July 29, 2005
Actors and Gaming Industry Come To Agreement
As video games have become increasingly reliant on plot and story rather than just game play (still pretty shallow story lines... but appropriate for the genre), the roles of actors in the gaming industry has become increasingly important. Often now, when I watch a game review television show, one of the first few things they'll mention is the performances of the "cast".
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has just ratified a new contract between itself and the Gaming Industry that provides another regular stream of income for the acting community. The good folks over at ABC News give us this:
The new Interactive Media Agreement, which secured higher wages and increased benefits but no residuals (i.e. profit-sharing) for the SAG members who lend their voices and likenesses to video games, was approved by 81.2% of the members who voted on the contract.This is really a win-win situation. There is now more work available for actors our there now (especially since it doesn't look like the video game industry is going to slow down anytime soon), and the growing industry ensures itself the best possible "performances" for their game increasing their quality. The line between Hollywood and Gaming gets even thinner.The pact with such major video game producers as Electronic Arts and Activision takes effect Friday and runs through Dec. 31, 2008. The pact was jointly negotiated with the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which approved and adopted the contract in June.
Posted by John Campea at July 29, 2005 11:05 AM
Comments
Posted by: Cybermike at July 29, 2005 01:00 PM
remember me ya bugger?
ya, i bet ya do!
we'll see about this...
i take offense to the shallow story line statement johnny boy!
well, not so much take offence as i don't agree. Seems to me a story line that fairly often can take 20 plus hours to complete has alot more opportunity to tell a more complete story...i.e. a stronger mythology, more diverging plot lines and lenghtier character development.
I think that the delivery is not as nice as a movie in many cases, and this is partially becasue of substandard voice actors (which, if I think this agreement is ogign to help remedy) and becasue the story is being delivered through pixilized people/things that we do not connect with as much as a human actor.
So, that is my opinion, the story and plot is there, and quite a bit deeper then a 2 hour movie will allow, but the delivery is not as human and slick....so, yeah....you are wrong.
And a bastard.
And Hi! Long time no post.
Posted by: miles at July 29, 2005 02:18 PM
I don't understand the point of celebrities in video games. I'd prefer professional voice actors over celebrities any day. Hell.. if Hideo Kojima wanted, he could recast David Hayter with Brad Pitt for the role of Solid Snake, but does that make a difference? Other then the name? No.
Like you said on an Audio Edition awile back John, Pixar chooses its stars not for celebrity status, but if that person's voice fits the character. No matter how much I like the guy, Samuel L. Jackson in Grand Theft Auto just felt like a gimmick.
Posted by: Joseph Simmons at July 29, 2005 04:31 PM
Some of the most popular and enduring games have no storyline whatsoever. (Not to be devil's advocate...) For example, SimCity, the Sims, Railroad Tycoon--or just about any sims/tycoon game going. (The Sims, SimEarth, SimAnt, Hospital Tycoon, Rollercoaster Tycoon, etc, etc, ad nauseaum) While there are certainly other selections which may illustrate my point... oh, my point. Some of the most popular and enduring games have no more than a very thin veneer of storyline coupled with great gameplay.
Posted by: Senacharim at July 30, 2005 05:32 PM
OH GREAT!!!
So now, we, as gamers, are going to have to put up with the likes of the Sh*tty Actors Guild (SAG)? Just great....
I can tell you that big hollywood actors have no place in the videogame industry. Their voices are great, but I forsee a whole lot of hussie-fuss.
So what's next? Kit Kat commercials before a game of NHLPA 2007?
Posted by: gdub at August 1, 2005 07:13 PM
I don't know if this is as good as it seems. It's nice for the actors but it means more money is going into paying the actors and less toward improving the gameplay. It's not going to hurt the huge publishers like EA but it is going to make an impact on the budget on the developers that are trying to make a without a giant publisher like EA backing them.