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Video game actor strike

After hearing that annoying drone from that Brooke Burke or whatever her name is in NFSU 2, I would agree with Steve that actors voices lend zero success to a video game mainly because none of us gamers really give a shit about the opening credits and want to get straight into playing.

In the not so distant future they will be replaced by computer animation in movies too so maybe these so called *actors* should stick to what the do best which is waiting on tables.
 
Nothing kills the mood moreso than really bad voice acting.
Just turn on the idiot box and watch some of the dubbed
anime from Japan. It completely rapes your ears.


As for this whole strike business, let them strike. That pay hike
and bonus for every 100k copies sold is a very generous offer.
I don't see how they can be crazy enough to pass on that. :eek:

I honestly feel the actors don't give a rats ass if the game bombs and the
company folds. They already got paid for the x hours they worked for. However
if the game is a roaring sucess, they feel entitled to some of the profits.

So.. I'm "all for" the actors getting paid if the game is a sucess.
I'm also "all for" the actors taking a hit if the game tanks.

I just feel that if you want to share in the profits, you also better share in the risks!
 
The good news is this explains why Daikatana sucked so bad, it was the lack of professional voices.

Now that I cleared that up.
 
let those pompous lame dicks work for a living. Strike this! :eek: Since when did you buy a game for the voices??? What does the guy putting together your computer at (you fill in the brand) make. The only time I enjoyed the voice acting was in Toy Story.
 
Wow. I'm surprised to see so many people against the efforts of a union. I guess it reflects the sad state of Labor in the United States.
 
I'm guessing this strike pertains more towards the game-centric voice actors, which usually suck anyway, not toward big-name actors. Correct if I'm wrong though.

Anyway, the only voice-acting that makes a big difference is that done by people who can decently act.

I find it interesting that Elder Scrolls - Oblivion is gonna have some big name actors. Patrick Stewart rocks, its awesome he's the emperor, for as short a time that the emperor is in the game.

It is the voice-actors' right to strike though, and let them strike.
 
I dont' believe the voice acting contributes any significant content to the quality of the game. I'd let them strike. It might also show people that actors don't have unlimited power and influence.
 
There has been a lot of mediocre voice acting in video games, but not all of it is bad. Some of it is stunningly good and really added color, depth, and dimension to the game. Robert Culp's work as Dr. Breen in Half Life 2 is an outstanding example of good voice acting in a game. I was really impressed with Dr. Breen but it wasn't till I was 2/3 of the way through the game before I recognized it was Robert Culp. Definitely a case where the voice acting truly added to the enjoyment of the game. Another example of good voice acting was who ever did the narrations for Myth. Good voice acting can really help create the atmosphere and sense of immersion in games. As games get more detailed, complex, and realistic I think good voice acting will become even more important.
The hourly rates quoted are what garden variety lawyers charge all the time, except voice actors can only get a few hours work a week on average. I'd rather pay $500 an hour to a voice over artist than to a lawyer. There are a very select few voice over artists who are booked 24/7 and charge much higher rates, but they are very rare indeed. They are highly skilled, able to maintain consistency over many hours of recording, even days. This is essential when pieces recorded on different days will end up being patched together.

I agree that you need to have some high barriers to winnow out the not so talented that would be voice artists, however you definitely need to reward the talented so that they stay in the business and contribute to raising the quality of the finished product. I would side with the Voice artists in this case. If the game studios are forced to pay more to their voice artists, it may be they will pay more attention to that aspect of the game and make sure they get good people that will really contribute their moneys worth to the finished product.
 
Slow Cheetah said:
Wow. I'm surprised to see so many people against the efforts of a union. I guess it reflects the sad state of Labor in the United States.
Click to expand...
Well I'm in a union and I don't make the money per hour that these faceless tards do.

If this was for a Union that represented the Coders, Modelers, Animators, etc.... I'd be all for it. These people should just crawl back into the voice booth and do their stinking jobs. They bring nothing to what it takes to make a Video Game.
 
$278 an hr? If I want to make that much I have to work 40 hours at my job with $7.50 an hr. They can go fuck themselves for all I care.
 
Slow Cheetah said:
Wow. I'm surprised to see so many people against the efforts of a union. I guess it reflects the sad state of Labor in the United States.
Click to expand...

Unions were useful about 40 years ago. Now all they are doing is causing labor costs within the US to rise to unacceptable levels.
 
ferdb said:
There has been a lot of mediocre voice acting in video games, but not all of it is bad. Some of it is stunningly good and really added color, depth, and dimension to the game. Robert Culp's work as Dr. Breen in Half Life 2 is an outstanding example of good voice acting in a game. I was really impressed with Dr. Breen but it wasn't till I was 2/3 of the way through the game before I recognized it was Robert Culp. Definitely a case where the voice acting truly added to the enjoyment of the game. Another example of good voice acting was who ever did the narrations for Myth. Good voice acting can really help create the atmosphere and sense of immersion in games. As games get more detailed, complex, and realistic I think good voice acting will become even more important.
The hourly rates quoted are what garden variety lawyers charge all the time, except voice actors can only get a few hours work a week on average. I'd rather pay $500 an hour to a voice over artist than to a lawyer. There are a very select few voice over artists who are booked 24/7 and charge much higher rates, but they are very rare indeed. They are highly skilled, able to maintain consistency over many hours of recording, even days. This is essential when pieces recorded on different days will end up being patched together.

I agree that you need to have some high barriers to winnow out the not so talented that would be voice artists, however you definitely need to reward the talented so that they stay in the business and contribute to raising the quality of the finished product. I would side with the Voice artists in this case. If the game studios are forced to pay more to their voice artists, it may be they will pay more attention to that aspect of the game and make sure they get good people that will really contribute their moneys worth to the finished product.
Click to expand...


I do have to admit that the voice acting in HL2 was outstanding BUT it wouldn't have mattered whether I had recognized any of the voices as long as the quality was similar.
 
They want their fair share of the take... a slice of each game copy sold.

Ok, so lets figure their fair share: Game development manhours for say, a game like Doom3 equals what? Say three years minimum with about 8-12 persons, 4weeks a year and 45 hours per week (just for figures):

8x49x45 = 17640 Man Hours (for 8 men)
12x49x45 = 26460 Man Hours (for 12 men)

Lets say the actor does about 8 to 16 hours total work time for voice acting. The 'fair share' of pay would then be a percentage of sales times the hours the actor works divided by the total man hours for development:

Best case: 16 actor hours / 17640 total man hours = .0907%

So, if the game sales of twenty thousand copies makes upward to $100,000, the actor might be able to claim $90.70 as their fair share.


I think the deal they are getting now is way too generous, lets go with a fair share deal. Might make the game cost a little lower :D

:rolleyes:
 
Having read the responses, it's pretty clear to me as an actor, that none of you have a clue how the business works. Many of you are griping over the fact that voice actors are being paid $278/hr, but what you don't understand is that the voice acting biz is NOTHING like regular 9 to 5 jobs, and that even at $278/hr, voice actors are getting ripped off.

What I doubt any of you know is that voice actors are among the rarest type of actors there are. Universities and workshops may teach speech & voice techniques, but developing a character through voice requires very specialized training. Few actors actually take the time (years of voice practice) to learn how to develop voice characters, which means there is a low supply of voice actors. If those of you who refer to voice actors as "faceless tards" would actually take the time research this topic, you'd see that the high demand in the industry for voice actors is falling on the shoulders of a small number of people. As those of you who started working the computer business during its massive expansion in the early 90's noticed, the high demand for skilled computer experts brought with it big bucks during a time when there weren't as many experts as there are now. And, I'm quite sure none of you complained about YOUR big salaries in your 40/hr a week jobs. Voice actors only work for a few days on a voice gig, so it's not like that $278/hr actually translates into big bucks. At most, those voice actors are only making a few thousand dollars for any one job. Many of my computer friends were making 6-digits a year, and YOU'RE complaing about MY fellow actor's wages? On top of that, these actors don't get paid vacation, medical insurance or 401k.

It's also important for you to understand that voice actors are required to have many, many different types of voices at their disposal because once a voice is used for a show or game, that character voice is no longer owned by the actor unless otherwise specified in the contract. The voice actors aren't just getting paid $278/hr to gab all day, they're potentially giving up the rights to ever use again what may be a very lucrative voice.

And, what's this about voice actors not contributing to the experience of a video game? You make it sound like just any actor can talk into a mic and expect to be as good as any of the voice actors used in the gaming industry. Heck, if the voices are that inconsquential to you, try playing Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 without them and see just how immersive they'll be. Out of a 1000 actors, maybe 100 actually have the skill to be good voice performers, and maybe 10 of the remaining 100 can actually be good voice ACTORS. What you're getting in most video games published by reputable software companies are the best of the best in the industry, and they deserve to be paid more than $278/hr.
 
I think they have a movie industry kinda mentality ,of course nobody put a gun their heads and 'forced ' them to work for $278 , there is lots of other jobs outthere where you can make a decent living. Under that mentality anybody from the janitor up could ask for a share of profits(since they probably contributed far more time than voice actors).I think the unions are living in lala land , it will all end up zero union actors getting jobs (somewhat similar to casting in B movies).
 
Zorro said:
Having read the responses, it's pretty clear to me as an actor, that none of you have a clue how the business works. Many of you are griping over the fact that voice actors are being paid $278/hr, but what you don't understand is that the voice acting biz is NOTHING like regular 9 to 5 jobs, and that even at $278/hr, voice actors are getting ripped off.

What I doubt any of you know is that voice actors are among the rarest type of actors there are. Universities and workshops may teach speech & voice techniques, but developing a character through voice requires very specialized training. Few actors actually take the time (years of voice practice) to learn how to develop voice characters, which means there is a low supply of voice actors. If those of you who refer to voice actors as "faceless tards" would actually take the time research this topic, you'd see that the high demand in the industry for voice actors is falling on the shoulders of a small number of people. As those of you who started working the computer business during its massive expansion in the early 90's noticed, the high demand for skilled computer experts brought with it big bucks during a time when there weren't as many experts as there are now. And, I'm quite sure none of you complained about YOUR big salaries in your 40/hr a week jobs. Voice actors only work for a few days on a voice gig, so it's not like that $278/hr actually translates into big bucks. At most, those voice actors are only making a few thousand dollars for any one job. Many of my computer friends were making 6-digits a year, and YOU'RE complaing about MY fellow actor's wages?

It's also important for you to understand that voice actors are required to have many, many different types of voices at their disposal because once a voice is used for a show or game, that character voice is no longer owned by the actor unless otherwise specified in the contract. The voice actors aren't just getting paid $278/hr to gab all day, they're potentially giving up the rights to ever use again what may be a very lucrative voice.

And, what's this about voice actors not contributing to the experience of a video game? You make it sound like just any actor can talk into a mic and expect to be as good as any of the voice actors used in the gaming industry. Heck, if the voices are that inconsquential to you, try playing Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 without them and see just how immersive they'll be. Out of a 1000 actors, maybe 100 actually have the skill to be good voice performers, and maybe 10 of the remaining 100 can actually be good voice ACTORS. What you're getting in most video games published by reputable software companies are the best of the best in the industry, and they deserve to be paid more than $278/hr.
Click to expand...

i dont like you
 
Zorro said:
Having read the responses, it's pretty clear to me as an actor, that none of you have a clue how the business works. Many of you are griping over the fact that voice actors are being paid $278/hr, but what you don't understand is that the voice acting biz is NOTHING like regular 9 to 5 jobs, and that even at $278/hr, voice actors are getting ripped off.

What I doubt any of you know is that voice actors are among the rarest type of actors there are. Universities and workshops may teach speech & voice techniques, but developing a character through voice requires very specialized training. Few actors actually take the time (years of voice practice) to learn how to develop voice characters, which means there is a low supply of voice actors. If those of you who refer to voice actors as "faceless tards" would actually take the time research this topic, you'd see that the high demand in the industry for voice actors is falling on the shoulders of a small number of people. As those of you who started working the computer business during its massive expansion in the early 90's noticed, the high demand for skilled computer experts brought with it big bucks during a time when there weren't as many experts as there are now. And, I'm quite sure none of you complained about YOUR big salaries in your 40/hr a week jobs. Voice actors only work for a few days on a voice gig, so it's not like that $278/hr actually translates into big bucks. At most, those voice actors are only making a few thousand dollars for any one job. Many of my computer friends were making 6-digits a year, and YOU'RE complaing about MY fellow actor's wages?

It's also important for you to understand that voice actors are required to have many, many different types of voices at their disposal because once a voice is used for a show or game, that character voice is no longer owned by the actor unless otherwise specified in the contract. The voice actors aren't just getting paid $278/hr to gab all day, they're potentially giving up the rights to ever use again what may be a very lucrative voice.

And, what's this about voice actors not contributing to the experience of a video game? You make it sound like just any actor can talk into a mic and expect to be as good as any of the voice actors used in the gaming industry. Heck, if the voices are that inconsquential to you, try playing Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 without them and see just how immersive they'll be. Out of a 1000 actors, maybe 100 actually have the skill to be good voice performers, and maybe 10 of the remaining 100 can actually be good voice ACTORS. What you're getting in most video games published by reputable software companies are the best of the best in the industry, and they deserve to be paid more than $278/hr.
Click to expand...

I thought this was about established movie actors doing voice overs for video games. Not professional voice actors themselves.
 
By Fromage:
"I thought this was about established movie actors doing voice overs for video games. Not professional voice actors themselves."


RTFA, man. "About 2,000 union actors give voice to characters such as Obi Wan Kenobi in the latest "Star Wars" game. One actor can provide the voice of several characters during a single recording session."

This isn't just about the big name actors.
 
Zorro said:
By Fromage:
"I thought this was about established movie actors doing voice overs for video games. Not professional voice actors themselves."


RTFA, man. "About 2,000 union actors give voice to characters such as Obi Wan Kenobi in the latest "Star Wars" game. One actor can provide the voice of several characters during a single recording session."

This isn't just about the big name actors.
Click to expand...
yes it is, they're the only ones bitching
 
Fire the voice actors. Let's get some solid gameplay and catchy music into games (like they used to be).
 
kpedge said:
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...
Click to expand...

No, there are tons of other reasons to pass over doom 3 which I don't think are really relevant to this topic.

I love it when the powerless try to scracth and claw helplessly at industry giants. Just do what you do best videogame industry: say "fuck 'em".

Slow Cheetah said:
Wow. I'm surprised to see so many people against the efforts of a union. I guess it reflects the sad state of Labor in the United States.
Click to expand...

Say that to our GDP, tough guy.
 
Yes, let them strike, then watch them shrivel up and die as the publishers drop kick their asses out onto the street. The entire publishing industry needs to stop their stupid hollywood mentality anyway, maybe this will be a good start. The publishers need to smarten up, stop using the cookie cutter on the cheap sugar free dough and give us something to really get excited about.
 
I don't think anyone will notice or care. It can't be THAT hard to find some guy who has the right voice for the character you want. and the actors don't deserve any of the money anyway, i'm sure they get plenty for what they do. i mean, come on, all the guy has to do is read from a paper into a microphone and he's done for his days work.
 
hikeskool said:
No, there are tons of other reasons to pass over doom 3 which I don't think are really relevant to this topic.
Click to expand...

True, but Doom 3 came to mind thanks to the efforts of good ol' Michael Ironside- the toughest sounding voice actor alive. :)
 
How does one get into that line of work? I was just thinking the other day that I might be good at it because I've always had a.. unique talent, so to speak, for voices.. Do you have to move to LA and sell your soul to satan?
 
Do you think six pages of "hah the fools, let them strike, or for that matter leave and never come back" will make them reconsider their position?

Or maybe make the gaming companies rethink hiring them in the first place and maybe reallocate the funding to more important development areas?

Nah, probably not. But it's a nice thought.
 
cell_491 said:
yes it is, they're the only ones bitching
Click to expand...

You need to RTFA, as well. The first paragraph reads:

"A button worn by picketing actors at last week's E3 video games trade show suggested they might pull the plug if they don't get a bigger share of the industry's huge profits. It read "Game Over.""

And, if you'll look at the photo caption, you'll see that there are no big names mentioned. Do you have anything worthwhile to contribute, or are you the resident troll for these parts?
 
JonnyK said:
I don't think anyone will notice or care. It can't be THAT hard to find some guy who has the right voice for the character you want. and the actors don't deserve any of the money anyway, i'm sure they get plenty for what they do. i mean, come on, all the guy has to do is read from a paper into a microphone and he's done for his days work.
Click to expand...

Actually, it IS that difficult. There's a reason why only 1% of the actors living in Hollywood are voice actors capable of getting work. Most actors can't even pronounce "the" correctly, and no respectable software company would hire an actor with mushmouth. I've done voice looping, and one of the most difficult things a voice actor learns is to read according to the action on the screen, not what he sees in the script. Most new voice actors end up sounding robotic and dead. Plus, it's very difficult finding voices that haven't already been done, or have that special appeal. There may be actors with similar sounding voices, but in games like Max Payne 2, it's pretty clear that there is something special about the voices that contributes to the whole noir setting.

You need to actually spend time in the industry before you discount the voice actors that are already getting work.
 
To the guy complaining about his programmer friends making 6 figures. These programmers WILL work more than 40 hours a week because overtime is expected. Not to mention that programming/debugging/optimization is one of the hardest things to do for a game. I'd like to see one of those voice over actors in the position of a programmer working towards a deadline, working 10+ hours a day to finish a game. The people making these 6 figure salaries have everything to lose and these actors have nothing to lose. They just have to get hired for the part. Nowadays it's just as hard to get a programming position at one of these companies as it is to find voice over work. So, why don't we just make everyone's lives easier and let them strike so these companies can hire more programmers for their team and maybe cut down their stress and the amount of hours they have to work? I'm sure that would result in a better product faster. As for the voices in the games, after 3 months of finishing the game, does anyone actually go, "That was the most amazing voice I have heard in a game." or do they go, "I fragged that thing to a bloody mess, that was fun."?
 
Okay first of all, these people are contract workers, they are called upon to do voice work ONLY when there's work do be done... which probably isn't that often. How many games come out per year that require voice acting? How many of these actors get booked for EVERY title? Not many to be sure. An average voice-over session can't be more than half a day, seeing as how it's carefully pre-planned to cut down on artists time. I'm a freelance worker too and never knowing when the next booking is can be frightening, especially when it's a sparse a video game pre-production.

If we're talking hollywood big-name actors, or movie remakes, then I can agree with you. But THEY aren't the ones who're striking. This is beans compared to what they're making!

If anyone's ever played Soul Reaver II and heard the voicework done on Raziel, or Max Payne2, or a number of other immersive titles... you would agree that voice actors can play an integral part of a gaming experience.

-Optikalusion
 
To bad for the whiny actors. There's plenty of talented Voice Actors available who won't go on a greed grab.
 
pwnx said:
To the guy complaining about his programmer friends making 6 figures. These programmers WILL work more than 40 hours a week because overtime is expected. Not to mention that programming/debugging/optimization is one of the hardest things to do for a game. I'd like to see one of those voice over actors in the position of a programmer working towards a deadline, working 10+ hours a day to finish a game. The people making these 6 figure salaries have everything to lose and these actors have nothing to lose. They just have to get hired for the part. Nowadays it's just as hard to get a programming position at one of these companies as it is to find voice over work. So, why don't we just make everyone's lives easier and let them strike so these companies can hire more programmers for their team and maybe cut down their stress and the amount of hours they have to work? I'm sure that would result in a better product faster. As for the voices in the games, after 3 months of finishing the game, does anyone actually go, "That was the most amazing voice I have heard in a game." or do they go, "I fragged that thing to a bloody mess, that was fun."?
Click to expand...

You really don't know anything about the business of acting do you? Someone I know in film works on average 14-16 hours a day. Sometimes 18. He's got a deadline just like the programmers do becasue the movie has to be done by a certain date, and he has a hell of a lot to lose if the movie flops. So don't come in here with this garbage that actors are getting overpaid and programmers need more money. Granted this is film, not video games, but the principals apply to a lesser extent.

Voice actors have nothing to lose? You have any idea how they are hired? The producers will take a look at the actor's previous work body. If he does a sucky job, he isn't going to get work.

I do believe that VO actors don't contribute THAT much to a video games sucess so I don't think they need to be making six or seven figures - and their not. However, they do contribute some to the success of the game, and they need to be properly conpensated just like everyone else. $247 an hour is very misleading. That 247 per hour is ONLY for the time you spend in the recording studio. For every hour in the studio, you can count on an actor needing to do at least 8 hours of homework and preparation. Most projects you're going to spend about 10 hours in the studio total. That's about 2500 per project. If you are a decent voice actor, and line up 10 projects a year, that $25,000 per year. That really ain't shit. The people that market the video games make double this, and they don't do anything to help improve the gameplay of the game.
 
I can name 10 times the games with bad voice acting than those with good acting.

If they would have taken the offer on the tabole (the $3xx /hour + proffet sharing) I wouldnt have cared, but they are being greeding asking for more than that.
 
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. 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)
Click to expand...

I haven't read all of this thread yet.
But i would have to agree with you on a very high level.
IMO fuck unions. I really hate them. i wish unions would die. I mean hell you have no motivation for doing your job cause you have no fear in losing cause you do shit.
I say let them go on strike...only hurting themself's and as for actors. And to show you how much i really know/care about that shit hole they call hollywood. I don't even know who the hell half the actors are besides a few that have been around since i was a kid.

another thing is i had lost a $300,000 job cause of a union. and there threat to go on strike.
I was the contract manager and network enginer for Netwise at the age of 18..(nonunion of course)
we where doing a 45 fiber strand run along with a 100 CAT5 run for this law firm.
Well low and behold guess who was in the basement running the electric. Yup you guessed right the fucking eletric union. They got word on what we where doing and through a bitch fest saying they needed to run the low voltage wiring or they would walk.
That ended up in us losing that contract. and i lost 75k outa it. So yes i have a huge hate for lazy ass fuck tards who can't do there job. :D

Just my .02 cents
 
[RIP]Zeus said:
I haven't read all of this thread yet.
But i would have to agree with you on a very high level.
IMO fuck unions. I really hate them. i wish unions would die. I mean hell you have no motivation for doing your job cause you have no fear in losing cause you do shit.
I say let them go on strike...only hurting themself's and as for actors. And to show you how much i really know/care about that shit hole they call hollywood. I don't even know who the hell half the actors are besides a few that have been around since i was a kid.

another thing is i had lost a $300,000 job cause of a union. and there threat to go on strike.
I was the contract manager and network enginer for Netwise at the age of 18..(nonunion of course)
we where doing a 45 fiber strand run along with a 100 CAT5 run for this law firm.
Well low and behold guess who was in the basement running the electric. Yup you guessed right the fucking eletric union. They got word on what we where doing and through a bitch fest saying they needed to run the low voltage wiring or they would walk.
That ended up in us losing that contract. and i lost 75k outa it. So yes i have a huge hate for lazy ass fuck tards who can't do there job. :D

Just my .02 cents
Click to expand...

If you don't have an employable skill, then join a union. Then you can use extortion to get a job and a raise. You'll work less hours and get more pay than those that go to college (or get other self-paid training).

/rant

Let the voice people strike- who cares. About them not being able to work 40 hours a week- I bet the good ones do. And many people in the world are bivocational.
 
[RIP]Zeus said:
I haven't read all of this thread yet.
But i would have to agree with you on a very high level.
IMO fuck unions. I really hate them. i wish unions would die. I mean hell you have no motivation for doing your job cause you have no fear in losing cause you do shit.
I say let them go on strike...only hurting themself's and as for actors. And to show you how much i really know/care about that shit hole they call hollywood. I don't even know who the hell half the actors are besides a few that have been around since i was a kid.

another thing is i had lost a $300,000 job cause of a union. and there threat to go on strike.
I was the contract manager and network enginer for Netwise at the age of 18..(nonunion of course)
we where doing a 45 fiber strand run along with a 100 CAT5 run for this law firm.
Well low and behold guess who was in the basement running the electric. Yup you guessed right the fucking eletric union. They got word on what we where doing and through a bitch fest saying they needed to run the low voltage wiring or they would walk.
That ended up in us losing that contract. and i lost 75k outa it. So yes i have a huge hate for lazy ass fuck tards who can't do there job. :D

Just my .02 cents
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Unions are not created for Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Those guys are at a point where they can make plenty of money on their own without the help of a Union. Unions were created for the people who aren't very high up on the chain so they don't get taken advantage of.

If you read my post above you'll see how $300/hour translates into about $30,000 a year if you are a good voice actor. Wanting to make more than 30k a year (with no benefits mind you) is greedy? Without a Union, there is no feasable way they could hope to make more than what they already are. I would like to know how doing your job and wanting to get fairly paid for it is a "lazy ass fuck tard." They do their job just like you do, and when it's all said and done you probably make a lot more than they do.

Kinda sucks that you lost a huge contract out of that, but you know what? That's business. It's not pretty, and I can tell you that stuff like that is kindergarten compared to showbiz. It's very ruthless out there, and without a union hardworking individuals will get taken advantage of - just like you did in that contract deal. If you learn anything out of that you should have learned that unions, while not pretty, DO work. They DO get things done. What's that saying - "if you can't beat em join em."
 
Personally I feel that the BIG names in acting, period, don't deserve a crapload of money to do voice-overs. Reason? They're already established. They're already recognized. They could say to hell with VO and they'd still be able to afford their Armani suits and still invest into their (insert big name actor here) shoe fund. They make more money from one movie, than most people will make in ten years. Put it this way - If I even did one movie and got millions for it? I'd retire, invest the money so it pretty much leaves me capable of living off of the collected interest, and do just that. And the only way I'd do another movie is if someone came to ME.

Now, for the joe schmoe who nobody would even recognize or even bother unless idle curiousity makes them search the credits for the name (i.e. David Hayter for Solid Snake) then yeah, they deserve plenty, and possibly a bit more if the game was successful. A voice does not make or break a game.

HOWEVER...

It does make or break a believable character, which DOES contribute to the gameplay. David Hayter in my opinion, made a helluva voice for Solid Snake. He sounded believable. He sounded like a true asskicker. He made the character of an old soldier being called back into duty over and over again truly sound like it should, or how one could perceive it. A soldier who's tired of doing this crap, really doesn't want to do it, knows that he's getting screwed in more ways than just risking his neck single-handedly, but also retains the knowing that he's probably the only one who's even capable of handling it. And also reflects it in the way he interacts with other characters, whether it's his WTF reactions to Campbell, or his talking down at Meryl for being so hesitant, or talking to Otacon.

But would I buy more MGS games because of David? No. I was a fan of Metal Gear before voice acting was even considered an element to include into gameplay. If anything I'm more interested in seeing what new storyline/plot comes through, and what kind of new Metal Gear that Snake will have to take down. So I would actually be more inclined to purchase a game based on what writer developed the story of the game. Not that I WOULD, but if I HAD to choose my purchasing methods between that and good voice acting, I'd go with a great storyline over great voice acting.

Now, let me ask all of you this:

Imagine one of your favorite games where there is voice acting done. Now imagine one of the most talkative characters in the game, NPC or not, or even the character you play, sounding like Jar Jar Binks on helium. Would you really, really want to play the game knowing that you have to hear that all throughout the game from start to end? That is where good voice acting makes or breaks a game, but not in a direct correlation to the success of a game. It does however, have a link to the overall gameplay. Like I said, a believable character contributes to better gameplay.

Want proof? If I'm not mistaken the programmers did the voices for the Cow Level in Diablo 2. Did anyone need to hear Tommy Lee Jones or Will Smith or even James Earl Jones for that? No.

Grand Theft Auto - oh look we get an "adult entertainer" to do a voiceover for an obviously so reduntant role. The series was popular before the game even had any real voice talent in it. Having a known voice in it didn't boost sales. I never once saw the game being advertised as BUY THIS! WE HAVE JENNA!

Anyway, main point being big actors can screw off. The little guys deserve their quarter come hell or highwater. They may not make or break a game, but their work make or breaks a character in that game. And that contributes to the gaming experience that we enjoy, whether we want to admit it or not. And if you honestly don't think so, sit down to a game of BloodRayne and picture Fran Drescher saying those lines for Rayne in that nasal voice of hers.
 
I could care less if they go on strike. Actors play a very small role in game development so I don't think it would have much impact at all. At most it would require studios to actually read would-be actors. As opposed to hiring a big actor for their name and throwing that name around to pimp the game.

DS
 
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