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Voiceover Actors Seek Part of Video Game Profits LOS ANGELES, June 5 - To Howard Fabrick, who is handling stalled talks with the Screen Actors Guild on behalf of video game makers, refusing to share profits is a matter of principle. Video games, he said, are not entertainment on par with movies, though, on average, Americans spend more leisure time playing video games these days than going to the movies. Actors, he said, do little to attract the most avid gamers and do not deserve more than a flat fee. But most important, caving in to actors' demands would spell trouble for the industry: it could set off a chain reaction of scores of cubicle-bound programmers who would also demand a cut of the action, he said. Whether it is "two weeks, two months or two years, I see no change in the position," Mr. Fabrick said. "Why establish a precedent in an industry where there is no precedent?" On Tuesday, members of the Screen Actors Guild will announce whether they will go on strike against video game companies, after months of on-and-off discussions. (The talks also included the American Federal of Television and Radio Artists.) The problem is that game makers will not give voiceover actors extra fees if a game sells more than 400,000 units, a deal-breaker for the Guild. But whether the actors decide to walk out or not, they have already opened a Pandora's box by raising the question: Who deserves to be compensated most for the success of a video game? In Hollywood, successful producers, directors, writers and sought-after actors routinely share in the profits if they create or star in a hit. And in nearly every other part of the entertainment industry, most actors receive a residual each time a TV show, movie or commercial is shown after its initial broadcast. But video game companies are taking a hard line with the Guild, looking to stem an erosion in profits as the cost of making a video game rises to as much as $25 million and competitors, like movie studios, invade their turf. "I think they don't want the concept of collective bargaining anywhere in their industry," said Keith Boesky, a game industry consultant. "Publishers want the freedom on a case-by-case base to determine who they give profits to." That is troublesome for the nearly 2,000 actors who make a living, in part, by doing voiceovers for games. "To use this against us and say game developers are the real stars and not willing to share the wealth with everyone creating the games is kind of sad," said James Arnold Taylor, an actor who is the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Cartoon Network's "Clone Wars" series and of Fred Flintstone for cereal commercials, and also works on about 20 games a year. He said his performances for video games - including characters in Final Fantasy 10, and the Ratchet & Clank series - make up about 26 percent of the time he spends working, but account for about 9 percent of his income. And unlike a movie actor who often plays one role, he sometimes voices four characters or more for one game. The most, Mr. Taylor said, was 36 different voices. "It's strenuous," said Mr. Taylor. "You think you are doing 2 pages of dialogue but instead you are doing 20 pages of screaming, 'Die! Die! Die! I'm going to kill you!' Then the directors say, 'We want bigger, bigger, more!' I train like a singer, but even with that it can't help but have an effect on your voice. We understand there are a lot of games not based on dialogue, but then again there are a lot of games that are." Mr. Fabrick contends a voice is less important in a game than the story and effects created by the artists, writers and programmers. He warned that actors were trying to impose movie business sensibilities in an industry that does not work that way. But he conceded that game makers are becoming more dependent on Hollywood for new game titles, and using a marquis actor is important, if only for marketing.
http://www.nytimes.com
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