Video game actors are calling for more transparency regarding ‘disgusting’ motion capture work that isn’t properly disclosed during booking.
In an interview with the BBC, professional casting director Jessica Jefferies – who previously worked as a motion capture performer – recalled times when she was called to film without being given any information about what the job entailed, only to find out that the scenes were “unnecessary”.
Please note that the intimate scene from Baldur’s Gate 3 above is in no way involved in this story and was included because Larian Studios took the positive step of employing intimacy coordinators during development.
“We would get an email or a call from a studio saying we needed you for a shoot on those days,” she explained. “That was all the information we got.”
“I arrived and was told that I would be filming a rape scene. This act the player could watch through a window for as long or as short as they wanted, and then they could shoot the character in the head.
“In my opinion, it was just completely groundless.”
Jefferies says that while there is no nudity due to the motion capture suits, “it is still an act and there is intimacy in that act and there is violence in that situation.”
“You’re still there and you still have to really immerse yourself in that scene,” she added.
Another actress, who wished to remain anonymous, said she “absolutely loves the industry” but also calls for better upfront disclosures, especially since actors “have to sign non-disclosure agreements” and are “told pretty much nothing” before filming begins.
“During one recording for an important game, she didn’t find out it was explicit until she got to work. It was actually a real sex scene,” she said.
“I had to (vocally) mimic the scene and watch through the glass in the dressing room with the whole team, all men. It was horrific… I’d been in the games industry for a while at that point and I’d never felt so shaken.
“What made me so angry about the situation is that I was embarrassed, no one thought to ask me if I was okay with it, and no one checked afterward to see if I was OK,” she added.
The UK games industry association UKIE did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
However, referring to the guidelines drawn up by UK actors’ union Equity, the organisation said its focus “remains on creating a supportive environment for everyone involved in the UK video games sector and ensuring it remains the best place to make, play and sell video games”.
Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian hired intimacy coordinators to ensure the actors felt safe and comfortable during romantic scenes.
In an earlier interview with the BBC, actress Devora Wilde – who plays the Githyanki warrior Lae’zel in the critically acclaimed release – said she was pleased with Larian’s decision.
