In recent hours, the news hit the airwaves that SAG-AFTRA members had voted in an overwhelming majority in favour of strike action in the gaming industry. This news comes amidst ongoing strike action that is targeting Hollywood – and television and movie studios across the United States in general. In a vote that was 98.32% in favour of striking, SAG-AFTRA members have decided to bring the hammer down on the gaming industry and the companies that back it.
This strike action would essentially target wage concerns, issues with representation, and ‘safety precautions’. It’s not the first time a strike like this has happened, though. Back in 2016, SAG-AFTRA organised a video game-based strike that lasted almost a year and had direct implications for the development of various games. In some cases, it caused production to be delayed, and in others, it meant that some roles were replaced by non-unionised voice actors.
Why Is SAG-AFTRA Targeting Video Games?
Since July, SAG-AFTRA members have been striking against the television and film industries, and now, they want that action to move to the ‘interactive media’ vertical. In a damning statement, the President of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, said:
‘It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract. The time is now for these companies to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in games as a viable career.’
The driving concept behind this strike action was further explored by Ray Rodriguez, Chief Contracts Officer:
‘This strike authorisation makes an emphatic statement that we must reach an agreement that will fairly compensate these talented performers, provide common-sense safety measures, and allow them to work with dignity. Our members’ livelihoods depend on it.’
There are reports that suggest various top-tier gaming companies – such as Activision and Electronic Arts – have been actively negotiating with SAG-AFTRA for almost a year. They’re trying to avoid this organised strike action, as the long and short of it is, it’s disruptive for the industry. That’s effectively the whole point of a strike, but if this particular bout of action should last as long as the strikes that took place in 2016, it’d have drastic ramifications for the industry at large.
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An Overwhelming Majority
It was stressed in a report published on the SAG-AFTRA site that a whopping 98.32% of voters are pushing for the strike to happen. However, it was also referenced that the members who voted in that particular ballot made up just a quarter of all eligible members, which shows that the interest in striking in the gaming industry might not be there. At the very least, it’s nowhere near as strong as the desire to strike against the film and television industries, and they’re really SAG-AFTRA’s bread and butter.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter if 40,000 members vote or 10,000 members vote – if there’s a majority on the ballot, then action will take place. It isn’t yet known how much of an impact this’ll have on the ongoing development of games, but it could essentially pull unionised voice actors and performers out of the studios, which is obviously a very clear problem.
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