• MJBrune@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    What people might not catch is that this isn’t artists, designers or engineers. It’s voice actors only. I’m all for people getting what they deserve but as I see voice actors in the games industry demand profit sharing and more rights, I’m reminded that those who actually make the games don’t get that. They have overtime without pay.

    • Pigeon@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Voice actors are among “those who actually make the games.” Voice acting in particular also is strenuous work that can and does cause physical injury when workers are compelled to work long hours doing rough voices and so on. People end up having to have surgery on their vocal cords.

      We don’t need to devalue voice actors to value other game industry workers. The only difference is the voice actors organized first, probably because of the injury risk, and when you form a union you have to define a group that you can reach and coordinate. It shouldn’t be an us vs them among works.

      • comicallycluttered@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        Don’t forget mocap. A lot of actors are doing mocap for games now, which also potentially results in injury.

        This also includes stunt workers (who do the more intensive motion capture work) and stunt coordinators, many of whom are in the Screen Actors Guild already.

          • MJBrune@beehaw.org
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            1 year ago

            There are no unions for those trades in games currently. I’m not trying to sound smart. I am trying to tell you why I think VAs are overreaching here.

            • crapwittyname@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              Not so. It makes sense to organise in trade unions. The heads of those unions are on the same side most of the time, as it would be in this case, and they can easily coordinate their actions. But in some cases the interests of one trade have no bearing on another, or are even in opposition, in which case it would be somewhere between difficult and impossible to organise a balloted action across the entire union. Thus nullifying the strength of the union and playing right into the capitalist’s hands.

                • crapwittyname@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  You’ve misread my comment I think. Unions can coordinate and organise together. So nobody would be leaving their fellow worker to fight by themselves.

    • hypelightfly@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      They need to unionize too. Also count actors are included in the “actually make the games” group. Everyone should be paid well, don’t drag a group trying to fix that down because the rest aren’t doing anything.

    • FlowVoid
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      1 year ago

      Voice actors have a union.

      Designers and engineers generally don’t. Yet.

      • fracture [he/him] @beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        for those in america, CWA, Communication Workers of America, is a union that’s trying to reach out to the developers in the game industry

    • Bipta@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’m reminded that those who actually make the games don’t get that. They have overtime without pay.

      Yes, capitalism fucks everyone every day unless you fight for what you deserve, usually for decades, and even then only getting half of it. It’s surprising that keeping this in mind requires reminders.

    • ampersandrew@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I think they asked for that in the last strike, but I haven’t seen it mentioned in this one. And some speculated it was only included for something they could drop in the eventual resolution as a form of compromise.