Trigger warning: This article contains references to rape and sexual abuse
Actors in the gaming industry have expressed concerns that they may be asked to portray explicit sexual content without notice.
In a recent BBC News report, actors explained that the “cultural secrecy surrounding projects” means scripts are not released until the day of filming.
Professional casting director Jessica Jefferies, who also has experience as a motion capture actress, said studios would simply provide information via email or phone call if needed.
She told the BBC that she once showed up for a shoot that involved a sexual assault without being told beforehand.
“I arrived and was told I was going to film an explicit rape scene,” she said. “The act could be watched through a window for as long or as short as the player wanted, and then the player could shoot that character in the head. In my opinion, that was completely gratuitous.”
Jeffries refused to re-enact the scene and was the only woman on set. For this reason, the scene was not filmed.
“Although there is no nudity, it is still an act, and that act is intimate, and there is violence in that situation,” Jeffries added.
“So yes, there may be a layer of Lycra between us, but you’re still there and you still have to really immerse yourself in this scene.”
Jeffries said performers should know about this type of content in advance so they don’t feel pressured to do something they don’t want to do.
A voice actress and Equity member had a similar experience when she had to shoot an “entire sex scene” that she knew nothing about beforehand.
“I had to adapt (vocally) to the scene and through the glass in the booth the whole crew, all men, were looking at me,” she said. “It was horrific.”
“I had been in the games industry for a while at that point and had never felt so shaken. What was so upsetting to me about the situation was that I was embarrassed, no one thought to ask me if I was OK, and no one checked afterward to see if I was OK.”
She added that she feared being labelled a “troublemaker” if she expressed her opinion.
Equity has developed guidelines for the recording of explicit or intimate scenes, on which Jeffries was consulted. These include:
- A story summary, scene layout and scripts should be distributed to all actors in advance.
- Artists should have the opportunity to request a closed set where access is kept to a minimum
- A competent intimacy coordinator should be hired
The union has also issued guidelines on minimum wages and working conditions in the industry and recently expressed support and guidance for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
“These guidelines are simply intended to bring it even more in line with best practices in the film and television industry,” Jeffries said.
A practical example of this is Baldur’s Gate 3, where Larian hired intimacy coordinators for the actors to voice and act out intimate scenes.
