• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Video game actor strike

lol. let them go on strike. They make enough money as it is, and then they have the balls to step up and say they want more. They always talk of giving back to those less fortunate but it only helps them to buy the next Bentley or thier 500th pair of shoes.

My $0.02
 
Holy crap! They make that much money? Screw 'em and hire non-union voice actors. They should use the money saved to pay the artists, musicians, and programmers more. Those are the talents that really matter. Hell, if it comes down to it, use subtitles. ;)
 
I could care less if its joe shmoe from next door doing the voice acting....as long as I can blow his head off I'm happy :D
 
I'm having a hard time drumming up sympathy for a non-recognizable voice that makes $278 per hour.

If it's a well known actor (i.e. James Earl Jones, James Caan, etc.) that's one thing, but if it's some schlub then who cares? Do they reeeally think that their voice on a game makes any difference? "Oh wow, that Space Marine sounded funny, I think I'll pass over Doom 3."

The fee per 100,000 copies sold seems semi-reasonable, it's more like a "profit-sharing" plan commonly used to raise the quality of work in employees. But the straight residual seems a little "prima-donna" for faceless nobodies already being paid more than it's worth.

If they really think they're important, they should go the "Tom Cruise" route. He doesn't take up-front salaries anymore- he works solely for a residual of the movie. Like or hate his work, you gotta respect a move like that.

Just an opinion...
 
Screw them. I have never once played a game because I could hear some Hollywood douche talk, nor will I ever. The industry is better off without beautiful faces.
 
But now that video games generate nearly as much revenue as domestic movie ticket sales, actors say they want a piece of every game sold rather than one-time up front fees.
Click to expand...
Movie actors don't get a piece of the action (except for a few big stars). I don't see how they can possibly think the game publishers would go along with this.

If the union actors go on strike, there will be a few months with more than the usual amount of crappy voice acting in games (we'll hardly notice) and then it'll go back to the way it is now.
 
The most I've ever thought about the voice actors in games is; "Hey that voice sounds kinda familiar." I then promptly forget about that train of thought and continue the melee or whatever action I was performing at the time. Do I care? Can lemur's do long division?
 
I'm thinking they should get SOME kind of residual. I don't think it should be any different than any other actor in a movie (dvd sales?). Just think if KOTOR had crappy actors...without believable voice acting, we might as well stop playing games with ANY voices and go back to midi sound. I can't comment on games I've not played but HL2, The Longest Journey, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Splinter Cell, et al just plain would've sucked without good acting. I can understand that game makers want to keep what little money they do make but some of their arguments are a bit weak. Sure, an actor has a small role in the making of a game, but they don't do a whole lot in making a film either. They DO, however, make the end result better than it otherwise would have been....'course, this is just my opinion; I could be wrong...
 
Len said:
...there will be a few months with more than the usual amount of crappy voice acting in games (we'll hardly notice) ...
Click to expand...

I really think they should bring back the "all your base are belong to us" guy- he's classic!
 
The voice actors must have huge balls to try to state that they are the reason why people buy specific games. If I were one of the programmers/artists on a game I would be pissed with the couple of days worth of time that the voice actors spent (well paid for) on the game vs. the years that the programmers/artists spent if the actors got residuals..
 
Well, are we talking just big time hollywood types, or the general voice actors?
Those folks are pretty integral to RPG's, like the old Black Isle games and current Bioware titles like KOTOR.
I did a google once...there are a handful of actors that do many voices, and their bios show work in cartoons and such as well.

I'll have to pitch for the little guy here. It's the little things that make a game great.
The gaming industry certainly doesn't need more help in reducing it's trend towards producing only canned, derivative crap (like hollywood has been doing exclusively for the past decade or so).
 
$278/hr? Geez... Let 'em go on strike so I can go do it. I wouldn't mind bein' a scab for that much. It's not like you have to be a good actor to be in a video game...

Prime
 
Paying for good acting is something I don't think anyone minds. Paying for big names is ridiculous. As such, dump the union, and go find other good talent.

 
I personally say, see you later. I could care less who is doing the voices in games. Just give the job to some noobie programmer to give him some experince. I can definatley do without Hollywood for my gaming pleasure.
 
I'd do it for $10 an hour...I mean all you do is talk and sound somewhat believable.

I'm a great liar, I can make anything sound believable.

Sounds like they just got a little case of da' american greed.

 
kpedge said:
I really think they should bring back the "all your base are belong to us" guy- he's classic!
Click to expand...

Someone set us up the bomb!

CATS. His name is CATS.
 
uzor said:
Paying for good acting is something I don't think anyone minds. Paying for big names is ridiculous. As such, dump the union, and go find other good talent.

Click to expand...

Swing by your local acting college and pull some students from there to do voice acting.
 
Actors are used to being considered the 'star' of the medium they are preforming in. In the case of movies, TV, or even radio this is the case, people are paying to be entertained by the star.. In an interactive video game, the 'star' is the person playing the game, while the voice actor is just fluff to add imersion.

IMO, if an actor wants a bigger stake in the medium, they should put forth more effort then a couple afternoons in front on a microphone, reading from a script.
 
Ryland said:
Swing by your local acting college and pull some students from there to do voice acting.
Click to expand...

Unless it's GTA, then you should go by your local crack house.
 
I think the actor strike will have even LESS of an impact than the Hookey strike/lockout :p
 
I know some of you are like $278 an hour!!! WTF!!! but its not like they work 40 hours a week and if this is there only job they may not be making that much. I don't know enough details to pass judgement on this issue.
 
If they make that much money an hour they shouldn't even be complaining. Let them strike and give other people a chance at it. :p
 
Please, i beg, go on strike. I would love to further segregate our entertainment venue from that of the movies. I agree in that actors voices do nothing for a videogame.

My only fear is that somehow the gaming community (whether it be fans or the development side) would do something other than applaud and say good riddance.
 
Hmmm....tough call. It's hard to determine who's being greedier - the voice actors, or the publishers. I know the publishers are likely making money hand over fist, but facts like this one don't generate much sympathy for the voice actors:

Producers have countered with an offer of a 34.8 percent wage hike over three years, bringing the one-hour rate for union actors to $375 from $278.
Click to expand...

First, I wish I made $278/hour. While I understand that they don't work 40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year, I can imagine that a particular game will require many hours and takes. Second, a 34.8 percent hike over three years? Jesus - I've had some good raises, but nothing THAT good. The whole "What console will you buy" crap would be moot point if everyone made 34.8% more than they do now. Hell, I'd be out financing a boat right now if I were guaranteed that kind of raise.

But, in the end, the losers will be us - the consumers/gamers. Video game companies aren't going to want their slice of the pie to decrease, so they'll simply pass the cost on to us. You'll like be lucky to find a game in the $50 price range anymore.
 
There is NO other place in the American workplace that you can "strike" and not lose your job. Only if you're in in a union. If I tried to "strike" in my job, I would lose it in a heartbeat to someone else who is willing to do my job for less money. Therefore, it is my responsibility (not some union boss's) to get better training, make the money I make work for my life and try to be happy about my job. The "union" is one of the biggest excuses to NOT be responsible for your own career life. I'm actually somewhat comforted by the fact that I MUST be motivated to be good at my job (in contrary to a union position). Now... after that rant, on to this specific situation...

If a game developer is concerned about getting a good voice in their game, they will find one - with or without a union of actors. IF these yahoos go on strike, they will be on stike until they starve to death. (because most of them won't be willing to find a non-union job and game developers will simply find talent elsewhere) Not only this, but since when was the last time ANYONE bought a game solely (or mostly) because it had fantastic unionized voice acting? There are so many arguments that make this possible strike pathetic it makes the strike... well... pathetic.

Enjoy!

l8r)
 
$278 a day and their bitching? I only make that a week!

Heres my view......


vba0354bb978jm.gif
 
Please strike. The economics might improve that it'll be longer until the industry chooses a higher average price for new games.
 
I dont know if this has been mentioned but the only voice actor who should amek that much should be David Hayter the voice of solid snake :p He probably makes more than that tho,

If MGS4 came out and he wasnt the voice.... there would be a riot
 
WhyYouLoveMe said:
There is NO other place in the American workplace that you can "strike" and not lose your job. Only if you're in in a union.
Click to expand...

Lets not forget Teachers Unions. Not only do they not lose their jobs but in most states it is ILLEGAL for teachers to strike, but yet they don't end up in jail. Now that is sending them a clear message!

The voice actors should get paid just like everybody else does who works on the game, of course they are making rediculous wages for a small percentage of a games production.
 
Let 'em strike. I don't care if a character is voiced by Christopher Walken or an unknown voice actor.
 
Spiff1333 said:
I know some of you are like $278 an hour!!! WTF!!! but its not like they work 40 hours a week and if this is there only job they may not be making that much. I don't know enough details to pass judgement on this issue.
Click to expand...

Spiff makes a good point. If you make 278 an hour but only pull in 5 hours of work in a good week.. Well $1390 a week before taxes aint a lot of scratch especially if it's your only source of income and the amount of work's not guaranteed from week to week. One good week in an otherwise dry month and you'd be eating a lot of rice until you got more work. Additionally, it's not like these people have a pension or benefits to go with that wage.

The other thing I'd suggest is that despite the way the article makes it out this isnt something that most people could do. It's like professional sports, the exceptional few who can should be fairly rewarded for their ability. Seriously, record yourself sometime and see if you think you sound believable. Now do it again for 300 other half-lines and snippets of dialogue and make them all consistent. Oh.. and fart it out in 3 hours or less because that's all the studio time budgeted to you. I don think their job is as easy as it might appear at first blush.

All that being said, a 34% wage increase is a pretty fair offer for a striking group with so little leverage (or popular support as evidenced by this forum) and they should probably be glad to get it.

 
Screw them let them go on strike and screw themselves out of cash, I don't care. Personally I think we shouldn't be using known actors in videogames because they flat out suck! No emotion for the game, just reading scripts. We need gamers to do voices in games IMHO
 
If they strike, I'll probably miss it about as much as I did hockey when they went on strike. Don't get me wrong, I like the voices in games and I watch the occasional hockey game...but I won't miss them if they aren't there. I might think about it ever now and then, but then I'll realize that they did it to themselves because they thought they should get more and that I really don't care that much.
 
Well, I am glad we are all on the same page.

I just don't understand Hollywood's line of thinking, a strike can only guarantee you that no one will use union actors (or will be able to afford it) in their games any more...and no one will miss them.

The James Bond series of games is a perfect example of how actors would NOT lend their likeness rights to the game...the first two were huge hits WITHOUT the actor...after the games hit huge, all of the sudden we have Peirce Brosnan in the last Bond game cashing in.

I hate to say it but I think if Hollywood wants anything to do with the game industry, do what Vin Diesel did...make your own game studio, make your own games (or have them made) that way you have some credibility in the industry.
 
stupid ass actors...i say screw them, and personally games with unknowned voice actors are usually better. Also I love their strike pens that say "Game Over" isnt that just hilarious!! As if the game industry would collapse if they refused to take part in games...i think "game over" means that the game is over for THEM!!
 
Kiggles said:
Screw them. I have never once played a game because I could hear some Hollywood douche talk, nor will I ever. The industry is better off without beautiful faces.
Click to expand...


I love it.

Do all the programmers that work on the game get residuals? If you want more money make the damn game yourself and you can keep all the profit and do all the voice acting. :rolleyes:
 
I think we should encourage them to strike. Then, maybe, just maybe, the complete and utter lack of any impact on anything other than their bank accounts and egos will serve as a reality check for them.

Maybe, with any luck, it will remind at least some of them that they are NOT the shining beacons of modern society, nor the gatekeepers of all the is right and just, that they have made themselves out to be. And, while it is probably to much to ask, maybe it might even encourage at least a few of them to be thankful for the good fortune they have and, above all else, to SHUT UP AND ACT.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top