Nicholas Thurkettle - Voice Actor

Thank you. I truly wish we had a better option, and goodness knows I've been ruminating on it for a long time.

At least we're not alone.

There have only been a couple of years of my life where I was fortunate enough to say creative work was my top source of income. And sometimes it's hard to keep hope alive that I'll ever get to do more than fit it in the margins.

But every act of creating is, in itself, an act of hope.

If you’ve been an ally for awhile now, thank you. We need you and I’m so glad you joined up early. But the second best moment to start standing up for human art in games is right now. There’s always space for you to pitch in.

And that’s what I have to say about that. (END)

So we must batten down, support each other, and endure until the Bad Idea doing so much harm in our industry becomes so glaringly, obviously Bad that Business Geniuses realize their survival depends on abandoning it. No one will want to be first, but a lot will be happy to follow.

We’ll never get everybody aboard. As I’ve said, our brains are literally wired against it. People will resist, make excuses, spit toxin, hide their heads, say “I got mine, screw you,” or just wait and see. I truly wish I had better news, but I think we’re going to be in this fight for awhile longer.

For the first part, we must grow the list of people who reach their “enough is enough” moment and are willing to forego the ease of inertia and the short-term rewards of capitulation. Enough people must choose the long game for the community rather than their own immediate rewards.

Where does this leave us? Sadly, I think we’ll continue to see re-castings until we reach a point where two elements combine at critical mass: 1) the volume of artists and players vocally against genAI product, and 2) an unignorable consensus that genAI will not do what it’s being hyped to do.

This can ironically prolong these disputes. Rich people say “This is bound to work!” while the poor hippies yell “NO IT WON’T!” Even when evidence mounts that the hippies are correct, stipulating to that would mean surrendering your status as the business genius. The mind resists this ego death.

I remember a news story about a sports bookmaker who made hundreds of thousands driving Ivy League students into debt betting on basketball games. He boasted they were the easiest to fool, since they naturally assumed they were smarter and savvier than him due to their status and wealth.

This also affects top studio execs. They must believe the system which gives them gargantuan salaries is a fair one and that they are Ayn Rand-style superhumans whose rare vision, genius, and drive merit such compensation. (This is also what their new LLM chatbot friends are telling them.)

Further Human Truth: We accept systems that reward us. If a game gives dopamine, you’re fighting your own brain to think critically about it. How can it be bad when it makes me feel good? And for actors who endure unfathomable levels of rejection, you want to say yes to an opportunity to act.

The wealth of a multi-billion dollar corporation allows them to play for time, preserve their power and see what happens. If a few recasts lead to a few angry emails along the way, it’s better (in their minds) than missing the boat if the genAI sales pitch fulfills its promises*.

(*It won’t.)

Despite evidence that it doesn’t work without stealing human creativity, and that it isn’t increasing productivity but degrading the skills of users (when not outright manipulating them into murderous psychosis,) the C-Suites are hearing the sell and they like the sound of it.

Right now, developers of genAI and LLMs are ALL IN to the tune of trillions of dollars, staking the global economy on the claim that these tools will be human-replacing miracles in every industry. It is the loudest, most expensive, and hardest sell any of us have ever experienced.

Related Truth: Our brains put off difficult decisions when possible. Maybe tomorrow we’ll know more! Maybe the problem will resolve itself! Maybe someone else will do the hard thing so I don’t have to! It’s a risk to say “I see where this train is heading and don’t like it so I’m nope-ing off now.”

Despite the ongoing fight, there’s work out there, and a lot of hungry aspiring artists. Dealing with the industry as it is right now is the default option. No extra effort required, no need to ask upsetting questions or stick your neck out. Just grab the gig and the money while it’s there.

For players, it’s easier than ever to play. Push button, await download, begin. To ask which games contribute to the erosion of human art in gaming and to what degree is a lot of effort. People haven’t yet experienced degradation of their experience and want to just enjoy their games. I get it!

Right now, game studios are being offered genAI tools and tech at massive venture capital subsidies. Cheap and easy! Meanwhile, actors, writers, and artists are asking for all sorts of protections. Complicated and annoying! Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to deal with them?

First: Human brains prefer what is easy & convenient unless convinced otherwise. In evolutionary terms, this is good! We have finite energy so if “Do Less” is an option, we take it. But sometimes we have to use our higher reasoning to notice that the easy path we’re on is going somewhere bad!

Since sad announcements like today’s from Ben Diskin about Mega Man are going to keep happening, I want to share a Mega-thread about how I see the artists v. genAI in gaming fight playing out, just based on a few core beliefs about human nature and how they impact all the involved parties:

Mega Man 11 was a Union game, and had a Union contract and all its protections.

This means at some point Capcom actively chose to go back on a standard that had already been set and go BACK to NU (with no ENFORCEABLE protections).

Ben did not give this role up willingly. He’s trying to protect VO.

All love and respect to you, Ben. I love this franchise; can't count the number of times I ran the original 1-6. It's hard to let go of work you love, especially when ethics don't put food on the table. I know you know you did the right thing, but I'll remind you anyway. Thanks on behalf of all VAs.

A broken, blue heart

With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man.

I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract.

I know it can sound like a paradox that I know those moments are coming, that there will often be similarities and repetition, but that I'm doing my best to be open and available each time. Welcome to what it's like inside an actor's head - in here an idea that weird makes sense.

If someone comes up to tell me they love my voice acting, I'm not going to say "Yeah, the last five people said that." This person in this moment is giving me something sincere and earnest and personal and I don't want to block that. Making each engagement like that fresh takes energy.

To me, the most important truth is that loving something as a fan is so PERSONAL. You feel it in your insides. And when you're bringing your fan love to meet a VA you appreciate, I am determined to do my best to meet people where they're at. To create a memorable moment with each person.

Today aA fan asked me if I was doing okay, since I skipped taking a meal break and stayed an hour past closing to try and accommodate everyone who waited in line. I thought it was really kind of them so I gave them the longer-form answer of what it means to me to "work" an event as a guest. 🧵

Voice actor Nicholas Thurkettle, wearing a dark, buttoned shirt and patterned vest, poses in front of a banner bearing his name and likeness

Tremendous day at Requiem today for Furry Day. Met so many lovely people who endured a long line and unexpected heat to create a beautiful pop-up community. Creativity and joy were everywhere, and for my first event in a year, it was great to find so many fans who still love their OG Lycaon ❤️❤️❤️

By enjoying it so much, of course.

TOMORROW! And as a special since I know people will have fursona they want to show off, I'm dropping my selfie pricing. In the past I've charged $40 for a photo or $20 when purchased with a print, for Sunday it will be $25 for a photo by itself or $15 when added to a print. Can't wait to meet folks!