• MJBrune@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    77
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    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
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      117
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      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
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        43
        ·
        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
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        They should then let engineers, artists, and designers in their union.

          • MJBrune@beehaw.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            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.

          • barsoap
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            Oh, great, trade unions. That never caused any issues for worker’s unity. If you can’t organise everyone, from tech lead to cleaning staff, in the same industrial union you’re playing right into the capitalists’ divide and conquer game.

            • crapwittyname
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              edit-2
              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.

              • barsoap
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                So instead of coming to terms with your fellow workers you rather have them fight capitalists by themselves? Leave them to the scraps the bosses deem sufficient while you’re wheeling away a wagonload of concessions won through your unique bargaining power?

                You’re limiting the strength of worker’s. If train conductors don’t strike for train toilet cleaners noone will.

                And any opposition between worker’s interests is negligible compared to that between workers and capital, who have no interests in common at all.

                • crapwittyname
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  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
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      49
      ·
      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.

      • fracture [he/him] @beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        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
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      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
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      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.