Trigger warning: This article contains references to rape and sexual assault
Game industry executives have expressed concern about being asked to show sexually explicit content without notice.
In a recent BBC News report, the actors said that “cultural secrecy surrounding the projects” results in scripts not being shared until the day of filming.
Professional casting director Jessica Jefferies, who also has experience as a motion capture performer, said the only information studios would provide would be an email or phone call when needed.
She told the BBC that she once appeared on set involving a sexual assault without being told in advance.
“I turned up and was told I was going to be filming an explicit rape scene,” she said. “The act could be watched for as long or as little time as the player wanted through the window, and then the player could shoot that character in the head. It was purely gratuitous in my opinion.”
Jeffries refused to do the scene and was the only woman on set. Therefore, the scene was not filmed.
“It's not nudity at all, but it's still an act and there's intimacy and also 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 artists should know about this kind of content in advance so they don't feel pressured to do something they don't want to do.
The voice actor and Equity member had a similar experience where she had to film a “full sex scene” that she wasn't aware of beforehand.
“I had to [vocally] she matched the scene and the whole team, all men, was watching me through the cabin glass,” she said. “It was unbearable.”
“I've been in the games industry for a while at that stage and I've never felt so shaken. What upset me so much about this situation is that I was put on the spot, no one thought to ask me if I was okay and no one checked, if I'm okay.”
She added that she feared being labeled a “troublemaker” when she spoke out.
Equity developed guidelines for filming explicit or intimate scenes, which they consulted with Jeffries. These include:
- Story summaries, scene breakdowns, and scripts should be circulated to all cast members in advance
- Performers should be able to request a closed file where access is kept to a minimum
- A competent intimacy coordinator should be engaged
The union also shared guidance on the industry's minimum wage and working conditions when it recently issued support and guidance for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
“These guidelines are just to be even more in line with best practices in the film and television industry,” Jeffries said.
An example of this in action is Baldur's Gate 3, in which Larian hired intimacy coordinators to voice and perform intimate scenes for her actors.