Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming: WGA out of the game (UPDATED)

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Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming (Subscribe)

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

WGA out of the game (UPDATED)

So, the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) is currently striking.

So, besides early re-runs and some other, more serious impacts about which I'll probably write on my acting blog, there's a video game impact.

The WGA is trying to a full-on push to get into video games. They put forth big presences and PR as to why it's better to use professional, union writers, at conferences like the Austin Game Developers Conference, even chairing sessions entitled, "Taking Your Videogame [sic] to the Next Level with WGA Talent".

And why wouldn't they want to push into the roughly $26B video game industry?

And why wouldn't we want them too, since we want quality writing?

But there's a problem. Problems. But let's keep it simple.

Problems, like, it's tough to get the majority of the game industry to pay for professional actors, let alone professional writers. (There are some great exceptions, but I'm talking generally.)

And then the writers go and strike.

Why, again, should game companies look at hiring potentially more expensive professional WGA writers, with the risk factor union reps have just introduced into the risk profile for companies assessing whether or not to pay for WGA writers to write games?

UPDATED: Over at IGN.com, it says "A Writer's Guild representative told IGN today that only a handful of game writers are currently represented by the union, and that they fall out of the jurisdiction of the current strike."

Though I still stand by my statements above for possible future impacts.

Labels: ramblings, rants