Vote Set on Video Game Strike

The ballots have been sent out to the 1,900 members of the Screen Actors Guild and the 1,000 members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to see if they will strike against the video game industry. At issue are "residuals"; ongoing payments for each copy of a game sold. The voice actors want residuals for games that sell more than 400,000 copies. The video game industry doesn't want any residuals at all, making instead, a one time up-front payment. The unions require a super-majority (75% and 66.7% respectively) to strike. The vote should be tallied by June 7. In my opinion, the actors aren't asking for too much. If a game sells over 400,000 copies, it's a hit (due in part to the voice acting) and the video game industry can afford to pay out the residuals. Could it be a silent holiday season? Egad!

ADVERTISEMENT