Gamers Rights Law

As the graphics of games become more and more detailed, it is essential that the audio and even the voice actors live up to that high standard.

This is an article that gives a great insight into the audio portion of the video game process. Every developer should read this to determine if and when a lawyer should be involved in the negotiations. My favorite point is “Often, it’s not what’s in the contract that hurts you down the line. It’s what is unspoken or assumed. Informality of this sort almost always favors the party with more power and resources.”

Very functional general paper about the Function of Sound in Games by a “couple of chaps who run a sound company” (their description, not mine). Covering all the bases, it talks about music both from an entertainment persepective in the game as well as to progress the game forward. My favorite statement is “with advances in technology and greater emphasis being placed on sound effects and their importance, Sound Design has evolved into a wholly separate discipline (much like it is in film).”

Very good article on Gamestudies.org that discusses audio’s importance in World of Warcraft. An insightful point is that “The primary argument is that game audio is tightly integrated with gameplay in this game setting, not only as an information system and a support for gameplay, but also by providing an understanding for how the game should be played, and how to behave in a specific in-game context.”

Voice Actors Discuss Challenges in the Video Game Industry. Something pointed out I hadn’t considered before was, “Another actor talked about a typical day in the industry, saying that they get the “basic gist” of the story, but they’re mostly concentrating on “short snippets of dialogue”.

These hardworking professionals are starting to get more rights. Actors Union votes for Videogame Contract. It was reported by Gamesindustry.biz that “Hollywood union AFTRA (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) has voted in favour of an extension of its videogame contract, which has now been forwarded to members to be ratified.” Terms were “a 2.5 per cent pay rise and a 0.2 per cent rise in pension and health contributions. A new performance category will also be created, entitled “atmospheric performer”. ”

Older article, but well thought-out about the overall process of audio in games. Laboring to Compete by Jesse Harlin gives a great broad-spectrum look at planning and executing the audio in next-gen games. My favorite quote is ” the arrival of live recording to game music introduced a question that film composers have been wrestling with for years: is it a union-date or not? The answer has almost exclusively been “non-union” due to budgetary restraints and a union interactive media contract that doesn’t keep pace with the evolving technology of our industry.” If you’re a developer (or just curious as to the audio parts of video-games) you should visit the blog and read his other articles as well.

On Gamezone there is an indepth interview about audio direction for the game Everquest II. One staggering statement was “so far we have already recorded over 200 actors. We have been recording non-stop for the last 3 months and have accumulated hundreds of hours of voice recording.”

Of course, I can’t finish without a theoretical paper to ponder. Reference as Sounds and Sources in Sacred Kristine JørgensenPh.D. student Division of Film & Media Studies Copenhagen University kristinej@hum.ku.dk.

Here are several helpful starting points for clearing audio and music for your video games.

A pianist named Steven Cravis has a very helpful site.

The Harry Fox Agency is a great Website for your research of what you need to clear your songs.

At the site Video Game voice talent they have a wonderful Guide “How to Hire Voicetalent“. I don’t know anything about the organization, but it looks well-run.

3 For the B.

#1. If you’re planning a game, put the audio portion in the budget, and do it realistically.

#2. Clear your music and your voice-talent early. They are called “talent” for a reason (don’t talk directly to the talent, I’m the agent, etc.). You know that putting together a “team” for a project always involves many disparate time-sinks, don’t let this be one.

#3. Remember the user, your customer, will remember the audio as long as he/she remembers the graphics. Be giving in as much “ambience” and “textual-clues” from the game sounds as you can.

Jay Moffitt is a Tennessee attorney. This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not consitute legal advice or create an attorney/client relationship. Jay Moffitt is not certified as a specialist in this area by Tennessee and Tennessee does not certify specialists in this practice area. All comments will be answered promptly and courteously as long as they are germane to the discussion and do not contain specific game names or incidents.

Tags: AFTRA (Voice-actors union), audio, Developers, Harry Fox Agency, music, video games, voice talent, World of Warcraft