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Youtube Are Being Stupid On Video Monetization Yet Again

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Youtube are in the firing line again for anyone who wants to make money from gaming videos on their service with the latest stupid move.

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In any sane world a developer putting up a notice stating "anyone can monetize videos of our games" would be enough to satisfy anyone, but nope not youtube any more.

So, basically game developers need to do a personalised message to every single person they wish to allow to monetize videos on their games. This is just pathetic and I am in utter shock at the sheer stupidity of this. I understand Youtube don't want to be held accountable for copyright issues, but this is just going too far now. Considering they just purchased Twitch how the hell are twitch subscriptions going to survive if eventually they can't stream games without direct permission first?

Why can't we all just get along? Oh that's right because companies are greedy and don't like the little guy using "their content" to help promote them giving them free marketing. That is what "let's play" videos are, just free marketing for the developer. This is certainly why some of the massive sites host their own videos that's for sure.

One developer has already come up with a fun solution. Which is fully open for others to use, good to see people come together for the greater good so quickly.

Source complaint. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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Anonymous May 29, 2014
You are overreacting.
stss May 29, 2014
I've always disliked the idea of monetizing youtube videos in general.
The only thing it achieves is to generate content that is produced for the sole purpose of earning money, reducing the quality of things and even producing fakes.

and the idea of monetizing gaming videos is even worse. Encouraging people to play games and make content because they can earn money is just one example of a mindset that's ruining gaming.

I wish I could tell which youtube videos were monetized just by looking at the link so that I could never click one again.
HadBabits May 30, 2014
Quoting: stssI've always disliked the idea of monetizing youtube videos in general.
The only thing it achieves is to generate content that is produced for the sole purpose of earning money, reducing the quality of things and even producing fakes.

On the other hand, it means creative people can make a living from doing things they enjoy for people who want to see it. I fail to see how monetary incentive would reduce quality, if anything it seems like it drives creators to keep up the work. Also, please elaborate on 'fakes'.

Quoting: stssand the idea of monetizing gaming videos is even worse. Encouraging people to play games and make content because they can earn money is just one example of a mindset that's ruining gaming.

On the contrary, I think Let's Players and Youtube reviewers are strengthening a culture of criticism in gaming. The attention of gamers is no longer in the hands of the Games industry, which is presently engaging in misleading hype, pre-order culture, and walled-garden mindset. Instead a lot of it has gone to just regular gamers who put themselves on Youtube and aren't in the pockets of publishers.

How is this ruining gaming?
Sabun May 30, 2014
This is many times the reason why I can't get a video up. I've practically had to let go of a lot of my comparison videos or benchmark videos of Valve games because they question my permission to use it.

I have even disclosed the Valve Video Policy to Youtube to prove that I am using it for educational and/or studying purposes, and when a soundtrack plays I either mute it or cut it out to be safe. You can find the policy here:http://www.valvesoftware.com/videopolicy.html

They respond by not responding. My videos get left in limbo, and after a month or so I just delete it.

In my most recent videos that I can't get up, are the ones trying to test out different Desktop Environments and seeing their performance difference for gaming. Quite a number of hours of my life gone down the drain, but I'm glad I could get some up in the end.
stss May 30, 2014
Quoting: HadBabitsOn the other hand, it means creative people can make a living from doing things they enjoy for people who want to see it. I fail to see how monetary incentive would reduce quality, if anything it seems like it drives creators to keep up the work. Also, please elaborate on 'fakes'.
Yes this is the other hand, and it's a good one.

But everyone is not like that.
For example, I was just looking up how much you can make from a youtube vid and apparently some guy recently made $100,000 for filming someone who was drugged up and woozy after going to the dentist.
That's of course an extreme example, but given how many crazy schemes people come up with to "get-rich-quick" I would be shocked if there aren't a bunch of people even right now trying to come up with ways to stage similar videos, instead of letting it happen naturally. (Hence the "lower quality" and "fake"s I mentioned)

I hear some streamers can make >$1,000 for playing video games for a day. I would not be surprised if some of those people would stop gaming altogether if they suddenly couldn't make money off of it, and yet they are the people with the biggest voice in the gaming community?

In an ideal world I would say sure, go ahead and pay the people who put out that content. But you can't do that without inviting unwanted company.

Take this guy for example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb8v2HvdMC0
All of his videos have the same theme, he literally expects to be able to play a game and win during a single seating and without having any prior knowledge or experience with the game.
Either he is totally new to gaming yet thinks his unexperienced opinion is something everyone needs to hear, or he intentionally does this sort of thing, unfairly criticizing games or giving unjustified bad reviews, just to generate interest because it earns him money.

But the people who really love to make that content will still do it anyway even if they aren't getting paid.

Quoting: HadBabitsOn the contrary, I think Let's Players and Youtube reviewers are strengthening a culture of criticism in gaming.
It sure is, and I would argue that that's exactly what is creating the problems of companies you listed here

Quoting: HadBabitsThe attention of gamers is no longer in the hands of the Games industry, which is presently engaging in misleading hype, pre-order culture, and walled-garden mindset. Instead a lot of it has gone to just regular gamers who put themselves on Youtube and aren't in the pockets of publishers.

The people putting out content have a lot of power to influence who buys what games, and it puts so much pressure on game companies that they have to resort to over polishing and over analyzing everything to minimize their bad reviews, rather than just focusing on what's fun.

Perhaps that's inevitable... But the point I'm trying to make is, if people are going to have that much power to influence players, it should belong to someone who loves gaming enough to make that content without having to be paid.
lave May 30, 2014
QuoteThe attention of gamers is no longer in the hands of the Games industry, which is presently engaging in misleading hype, pre-order culture, and walled-garden mindset. Instead a lot of it has gone to just regular gamers who put themselves on Youtube and aren't in the pockets of publishers.

exactly because people start making a living off twitch/youtube game videos it is going back into the hands of the game industrie. you may watch this (totalbiscuit) microsoft paying gamers for positive videos
maybe im alone here but i see no positive sides in the commercialization of which was once a hobby. i wouldnt mind at all if this all reverts back to its earlier state and people dont earn their buck of it anymore (and thus eventually accept money from developers / industries instead of relying on advertisment alone, please dont tell me it isnt happening atleast in a "free streamkeys and hardware gifts" way.. plz).

gamers that stream or upload may have been an independent source to review a game when this all started but nowadays its just $_€ in most of their faces once they get some subscribers and give up their jobs for this.
frenchie May 30, 2014
I hold a youtube channel at Aulnaycap
While we can generate money from youtube, this is far from being profitable. In order to get 1 000 $, one video must generate 500,000 views. Even GamingonLinux cannot reach this level of popularity.

On the other hand you can easily generate more money from Wordpress.com or blogger.com.

Youtube is nice but only professionals can live on the money generated by the videos. Only few channels are profitable
Samsai May 30, 2014
Gaming videos are a major part of the YouTube ecosystem and if they think they can be idiots to the gaming people then YouTube will quite simply collapse. It's not like there aren't alternatives and pushing this sort of stupidity on us will just drive us away from the Google monopoly.
Holger May 30, 2014
One can have different opinions on this topic !

1st: Everyone publishing something on Youtube has to adhere the rules of Youtube / Google. If you don't like it, don't use it. It is obvious that Youtube / Google has gained a big relevance in todays media landscape and can hardly be replace now.

2nd: If someone does a gaming video, they usually do it as hobby. Either as play through, help for peoples to solve game puzzles and sometime only to brag about their PC / gaming skills. As long as things are produced for free, I guess the videos should be visible to everyone for free. If the one who published the video gets enough visits to earn money this is where the problems start. Pretty similar to someone uploading a small portion of a movie or episode of a TV show for some friends versus someone doing this large scale.

Possibly there should be a separation between private non-profit channels and commercial ones ?

just my two cents,
Holger
Zeadar May 30, 2014
Youtubers are guilty until proven innocent, appearently.
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