A union's strength is in its numbers. I believe we need to make more fulsome efforts to organize video game writers into the WGA. I know some artists and independent developers in the gaming world, and there's been rumblings of artists unionizing.
The time to make this push is now. At the moment, video games are like animation, in that they can be covered by a WGA contract on a project-by-project basis. What I don't want is for video games to actually become like animation, where writers are part of a separate union. Once that happens, it's legally very difficult to untangle. We have the chance to bring video game writers under our umbrella, and we must take it.
There is currently a waiver (the IPC) that a game studio can sign to have a project be WGA-covered, meaning that three aspects of the MBA apply — writer earnings apply to Pension & Health, all writers on the project must be WGA writers, and an arbitration clause. Our Guild covers several AAA games and studios — and all of these are eligibly for WGA Awards... though the category was scrapped for 2020. To me, dropping the video game category from our awards ceremony signals we have tremendous work to go getting more games covered by WGA contracts, then making WGA writers the standard, with video games being a potential path to membership in the WGA.
Video game writers often work as contract workers. Many work for the same companies we do in TV and film, on projects with budgets that can exceed even major blockbusters. Some are even cross-over writers, bouncing back and forth between TV/film and video games depending on what job is available or offered.
Yet, video game writers don't receive minimums, or residuals, or pension and health.
Red Dead Redemption 2 made $1B in sales in its opening weekend. Video games are now being adapted into TV and film — HBO has an adaptation of The Last of Us in the works, Amazon announced an adaptation of Fallout. Writing is certainly part of video games' success, and writers should share in it.
The first step I would take towards this goal would be putting together a planning committee made of WGA writers who have experience working on WGA-covered video games to strategize together. I'm already in touch with some members of the Video Game Caucus, talking about their their experiences, as well as with video game writers (WGA and not) who aren't part of the Caucus... and, in many cases, hadn't heard of the Caucus or of the IPC.
What I have heard from those who do know about the IPC is, until now, it has been up to individual writers to push the company to make a project a WGA project covered by the IPC. No. The Guild should step up, instead of leaving it to individual writers. That is the point of a union. We can improve these writers' lives with the protections of being in a union like ours. I think, ultimately, we'll have to come up with a two-tier solution not unlike Features, where indie developers can sign something like the IPC, while bigger projects at publishers housed at major game studios sign a more fulsome MBA-style contract.
Make no mistake, this is a complicated task. But it's one I believe we as a union cannot afford to ignore. We must start down the path of organizing video game writers. Bringing them in can only make us stronger.
