Does anyone seriously think indie studios can afford SAG-AFTRA rates? The numbers don't lie. Voice acting budgets for most indie games sit between $1,000 and $10,000 total, while union minimums demand $800-$1,000 per hour. That's a non-starter. Look at what happened with games like "Hades" or "Undertale" — non-union talent delivered iconic performances at reasonable costs. Unionizing would lock smaller studios out of professional voice work entirely. You'd either get silence, cheap AI voices, or only big-budget triple-A titles getting quality acting. The real issue isn't protection — it's flexibility. Many voice actors already negotiate residuals, health contributions, and fair treatment without a union. The market handles it. Adding a union just adds friction.

I think you're overestimating how well the market handles things on its own. Look at the numbers from the 2023 Voice Actor Survey — over 60% of non-union actors reported being paid less than $100 per finished hour for indie work. That's barely minimum wage when you account for retakes and studio time. The "market" you're praising is paying people in exposure. You mentioned residuals. How many indie actors actually get them? Almost none. It's almost always a flat fee with no backend. Union contracts would guarantee that. And about indie studios — SAG-AFTRA already has the Tiered-Budget Agreement for games under $250,000. Rates drop to around $200 per session. That's not a non-starter. That's a livable floor. You're framing it like it's all-or-nothing when it's not.