Even though Grand Theft Auto 4 shattered records by netting over $500 million in its first week, the voice of protagonist Niko Bellic, actor Michael Hollick, is not happy.

A New York Times article on Hollick looks at just how little the aspiring actor made for his voice acting work in the profitable game. According to the article, Hollick was paid about $100,000 over the 15 months of voice acting and motion-capture work, and his contract allows for no royalties or residuals.

Actors in most other fields, including television, movies, commercials, receive residual payments depending on the success of their work after the initial payment, as per the Screen Actors Guild. Video game actors lack this protection.

One entertainment lawyer commented on the status of video game acting in the New York Times article.

“What drives video games is not Tracy and Hepburn; what drives it is the conception of the creative director,” said Ezra J. Doner, a former Hollywood executive who represents entertainment companies as a lawyer at Herrick, Feinstein in Manhattan, N.Y.

“The actor whose appearance or voice is used is more analogous to a session music for a band. The session musicians don’t get residuals on the sales of the CD. They get paid a session fee. It’s not like the star quality of Tom Cruise that’s getting people to buy that video game.”

The issue of payment for video game actors, which may contribute to a Screen Actors Guild strike later this year, is one of the birth pangs of a new medium still finding its place. Film and television experienced similar problems as those mediums developed and are still undergoing them if the writer’s strike earlier this year is any indication.

Acting talent, once a non-issue for most games, is increasingly important, with high expectations for quality among consumers. The industry is attracting more and more big name stars, such as James Wood, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, and Chris Penn in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ron Perlman and Terence Stamp in Halo 3.