SAG-AFTRA companies up benefit for pupil devs and sport jam individuals

SAG-AFTRA – the union representing 160,000 American media professionals, along with voiceover artists – has introduced two new agreements: the Student Interactive Waiver Agreement and the Game Jam Waiver Agreement.

The union stated that the new agreements “allow video game creators at all stages of their careers the chance to collaborate with union performers, even while the video game strike is ongoing”.

The Student Interactive Waiver Agreement is aimed at individuals currently enrolled in online game programs at prominent educational institutions and “offers students the chance to collaborate with SAG-AFTRA performers to fulfill course obligations during game production,” as long as the project is recorded entirely within the US and is owned by the student.

The Game Jam Waiver Agreement, on the other hand, caters to developers participating in game jams. Under this agreement, individuals can collaborate with SAG-AFTRA performers, and session fees and secondary payments are postponed “provided that the project does not generate revenue” and production material is not recorded before the start of the event.

If a project does produce income, SAG-AFTRA will collaborate with individuals to “assign the project to the appropriate agreement.”

“With these new agreements, SAG-AFTRA is poised to support game developers at all tiers who wish to work with union talent and who want to gain deeper insights into creating video games under a union contract. Moreover, our members are fervent about this field and wish to engage in projects that are shaping the future of video games,” stated Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator.

Earlier this month, the actor’s union indicated that the strike would persist due to “alarming loopholes” regarding “AI exploitation”. Meanwhile, negotiators representing the online game firms noted “meaningful