Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1520149
38 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2024 | sagaftra.org Video Game Performers' Quest for a Fair Contract UNION MEMBERS KNOW IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE V ideo games are known for being packed with action — running, jumping, tumbling and shouting, and of course it takes members hundreds of hours in the recording booth and doing performance capture to bring them to life. But what isn't so evident is all the action going on behind the scenes at the negotiating table, at industry events and in the SAG-AFTRA Contracts Department long before those performers start their workday. SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games have been in negotiations for more than a year with major video game companies on the Interactive Media Agreement. As of this writing, the companies continue to be unwilling to offer a fair deal — but, led by Chair Sarah Elmaleh, the Interactive Negotiating Committee is holding the line to ensure members get the contractual protections they deserve. Nearly all the issues between the union and the game companies have already been resolved, but a sticking point remains: The companies want to exclude certain members from A.I. protections — and that's a deal-breaker. "We can't leave out some performers; we have to cover all performers who are all subject to the same vulnerabilities and exploitation by this technology," said Elmaleh. "When you think about it, there's really no rational reason why [performance capture and stunts are] somehow not deserving of protection with respect to A.I. tools when the voice performance is," said National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. "It feels just like an attempt to try and evade reasonable protections for people who are putting their heart and soul into these performances. "They deserve to have that basic protection to know that in