Video Game Actors Prep To Strike Over Low Pay And Concerns About AI

The SAG-AFTRA strike, ongoing after the Writers' Guild of America reached a tentative agreement to end its strike Sunday night, may soon include video game voice actors.

Yesterday, voice actors and motion capture performers in the gaming industry, overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if the renewed negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP, set to renew today, failed.

Somewhat surreally, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, best known for playing the title role in the sitcom The Nanny, led the call for video game actors.

"It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract," she said in a statement.

📞Hello, are you there, #SagAftraMembers? We’re on the line, urging you to VOTE YES for the Interactive Media (Video Game) strike authorization! Visit https://t.co/oqmI9vxvOL to cast your crucial vote today. Together, we're leveling up for a fair industry! 💪🎮 pic.twitter.com/csjMslhlUL

— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) September 25, 2023

The video game voice and MoCap actors' last contract expired in October 2022 but has been renewed on a monthly basis as the union has negotiated for a new one. Among their concerns are low pay not scaling with inflation and potentially exploitative use of AI using their voice without compensation.

In a recent interview with TRG, Marvel’s Spider-Man star Yuri Lowenthal told the publication:

“Many people don’t quite understand how strongly consent plays into this, but I’d argue that the majority of fans do understand and respect that. It seems simple to me. How would YOU feel to be impersonated? To be made to say things in public that you had never said nor would ever say? To not have control over your own voice? It’s terrifying. Everyone should be concerned.”

It's hoped that video game actors' threat to strike will put pressure on AMPTP to negotiate in good faith with SAG-AFTRA. Should video game actors strike, it may lead to a void in video game production similar to what people have been seeing in television and film over the past five months.