Actors demand action against ‘disturbing’ video game sex scenes

Performers working in the games industry have spoken out about the anguish of being asked, without warning, to perform explicit material, including scenes of sexual assault.

Sex scenes are common in modern games, and are often created by filming human actors and then digitizing them into game characters.

But actors told the BBC there was a culture of secrecy on the project and scripts were often not shared until the last minute, meaning they often did not know in advance that scenes might include sexual activity.

They said they felt “disturbed” or “upset” after doing so.

Performing arts union Equity has called for action from the industry, issuing guidelines on minimum wage and working conditions for games that include sexual or explicit scenes.

Jessica Jefferies is a professional casting director who works primarily in the video game industry and enjoys the medium.

Prior to that, she was a motion capture performer and part of a small group that worked regularly in studios used by game developers.

Motion capture performers wear skin-tight body suits and are covered in markers, acting out the movements of in-game characters on large, furniture-free sets, and their movements are digitally recorded.

She said developers often don’t inform performers about the nature of the game or the scenes.

“I get emails and calls from studios asking me to come on this day for a shoot,” she says.

“That was all the information we had.”

Ms Jeffries told the BBC that she had been asked to act out sexual assault scenes with male actors without prior warning.

“When I got there I was told I would be filming a graphic rape scene,” she said.

“The player can observe this action through a window for as long or as short as they wish, after which the player can shoot the character in the head.

“In my opinion, it was completely pointless.”

She refused to perform the “uncomfortable” scenes, which made the situation worse because she was the only woman on set.

“There is no nudity, but it is still a performance and there is an intimacy in the act and there is violence in this situation,” she said.

“So yes, there may be a layer of Lycra between us, but you still have to be there and really immerse yourself in the scene.”

In the end, her concerns were heard and the scene was not recorded.

But it reinforces her belief that performers should know about explicit scenes beforehand so they don’t have to “make a fuss” or do anything uncomfortable on set.

Jessica was consulted by Equity to develop guidelines requiring the following when filming explicit or intimate scenes:

Story summaries, scene breakdowns, and scripts should be distributed to all cast members in advance. Performers should be able to request closed sets with minimal access. A competent intimacy coordinator should be hired.

She argues that giving actors more information will enable them to deliver better performances, and that “there is an appetite for change.”

Jeffries stressed that the guidelines aren’t intended to place restrictions on storytelling. “It’s been a decade since the incident and there have been big improvements,” he said. “These guidelines are meant to bring the industry more in line with best practices in the film and television industry.”

She says the studios she currently works with are generally very proactive about getting educated on good practice and agree that taking care of people leads to better performance.

One vocal supporter of the guidelines, and an Equity member, also spoke to the BBC on the condition of anonymity about the problems she had encountered.

She “absolutely loves this industry” but says the limited information shared with actors before a show needs to change.

“We have to sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and we’re barely told anything,” she said.

During one recording session for a major game, she only found out about the explicit content once she got to work.

“It was actually a full-on sex scene,” she said.

“I had to match the scene (vocally) and I had an all-male team looking at me through the glass of the booth.

“It was excruciating… I’d been in the games industry a long time at that point and I’d never been so upset.”

She likened the experience to being unexpectedly asked to perform on a premium-rate phone sex line.

“What was so upsetting to me about this situation was that I was put on the spot and no one even bothered to ask me if I was OK, and no one checked afterwards to see if I was OK,” she said.

And as a freelancer, she feared being seen as a troublemaker if she refused.

“You don’t have to justify why no one will hire you,” she said.

Like Jeffries, she would like to see games move closer to the standards of film and TV.

Rhiannon Bevan of gaming news site The Gamer cited the steps that last year’s blockbuster game Baldur’s Gate 3 took to deal with explicit scenes as an example of modern games getting it “right.”

She said games were increasingly taking explicit scenes seriously “rather than just using them to titillate”.

However, there was a risk that the performers might not be satisfied with the work.

To solve this problem, Baldur’s Gate 3 hired an Intimacy Coordinator, a dedicated staff member tasked with ensuring the well-being of performers during explicit scenes.

The developer had one intimacy coordinator manage the performers who would voice the intimate scenes, and another manage the performers who would mimic the movements that would be digitized into the game.

The Equity Guidelines address not only intimate scenes, but also the overuse of NDAs, safety during motion and performance capture, avoiding harmful vocal stress for artists, and protections regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

The use of AI is one of the main issues behind the ongoing strike by game makers in the US.

Games industry trade body UKIE did not directly respond to the issue of treatment of performers working with explicit material, but said in relation to Equity’s guidelines that it is “focused on fostering a supportive environment for all stakeholders in the UK video games industry and ensuring that UK video games remains the best place to make, play and sell video games.”