Visual Novel Writers Strike Successful In Earning Better Pay And Conditions

A strike held by writers of the Lovestruck game platform has yielded great results. In mid-July, the writers of Lovestruck organized and went on strike to demand better work and pay conditions, as they were being "paid less than half the industry standard rate" for their work.

The striking writers, who "are members of marginalized genders and/or sexualities," were originally presented with a dismissive statement from the company, which has since been removed from the Lovestruck website.

Now, after 21 days of striking action, the official Lovestruck Twitter account has posted an update, announcing that an agreement had been reached with the writers. You can see it below.

Speaking to VICE Games, contractor AK Fedeau says this would not have been possible if they "hadn't come together collectively," and that "this is what can happen when we look to each other as friends."

According to the report, the average pay for writing these games has jumped from 3.5 cents a word to 6.5 cents per word. This is much higher, albeit still below industry standards.

During the strike, developers at Activision Blizzard, started anonymously sharing wages to shine a light on wage disparity within the company.