Is the strike really JUST about AI any more? (Genshin & SAG-AFTRA)
What is actually going on with Genshin’s english voice actors? This isn’t my usual kind of topic, but after months of being generally supportive of the strike but a little unaware of the details, this week’s events finally pushed me to find the time to dive in. This has now consumed my life for the past several days, as I’ve made a point to go to the original source for everything. The situation has escalated globally, to the point where the playerbase and actors alike are turning on each other, and things are starting to take a really nasty turn. There’s a lot of misinformation being spread, and it can be difficult to get a clear picture of what’s really going on. Like many, for over a year I saw the surface-level discussions and explainers, and understood that the strike was just about protections against the use of generative AI, and the actors demanding to be paid a fair wage for their work. Both, in my opinion, are important topics and reasonable requests. The studio acting as the middleman between Hoyo and the voice actors were painted as the bad guys — after all, they have an awful track record on previous controversies, and were refusing to sign a simple contract which would protect their talent from the end of the voice acting industry as we know it — and Hoyo were seen as avoiding the opportunity to step in and protect the people who do so much to bring their characters to life. Typical, greedy corporations, right? Unfortunately, that was just the beginning. SAG-AFTRA Strike: https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-in... SAG-AFTRA Strike Authorization: https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-me... SAG-AFTRA IMA Comparison Chart: https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/defaul... SAG-AFTRA Independent ILA: https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/defaul... Side Global: https://www.side.inc/services/audio-p... Beijing Internet Court Ruling: https://english.bjinternetcourt.gov.c... Taft-Hartley Act: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/who-w... SAG-AFTRA Fi-Core Info: https://www.sagaftra.org/financial-core SAG-AFTRA Global Rule One: https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-in... 00:00 Intro 01:15 The beginning 01:55 The problem 02:57 My initial take 03:31 Replacing Formosa 04:23 The Kinich recast 05:34 Why don't Hoyo sign? 06:40 The comparison chart 07:44 Union security 08:13 Union security • Taft-Hartley act 09:23 Union security • Long-term waivers 10:04 Closed shop unions 12:03 Legitimate questions 13:04 Why didn't changing studios help? 14:06 Why are some VAs returning? 14:45 Why are some roles recast? 16:15 Crossing the picket lines 17:38 An absolute dumpsterfire 20:06 Possible outcomes 20:43 Possible outcomes • The stalemate continues 21:06 Possible outcomes • The strike ends 21:37 Possible outcomes • The strike succeeds 21:55 Possible outcomes • The union compromises 22:14 Conclusion Genshin Impact is an open-world action/exploration game, available on PC, PS4, PS5 and mobile devices (iOS & Android). I'm always happy to talk Genshin and other games, streams 3pm UK every Wed/Sat/Sun / saurusness Genshin rotation app: https://genshin-rotation.com/ Twitch: / saurusness Merch: https://saurusness-shop.fourthwall.com/ Twitter: / saurusness Discord: https://www.thatsaurus.com/discord #genshinimpact #hoyocreators #genshin #sagaftrastrike
