@Photo by Abe Friedtanzer
Strike fever is spreading beyond Hollywood—this time to the gaming industry. It’s being reported that the SAG-AFRTA board has voted unanimously to call a strike against the gamesters if negotiations fail.
According to Deadline, negotiations are being carried out with such companies as Activision, EA, Insomniac Games, and WB Games. For months, members of the actors’ and writers’ guilds have been striking in their quest for wage increases and residual payments, among other demands.
In justifying the strike, SAG-AFTRA’s president Fran Drescher had earlier declared: “Once again, artificial intelligence [AI] is putting our members in jeopardy of reducing their opportunity to work. And once again, SAG-AFTRA is standing up to tyranny on behalf of its members.”
In a statement about the possibility of extending the strike to the gaming industry, union negotiation director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated that “the voice and performance capture artists who bring video game characters to life deserve a contract that reflects the value they bring to the multibillion-dollar gaming industry. Voice and performance capture AI are already among the most advanced uses of AI…Without contractual protections, the employers are asking performers to unknowingly participate in the extinction of their artistry and livelihoods.”
Rules governing the gaming industry had been set by an Interactive Media Agreement that was an outcome of a 2016 dispute between the gaming companies and SAG-AFTRA. In a statement, the companies privy to the agreement said that they were “negotiating in good faith and hope to reach a mutually beneficial deal as soon as possible. We all want a fair contract that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in an industry that delivers world-class entertainment to billions of players around the world.”
SAG-AFTRA is reportedly asking for an 11% retroactive increase in rates for video game performers, followed by future increases of 4% and 4%, the same rates being demanded for writers and actors. Members have until September 26 to vote on the new request for a strike authorization.
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