol. No need to go on a strike. I get the bit about the vocally stressful situations where you have to do readings for hours. I am however not sympathetic, since I also talk for a living, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at a call center. Sure, I don’t have to yell or do grunting sounds or anything like that, but I have to perform my duties if I expect to be paid.

    Voice across already have one of the cushiest jobs in the gaming industry, so I find the idea that actors are going on strike to be ludicrous. Your remarks about you don’t know the details on how programmers, artists, etc. are getting paid is really no excuse for your incessant whining on this. Given that you are part of a union, where exactly was the union to address these complaints? Was Activision, Rockstar, etc. really cracking the whip on your lot? I have a hard time believing this, especially given that voice lines are often recorded long in advance.

    Why should the voice actors get residuals for their roles anyway and not the game creators? Voice acting for some of the most popular games for say Nintendo, is a joke. Most of their hands feature some funny babbling, and I understand that it is voice actors providing this, but the lack of any coherency in the voice lines, yet no complaints from gamers, leads me to believe that your job isn’t as important as you think.

    Plus the industry is running toward Free to Play, Mobile games, etc and your roles will be needed less, not more. Plus do we really need Troy Baker’s voice in every game? Surely there had to be a few people in those hundred plus man development teams that have some kind of penchant for vocals. Frankly the fact that you have a union in the first place is ironic, unions are for protecting the workers, this seems more about politics than actual protection.

    1. Justin, even if you were right about voice actors having a “cushier” job, (I don’t know the industry well enough to comment of that detail) that does not invalidate the voice actors request/demands.

       Imagine that an IT firm has two programmers that work in the same office. They each come in every morning and every morning their supervisor punches one of them and slaps the other.

       Saying that voice actors should not demand better conditions or pay because the developers are worse off is like saying that the guy that gets slapped every morning should not demand that the supervisor stops slapping him because the other guy is getting punched and does not have the courage to stand up to it.

       The bad guys here are neither the voice actors nor the developers, it is the publishers who demand inhuman working conditions from both the voice actors and the developers. Just like in my ridiculous example the bad guy is clearly the supervisor.

       Developers, voice actors and all of the workforce in the games industry should unite, stand together and if needed, strike together against the publishers that abuse their workers.

       Strikes are the only heavy weapon the workforce has for defending it’s rights and it should not be vilified or forbidden. Especially for a non-essential recreation related field like the games industry.

       I’ll happily take a break from buying triple-A games if it means that voice actors get better working conditions, or that the developers get better working conditions and especially if both of them do.

27. I am not even surprised that voice actors are being treated this way in the gaming industry. :/

28. Unless I am mistaken, I am the only stunt coordinator that works in video games that actually gets a SAG AFTRA contract. The things I have heard happen on games that I have not been apart of where there are no safety or stunt coordinators would blow your mind. We need to be able to properly prepare and train people for intensely physical rolls. We need safety and transparency all around. My voice over brothers and sisters should not be screaming at the top of their lungs all day with no protection. I have gotten to play some characters in games where I’ve yelled and screamed for 20 minutes and lost my voice because I am NOT a trained voice talent.

    Thank you Wil for your exceptionally well put together and well thought out synopsis of what’s going on. It’s nice having your large voice out there supporting us!

    Thom Williams
    Stunt Coordinator
    MoCap Performer

    1. If you’re not a trained voice talent, why apply for the job? When you accept the offer (assuming you know what role you’d play), isn’t it based on the fact you’re qualified for the job? Seems odd to me.

       1. What happens is sometimes when we’re in the volume doing MoCap they will decide to mic us on the spot for the action sequences. Sometimes it’s just for reference in order for the VO actor to synch up later and sometimes they just keep our voice in.

          Regardless, being a stuntman I train my body for abuse, not my voice so after a very short time of screaming in a battle sequence my voice will go bye bye.

29. I’m sorry, but this strike threat is just greedy and unwarranted. Demanding a percentage of profits from game sales? So you expect voice actors to be MORE entitled to game profits than even the developers themselves? That is ridiculous.

    Payment for a job should come from the value of the work. There is no data to support the theory that voice acting, of any quality, generates higher revenues for their businesses. Furthermore, voice acting work is something that is readily available even outside of a SAG affiliation, so you’re not really in any position to make demands concerning the sparse work you get from prospective employers.

    Voice over studio work already represents some of the biggest cost bloat in video game development. There is no way to justify any of these demands outside of emotional appeal. Which is why every game development company has already rejected these silly demands twice.

    “Hey Mr. Schafer, remember the guy who voiced that Lumberjack in our small budget game that one time? He now wants a percentage of our profits or he’s going to go on strike.” Gosh, what will we do without him? See you on the sidewalk.

    1. Perhaps everyone should be demanding residuals. Perhaps everyone should be demanding a safe and fair working environment, with normal hours, and the labor laws that the past four or five generations of Americans fought to have enacted. Perhaps the worker should be treated with dignity by the employer.

       We need to pull each other up, not be reduced to the worst conditions around. We need to stand together, lest we all be brushed aside. It is unionize or starve.

       1. Perhaps everyone making those demands should try sticking their necks out financially and taking risks and not getting paid for months on end while developing the products they hope will sell.

          Oh, thats right. Because most of them are cowards who prefer a smaller consistent paycheck and the security of knowing they’ll be employed long term.

          Do not mix the argument over residuals into your progressive pot of -pro union BS.

30. Workers, no matter what the job is, deserve a safe and fair working environment. Period.
    You are right, Wil, the studios thinks they are right – but they are so very wrong.
    Demanding auditions is one of the most redonkulous statements I have ever heard.

    Unless one has worked as an actor or with actors (I am a Costume Designer) – one has no clue the amount of work done off set by the said actor. Thank you and where can one donate to the strike fund?

31. Just doing a bit of quick digging
    ESRB reports that the video game industry was worth roughly 10.8 billion in 2009

    In 1983 it was worth 11.8 billion. Adjusted for inflation you would get about 56.3 billion.

    I still fail to see what voice actors have done to grow the industry into a multi billion dollar industry when it was already there long before voice overs were the trendy “in thing”

    1. [citation needed]

    2. Then why do the production companies want them? If it doesn’t advance the product why bother? Do you think the voice actors are at the door of the studios begging for work? And really – being able to levy fines and deny union membership and future opportunities if an individual simply exercises his/her choice to not work on a project or for a particular studio? Really? You don’t see what this is about? I do, and I’m about as anti-union as you can get in most cases. These are rights to be treated like a decent human being, not property.

    3. What the hell are you even arguing here? Beyond that your numbers are worthless without context (vgsalrs.wikia.com puts the worldwide game 8 dusty value at 44.9 billion on 2007, for example), how does this relate to a post talking about working conditions?

       Seriously, the industry is trying to put a clause in their contracts that says “if your agent doesn’t force you to audition when we want you to, we can revoke your agent’s ability to have you audition at all.”

       1. Are publishers wanting that clause before or after the SAG union demanded royalties be paid? Or to hire stunt safety coordinators to protect actors? That’s the relevant context needed. Why would the publishers do this out of the blue without provoking?

          1. Because this is an emerging industry segment in the talent trade, and it sounds like before SAG got involved, exploitation was rampant. They do it because they can get away with it. I don’t know and don’t care what Mr. Wheaton makes from a voice acting gig, but it sounds like the studios want the benefit of the talent without having the same liabilities that other segments of the talent industry have to assume. (Live-acting, TV shoots, etc.) Just because you’re sitting in a chair instead of walking on a set shouldn’t really make a difference in this case. In the case of motion capture, it IS the same as live action, so of course a stunt coordinator is relevant. The hours worked and the perceived “cushiness” of the job are irrelevant. The royalties issue I suppose is a matter of tradecraft, and I expect they’re minuscule to the point of irrelevance (unless you’re William effing Shater), but more a point of pride that consumption of your work over time will yield something more than just a one-time paycheck for scale. Wil certainly isn’t getting rich off of TNG residuals.

    4. Those figures seem… unlikely. Here are some with citations.

       The US home video game market [in 1982] is worth $3.8 billion, equivalent to $9.29 billion in 2015.

       Everett M. Rogers & Judith K. Larsen (1984), Silicon Valley fever: growth of high-technology culture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_in_video_gaming)

       Gartner Says Worldwide Video Game Market to Total $93 Billion in 2013. Upcoming Video Game Consoles Releases to Help Push That Segment to $55 Billion in 2015.

       http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2614915

       And another on the growth over the last couple of decades, you might pay particular attention to the note indicating a growth rate of nearly 10% vs the US economy average of 2.4% for the last few years and be aware that this is put out by the very industry you seem to be defending, they themselves are claiming incredible growth so…

       http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Games_Economy-11-4-14.pdf

32. “Programmers and others who work on those same games spend literally years of their lives on them, and they don’t get residuals!”

    It has always amazed me that programmers and other computer professionals have no union to represent them, then complain about things like that, or the hours, or the myriad other ways they get abused by almost every software company or consultancy on the planet.

    1. We generally get paid well. Fresh from college, an Interactive Software Engineer (“Game Programmer”) makes ~$80k-90k per year, before bonuses.

33. It is so easy to overlook how hard a job is when you don’t do it. Government workers, voice acting, even professional athletes can all be mistreated and misunderstood by people who look in from outside. I can’t understand why some people would rather force everyone down to the lowest, poorest working conditions rather than trying to lift others up.

    While I’m surprised at the scope of the employers disregard, it isn’t very different from the same fights that happened when unions were first formed. At the very base level, it is a fight for our rights as workers to have a reasonable, comfortable and safe working environment with appropriate remuneration for work done. Businesses see that right as a threat to their bottom line and will always fight it every step of the way.

    Good luck!

34. Go get ’em, Wil! I recently watch an interview with Jason Alexander where he talked about negotiating salaries several seasons into Seinfeld. The actors’ agents and the producers butted heads over money. He said (I’m paraphrasing), that the show made billions of dollars per episode. He asked the producers how much of that success did he feel was attributable to the actors.

    I feel it is exactly the same for video games. You voice actors are bringing the game to life. Without you, the game would be flat, like most of the games of old. I wholeheartedly support your efforts in this and wish you luck.

35. I understand where you’re coming from and I think you’re right. This part made me laugh:

    “I’m sorry. What? The studios want to fine SAG-AFTRA up to $100,000 if our agents don’t send us out on an audition? Because these same people who refuse to discuss any of our proposals for this upcoming contract believe … what, exactly? That they own us all and they can force our agents to do whatever they want them to do? This makes literally no sense at all.”

    It makes me wonder why actors think they’re special when it comes to being “owned” by these companies. These companies already believe they own everyone else. So, why wouldn’t they think they own the actors, too?

    Anyway, I hope you, your union, and other union members get the redress you’re seeking. You’re absolutely right to seek it. Hopefully, it will be the first step in making these companies realize they don’t own anybody.

36. I am a non-union voice actor. That means I have a regular job and spend my evenings and weekends doing voice work. I have been fortunate enough to secure a lot of work over the years, but all have been non-union gigs (audiobooks, commercials, narrations, and phone systems) so I have never been eligible to join. Maybe someday…

    The union is there to protect the members. Some unions have taken advantage in the past and in turn, caused many to view unions with a cautious eye. Your points here, Wil, are all very valid. One of the benefits of being non-union (besides the lousy pay and much sparser work) is that I decide how long my work day is, how my voice feels, what time of day I sound best, etc. There should definitely be guard rails in place to protect your livelihood!

    Not knowing what the job is about before agreeing to it is ludicrous. There have been many VO jobs that I rejected because I wasn’t comfortable with the content. Forcing you into a contract, while not disclosing what the project is goes beyond protecting themselves. “Want to pay your mortgage? Accept our terms.” This and the concept that they can fine you and the union for such loosely defined “infractions” is completely crazy!

    Keep fighting on this one!

37. I have been doing voices in video games for more than 20 years, there is zero evidence to support that personalities have an affect on unit sales, and while I agree with the premise here, I believe that any strike will fail as they will just call for the next man or women to step up and there are literally TONS of non – union actors that will be happy to take the money.

38. Well said Wil, and nicely written too, BTW.
    I have no reason to doubt all of what you’ve said is true. It’s a no-brainer that your cause is just and changes must happen.
    Sadly, in all workplaces nowadays, greedy companies will set rediculous quotas/hours/demands on their employees in return for absolute minimal pay or staff well being. However, for games-makers, like Rockstar, who are often making FAR more profit than Hollywood movie studios, to be implementing horrible cost-cutting measures is truly vile.
    Taking Rockstar as an example, I’ve noticed how they’ve gone from Vice City’s star-studded voice actors and big-budget, fabulous soundtracks, to hiring (throwing a bone attitude) struggling (but equally talented) actors and unsigned music bands in the case of GTAV.
    Steven Ogg, etc, did some of the best acting I’ve ever heard, yet I feel they were primarily given the job because they were cheap and could be bullied – same applies to the musicians. Probably being told, “Yeah, you’ll have to work hard and not be paid much, but afterwards you’ll be famous.”
    I’m on your side 100% as I appreciate all the work you’ve done on my favourite game series. I’ve noticed your name in the credits (not sure about V) and always assumed it was THE Wil Wheaton, but started to doubt it as I also noticed you slipping down the list into ‘pedestrian dialogue’ (although that was the only really funny stuff in V – I always love the peds). I guess they started to notice you wasn’t prepared to take as much :poop: over years.
    Good luck and best wishes. X!

39. Will, as someone who works in the industry as a VO director (of a major game studio), I wholeheartedly agree. The conditions have gotten worse and worse over the last couple years. Just this year, I lost 4 of my regular actors because they are unwilling to work with me again because of ludicrous and straineous working conditions. I had my fair share of discussions, with my managers about my desire to keep my actors safe, but nobody is budging – even worse, the deadlines I’m getting have never been so ridiculous.

    From within, about the only thing someone like me can do right now is stress the fact that you guys are extremely talented artists, people really – and that we should see you as such – and not as “resources”.

    You keep it up – I hope you guys are able to change something 🙂

40. Just having THOUGHT about doing the virtual voice recording work makes my throat hurt. Good luck to all on this one, it’s going to be needed.

41. I found your explanation fascinating. I already agreed with you for the few reasons I’d already heard about, and knowing that being “always on” is grueling work and very different from many other jobs. Like four hours standing at a cash register in retail is equal to eight hours doing Web design or other IT work. Because, frankly, in IT we spend a lot of time doing other things. From Facebook to Reddit to meetings with product managers. It’s very different from talking dramatically for 8 hours without real downtime.

    But I also found your description of voice acting one of the best descriptions of the business I’ve read so far. I’m trying to get into that line of work myself, but until you get there it’s very hard to get an idea what you’re getting into.

    Which leads me to a different issue. What do you think of non-union services like Voices.com? Not having any paid gigs under my belt yet, I can’t (as far as I know) join SAG-AFTRA. But I don’t exactly want to be ruining future prospects and working conditions by being non-union. Am I shooting myself in the foot?

    By the way, I love your work. You and Ray Porter are selling points when I look for new audiobooks.

42. To my fellow call center employees saying that voice acting is cushy…

    I’ve worked in cal centers since the 90s, and I’ve also done theatre and voice work. Trust me: no comparison. Two screams in play rehearsal screwed my voice for days. Friendly-enthusiastic-me for ten hour shifts is tiring, but not like inhabiting a character for two.

    I get that you can’t imagine that, but it’s absolutely true. Wil, do what you need to.

43. Given that the games industry’s revenues exceed that of film, TV and music combined, I think it’s more than appropriate to revisit the contributions of the creative talents that make a game what it is.

    Thank you for clarifying the issues, Wil. That was very helpful. And yes, I’m tired of games companies that profit at the expense of their talent – I’ve been an industry spouse for 10 years and now run a games studio built on a different model than the industry has seen. My hope is that we make an impact and help facilitate change.

44. The disturbing thing to me is how it seems like many people just read “residuals” and stopped there, totally outraged at even the idea of it. Even if you don’t agree with voice actors receiving residual pay for their work (which, as a side note, I do agree with), the rest of the issues brought up in this post are even more important. Something’s gotta give here and the way I’m seeing it is that the union is pushing for negotiation, at the very least, which hasn’t been afforded to them thus far. With negotiation, hopefully, some kind of compromise could be reached.

45. This strikes me as not being about the issues that SAG-AFTRA members face in video game work. It’s about unions in video game work. I’ve been making games for over twenty years, and for the past fifteen, the big publishers have been terrified by the idea of unions.

    If game artists or designers or especially engineers ever unionized, then publishers’ profits and stock prices would be substantially hit. Some would do just fine regardless, some would see their profits lower and then recover, and some would be hit very hard. Whether short term or long term, they would all take a hit. And any hit is worth preventing if it can be avoided.

    I do agree with your points, Wil. But this is bigger than SAG-AFTRA. Best of luck, and I hope you and your colleagues are able to come to an amicable agreement.

46. So many people blaming voice actors for developers’ inability and/or unwillingness to organize.

    That ire should be aimed at the big companies and their executives, not at fellow employees.

47. I understand and hope the strike succeeds when it comes to the working conditions, as much as a 2 hour work day sounds like nothing compared to pretty much every other workers hours on a game development project, it’s understandable you don’t want to wreck your voice since that’s your means of earning. I am very curious as to why this strike demands changes to payment as well as this though, surely if the conditions are the main concern you should be striking for that first and separately to give it a higher chance of people actually listening? I mean look at the comments, most of them read “money, money, money” and stopped reading there.

    I personally agree with residuals being given to everyone who brought a game into existence, based on what their work brought to the game, not the hours worked, as that obviously doesn’t match up with effort or the end product quality at the end of it for most of the fields in game development (not just voice acting). It’s not always a viable option for smaller games, indie games in particular can struggle when it comes to that when the profits are likely to be the only funding for the next game and most likely to be very little by comparison to a game coming from AAA companies. But as said in the article, they aren’t really open to changes at all, why not start with something that sounds reasonable even to an unreasonable person?

48. Absolutely right! Video games can be grueling, especially if you’re doing several characters, and if the producers don’t really know what they want! Even with only one character, with all those possible cues, the long sessions, your voice is useless for at least a week, and who knows what long-term damage it may do. As to residuals, producers expect to have a pool of professional talent always available, so professional actors who can deliver the goods need to be paid enough to earn a living at their profession. Sometimes, residuals can tie you over to the next job so that you are available. Otherwise, it just becomes a game that only the independently wealthy can play.

49. I’ll admit TL;DR on the comments. But as someone who has worked in software (Telecom not video games) for more than 25 years, I’ll note that most developers are work for hire – that is we have given up all rights to our software developed (during work hours, at least) and other IP developed to the company. I don’t know if it is the same in gaming or not.

    For better and for worse, work for hire software developers in many/most industries get our salary, benefits, and possibly bonuses, stock options, 401(k) matches, etc. But no sort of residual.

50. I say strike. Unfortunately, I was born deaf and have never been able to enjoy any voice acting; but at turbulent points in games I can feel my subwoofer vibrating your deep emotional speech while I am reading subtitles. The people making the games should profit more than the company’s profiting. That is all.

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