Actors demand action over ‘disgusting’ video game sex scenes

Jessica Jefferies is a professional casting director, who works mainly in video games and enjoys the medium.

Prior to that she was a motion capture performer – part of a small group who worked regularly for studios used by game developers.

Dressed in a skin-tight body suit, covered in markers, motion capture performers act-out the movements of characters in games on a large unfurnished set, where their motions are recorded digitally.

She said performers were often left in the dark about the nature of the game, or the scene, by developers.

“We’d get an email or a call from a studio saying we need you on these days for a shoot,” she said.

“That was all the information we’d get.”

Ms Jefferies told the BBC she was once asked to act out a scene with a male performer involving a sexual assault with no prior warning.

“I turned up and was told what I would be filming would be a graphic rape scene,” she said.

“This act could be watched for as long or as little time as the player wanted through a window, and then a player would be able to shoot this character in the head.

“It was just purely gratuitous in my opinion.”

She refused to act out the “disgusting” scene – which was made worse as she was the only female on set.

“There’s no nudity involved, but its still an act and there’s an intimacy in that act and also a violence in this situation,” she said.

“So yes there may be a layer of Lycra between us, but you are still there and still having to truly immerse yourself in this scene.”

In the end her concerns were listened to and the scene was not recorded.

But it reinforces her belief that performers should know in advance about explicit scenes so they don’t have to “kick up a fuss” on set or feel pressure to do something which makes them feel uncomfortable.

Jessica was consulted by Equity in the development of their guidance which requires that when recording explicit or intimate scenes:

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

Ms Jefferies stresses the guidelines are not trying to put boundaries on storytelling. In the ten years since that incident there have also been major improvements, she says – and “these guidelines are just to bring it even more in line with the best practices in the film and TV industry”.

She says the studios she now works with are generally very open to being educated on good practices, and agree that treating people well leads to better performances.