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[Mushroomer25]

I totally agree, I have Guy on my Facebook and he's a fantastic person but don't these people get paid enough? I mean they dont appear to be on minimum wage in a game shop selling the products they work on.

Im all for paying a person for a job worth doing but I've also said wages for actors in huge Hollywood films and even television is fucking rediculous this days. A few people in television earn upto 1 million per episode, thats more than enough for me to comfortably live out the rest of my life and not worry about work. So that comparison to an industey already with baffling and inflated pay seems cheap.

Its not easy getting these jobs and im sure cetain developers pay well because budget allows for it but at the same time these guys don't appear to be struggling or in poverty, a bonus scheme like that seems really cheap when some developers don't even get a bonus based on something that's complete gash like a metacritic score because sale's won't even help when the publisher wants a metacritic of 90 or above. Every mark less than 10/10 in any review is a step closer to losing your bonus after years of development and months of crunch time.

Are we saying that industry voice actors are being mistreated? Guy's case was different because Konami were purposefully trying to fuck him. But like the guys working on Uncharted 3 or HALO, or Call of Duty or Battlefield or even that Quantum Break, are they being paid low wages???

I think it's less about 'low' wages, and more about fair compensation. Yes, some actors get paid $1M an episode. Each episode also probably brings in tens of millions for the network in ad revenue when its' aired. Why shouldn't the talent get a cut of that equal to their contribution? Especially if the audience is tuning in to see that star?

Extrapolate that to the VO situation. If the talent thinks that their performance is pushing along that game's sales, they're going to want a cut.

 

[M0nochromatic]

What's Yuri Lowenthal's status in this? I dont know if I can live in a world where he isnt in every other game that I play.

 

[Jintor]

Sounds reasonable. Good luck to them

 

[Krappadizzle]

Reading through their points, this all sounds reasonable.

Honestly, the industry at large needs a nice, big, labor-centric kick in the ass and we all know it.

This. Everyone is getting shorted hard by major publishers. Being a dev seems like a lot of hard work and dedication with a relatively low chance at success.

 

[CielTynave]

Good for then.

Although I realize that literally 95% of the games I play use non union talent anyways.

 

[BeatnikGunsoo]

Welp I guess it's back to the rare school of voice acting

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Now the programmers need to be unionized, too.

The 60$ price tag needs to go too, 80$ seems about right so everyone can get paid their extra hours.

 

[bananafactory]

They've got my support.

Performance in many games can be a huge difference between mediocre and exceptional (imagine TLOU without the voice talent).

These people are underappreciated and undervalued

 

[Scarlet_Spider]

Voice acting can pay pretty well, if you have consistent work. Residual payments would be good for the actors, but I'd like to see residual payments made to any contracted staff if a game does really well.

Some of their other demands are on point though. Asking an elderly actor to scream like he's on fire for a tenth take is a painful experience, mainly for the actor. You kill their voice and they can't do any work.

That reminds me of Nolan North's quote from a few years back. "In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it's unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute." I wonder what his views are on this right now.

 

[Palette Swap]

Reading through their points, this all sounds reasonable.

Honestly, the industry at large needs a nice, big, labor-centric kick in the ass and we all know it.

Pretty much, good for them and I hope other lines of work get heard too. This doesn't have to be a race to the bottom.

 

[vypek]

Reading through their points, this all sounds reasonable.

Yeah, I think so too. I assumed at first that the ideas/points were going to be something really unreasonable. But it all seems pretty fair and reasonable

 

[Walpurgis]

It could also backfire for the voice actors too, wouldn't be surprised to see more TV and B-List movie actors hired for voicework if their increased pay gets into the same bracket. More games like Until Dawn, less Troy/Nolan/Laura in the majority of leads.

That's possible. I don't think they are asking for wage increases though, just performance bonuses if the game does well. I think it's worth a shot.

 

[Corpekata]

Dee Bradley Baker probably responsible for that "stressful voice sessions" sections alone.

 

[EnlightenedMint]

Great to see, would love to see more unions in the video game industry.

 

[shaowebb]

Developers will move to Nintendo style.

Indies already do. We can't afford voice actors. Dev costs dictate scope and some may end up designing out jobs if the compensation requirements increase of costs too much. Fair is fair and folks should get paid for their work, but some projects would definitely end up changing their design documents if voice talent became too costly...that or the scab market would receive a massive influx of non guild actors undercutting each other in a race to the bottom to gain exposure and credentials.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

The 60$ price tag needs to go too, 80$ seems about right so everyone can get paid their extra hours.

Many people already pay $80 or more for AAA releases.

 

[hodgy100]

ID like to see this for other industry workers too #DevTeamsMatter

 

[Nanashrew]

they'd also need to get matthew mercer so that they can't just hire him to be troy baker

this probably more stems from more and more games having physical mocap involving more and more stunts and the example on the page where someone did a wire stunt without a stunt coordinator present led to the actor flying into a wall... yeah, this is probably a good thing

Don't worry, Mercer already has his card.

https://twitter.com/matthewmercer/status/646400145647665152

 

[Slime Scholar]

That's not what it is. #PerformanceMatters has been a hashtag for like two years or something.

It is, however, an unfortunate coincidence.

Yeah, I was gonna say this. I've seen it on twitter for a while now and it isn't at all intentional.

 

[bluesun.exe]

I hope game developers unionize at some point.The first thing I thought of with the voice union strike is the Ryse dinner tweet. http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-game-tweet-backfires-badly-1445967381.

 

[Walpurgis]

The 60$ price tag needs to go too, 80$ seems about right so everyone can get paid their extra hours.

Come to Canada, there's plenty of room.

 

[Squire]

That reminds me of Nolan North's quote from a few years back. "In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it's unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute." I wonder what his views are on this right now.

Probably the same. There's no reason for North to vote for this other than to support his peers. Because he's eating, as they say. He's constantly cast in stuff, (which is the element at play here that seems to be going unmentioned), so money is probably not a huge concern. It's a "don't rock the boat" situation. Him, Beker, Bailey; I wouldn't be surprised if game actors on that level didn't say a word about this.

Even the examples in the OP are voices you hear in comparatively less games, though that's not to make a statement of their talent.

I'm for it, though. People should stand up for what they're worth. It's not actors faults that developers are in a poor state as far as their own pay goes. It's a shame, but you also have to keep on keeping on.

 

[deltacanuckian]

Many people already pay $80 or more for AAA releases.

About $90 with taxes in Canada.

 

[machemachete]

I hope we get more silent protagonists.

Those were the best.

 

[DannyDanger]

I'll step in for them while their on strike...

BTW i sound like a

Spoiler

puny

MAN

No but seriously. What if they just hire cheaper talent... This might not be a good idea

 

[cubicle47b]

ID like to see this for other industry workers too #DevTeamsMatter

Yeah, I'm much more worried about the job security and physical and mental health of the development team, especially during crunch time, than the voice actors. Safety related issues should be addressed immediately, of course.

 

[hodayathink]

If anything I feel like videogames are one of the industries where performers are paid realistically.

Comparing your shit to Hollywood is a scarier concept to me. Why the hell these actors get paid such insane money is kind of a problem, in my opinion.

They get paid that much money because the actors you choose determine how much money you make (arguably even more than the writer or director). Tom Cruise, for example, can make $20 million a movie because every movie he's in for almost the past decade has at least made over $100 million, and the majority of them over $200 million. What you're basically suggesting is that actors should be paid less and the studio should just be able to pocket the extra money because you think actors get paid too much.

 

[heliosRAzi]

And the artists. Producers. Designers. QA.

Voice actors are but one element of the industry. They can do work in animation, radio and film too, but very few full time game developers can say the same. The fact they already have a union means they are already luckier than most.

Writers, too.

I totally agree, I have Guy on my Facebook and he's a fantastic person but don't these people get paid enough? I mean they dont appear to be on minimum wage in a game shop selling the products they work on.

Im all for paying a person for a job worth doing but I've also said wages for actors in huge Hollywood films and even television is fucking rediculous this days. A few people in television earn upto 1 million per episode, thats more than enough for me to comfortably live out the rest of my life and not worry about work. So that comparison to an industey already with baffling and inflated pay seems cheap.

Not all actors get paid a million per episode. If they do, then that means they are a big draw which justifies the high price-tag and it is usually negotiated before production. Most don't make that much.

Its not easy getting these jobs and im sure cetain developers pay well because budget allows for it but at the same time these guys don't appear to be struggling or in poverty, a bonus scheme like that seems really cheap when some developers don't even get a bonus based on something that's complete gash like a metacritic score because sale's won't even help when the publisher wants a metacritic of 90 or above. Every mark less than 10/10 in any review is a step closer to losing your bonus after years of development and months of crunch time.

Are we saying that industry voice actors are being mistreated? Guy's case was different because Konami were purposefully trying to fuck him. But like the guys working on Uncharted 3 or HALO, or Call of Duty or Battlefield or even that Quantum Break, are they being paid low wages???

It's not just about the money. It's also about treatment and fairness. The rest of the industry should unionize, as well, to prevent mistreatment and ensure fair practices.

 

[Valkrai]

I'll step in for them while their on strike...

BTW i sound like a

Spoiler

puny ass bitch

MAN

No but seriously. What if they just hire cheaper talent... This might not be a good idea

It'll probably happen or go completely silent somehow. I doubt publishers will be happy with paying their VAs more.

 

[gdt]

GOOD!

We need more unions in the game industry. These voice actors need to do this. They brought up great issues.


Hopefully devs follow after....

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

The demonization of Unions in this country is pathetic and despicable. I 100% support this and everyone else should too.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

They get paid that much money because the actors you choose determine how much money you make (arguably even more than the writer or director). Tom Cruise, for example, can make $20 million a movie because every movie he's in for almost the past decade has at least made over $100 million, and the majority of them over $200 million. What you're basically suggesting is that actors should be paid less and the studio should just be able to pocket the extra money because you think actors get paid too much.

If anything, the actors *do* get paid too much, but the studios shouldn't keep the change, the hundreds, if not thousands of other people working on the movies should be getting paid more.

 

[mpgeist]

I'd rather see developers, writers and programmers see this money before voice actors, but they don't have the celebrity or pull to get a campaign I guess.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Come to Canada, there's plenty of room.

I pay 100$ US dollars, not CAD , for new releases already, so yeah , as soon as I learn to love snow , Im there .

 

[Mushroomer25]

If anything, the actors *do* get paid too much, but the studios shouldn't keep the change, the hundreds, if not thousands of other people working on the movies should be getting paid more.

Which is why unions are important. Individually, none of those workers would be able to negotiate for a higher wage. But if they all band together, they can collectively bargain for proper pay. That way the people at the bottom who are just as important to getting the movie released, also get a fair piece of their final product.

Which is what these voice actors are trying to do.

 

[friskykillface]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmMispgpUs0

B^)
Well retro is always in so let's bring this back , forgot Nolan
I want drake to sound like this

 

[Mooreberg]

This seems like it would result in certain studios ditching particular voice actors. If your game sells primarily on the back of multiplayer or co-op, performance based bonuses for voice acting in the campaign does not make a ton of sense.

I can see a very in demand actor like Troy Baker having a strong bargaining position for all of the single player games he is in. But at the same time, I cannot imagine EA giving much of a shit who the voice actors are for Battlefield 5. This argument sprung up after GTA IV and pretty much went nowhere.

 

[antonz]

I'd rather see developers, writers and programmers see this money before voice actors, but they don't have the celebrity or pull to get a campaign I guess.

Has nothing to do with celebrity. It has to do with the fact they already have an established Union looking out for them.

The Game industry is a I got mine fuck you mentality place so nothing gets done. Maybe someday instead of complaining about crunch times etc. they will get together and say hey fuck you we want better

 

[Jessie.Bristol]

I never understood why actors do not earn residuals from Video Games like they do with Film or Television.

 

[Mory Dunz]

For Nintendo, it was Tuesday.

 

[gdt]

I'd rather see developers, writers and programmers see this money before voice actors, but they don't have the celebrity or pull to get a campaign I guess.

They need to unionize too. Tech companies seem unwilling to, but art industries out west (movies, writing, theater, etc) are all unionized and clamp down hard on studios that don't play ball.

 

[kunonabi]

After what happened to Guy Cihi I'm surprised it took this long for a voice actor's union to start banging the drum on the generally poor treatment of contracted talent.

The voice actors decided it was better to throw him under the buss and make fun of him instead.

 

[aadiboy]

If this leads to a larger group of VAs called upon to do video game voice work, then I support it. I'm tired of hearing the same people over and over again that were selected from the same small pool of talent that every game company uses.

 

[heliosRAzi]

If anything, the actors *do* get paid too much, but the studios shouldn't keep the change, the hundreds, if not thousands of other people working on the movies should be getting paid more.

They could, if they wanted to, negotiate for higher payer or whatever. A lot of jobs within the film industry are unionized. And it is strict.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmMispgpUs0

I love it.

Here, have one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZs1LSgsSU

These sound way too professional. This is what amateur hour sounds like.

 

[SolidSnakex]

The voice actors decided it was better to throw him under the buss and make fun of him instead.

All the voices actors pointed out is that residuals don't exist in the gaming industry for voice actors. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. You get paid once for the initial performance and that's it. The companies can then do whatever they want after that.

 

[Version 3.0]

I'd rather see developers, writers and programmers see this money before voice actors, but they don't have the celebrity or pull to get a campaign I guess.

Agreed. Not that I'm against this - more power to anyone fighting to get paid what they deserve - but voice talent is pretty far down my list of people who deserve to be properly compensated in the video game world.

That first line in the OP:

Game industry makes 3 TIMES as much annual $ as the Hollywood film industry. Actors don't

is not an apt comparison. Actors make or break a movie, even an animated one. With rare exceptions, maybe, that's simply not true for video games.

 

[myca77]

If anything, the actors *do* get paid too much, but the studios shouldn't keep the change, the hundreds, if not thousands of other people working on the movies should be getting paid more.

You could argue that big name film and TV actors get paid excessive amounts. But these are not the norm. Most jobbing actors spend most of their lives going to auditions and getting turned down, so when they do get a job it should pay well. Voice acting in particular, as they may spend between half a day and two days in the studio, if that's at double scale with a good buy out it would be pretty good money. But that money may have to see them doing a month or two more of auditions before the next paying gig.

 

[benicillin]

I'd rather see developers, writers and programmers see this money before voice actors, but they don't have the celebrity or pull to get a campaign I guess.

Okay. So? What is your point? Developers, writers and programmers certainly deserve to be paid more, but what does that have to do with voice actors at all? Why is it in every thread talking about unions or people collectively trying to get fair contracts and pay is it suddenly "yeah but x should get paid more than them anyway because x is more important"? This argument is such a crap smokescreen that comes up every time any group of people tries to get a better deal for themselves and it's gross to see.

 

[Anung]

The voice actors decided it was better to throw him under the buss and make fun of him instead.

Ugh. That was some shameful shit from Baker and McGlynn. Lost a lot of respect for both after that. Plus the performances they put in were embarrassingly bad.