W33KLY L33T: #PerformanceMatters

Voice actors for the gaming world are ready for change

Story by Cory Jaynes

The gaming industry has continued to grow over the years due to the growth of technology and its popularity. Gaming is no longer a subculture, but a micro-copy of the international community, complete with its own sporting events and issues of gender equality.

One issue that has recently come up are the details in contracts of the voice actors in video games. Actors that are part of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artist Union (SAG-AFTRA) voted on Sept. 22 on whether or not to strike for better contracts with game developers and publishers. Actors that support the strike include the legendary Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop,Wolverine and the X-men, and Mortal Kombat X), Tara Strong (Fairly Odd Parents, Teen Titans, and Batman: Arkham Knight), and Phil LaMarr (Static Shock, Futurama, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor).

What these actors want can be simplified into four main points; bonuses for every 2 million copies sold up to 8 million copies sold, stunt pay for sessions that cause stress on their vocals, stunt coordinators on set for the filming of performance capture work, and being told what game, character, and the target rating of the game they’re being hired for. Acting in gaming has changed a lot over the years and with games that use performance capture technology becoming common, the actors are requesting for their contracts to be updated.

Below you can find tweets from actors supporting the strike and you can find more info from SAG-AFTRA’s site here.