YouTuber Ethics Responses - Gamasutra

Gamasutrasurvey:ContactingvideogameYouTubers

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Q14WhatisyouropinionofYouTuberschargingmoneytodevsforvideo

coverage?Isitethical?HowwidespreaddoyouthinkYouTubersasking

for/receivingmoneyforcoveringspecificgamesis?

Answered:119 Skipped:22

# Responses Date

1 itseemsal ittleriskyfortheintegrityofthereviewbutyoutubersneedmoneycoveringgameseveninsimplegamplayvideosareexpensive

6/18/20149:33PM

2 Ethical,onlyifi t'sasmallfee.5-15usd.Thoughayoutubershouldn'tchargemoneytogetagameforfree...

6/18/20149:50AM

3 BiggeryoutubersaremainlyPRmouthpeices.Assuch,advertisingrulesseemnormalaslongasitsdisc losedviatheyoutuber

6/18/20147:30AM

4 We-videocreators-l iveincomplicatedtimes.Itisexpectedfromourworktobefree.Copyrightholdersdon'twantustomonetize,noonel ikesAds,noonel ikespaidcontentbutweinvestourfreetimeintocoveringthegameswelove,wanttoshare-basicallygivefreePRforthegameitself.IfaYoutuberasksformoneyfordeliveringgreatcontent,it'snotwrong-it'sacompensation.

6/18/20146:33AM

5 Ithinktheyshouldbeavoidedl iketheplague.IfaYoutuberwantstomakemoneythentheyshouldworkhardl iketherestofusonthevideos.IfadeveloperwantstosponsorachannelthenthatsuptothedevelopernottheYouTuber

6/18/20146:28AM

6 Idisagreewithit.Itdoesnotseemethicalatallasitjustseemslikeablatantmoneygrabiftheyfeelthey'renotgettingcompensatedenoughfromYoutubeortheirpartnerprogram.AndwhileIfeelforthosethatdothisasafull-timejob,it'sjustadropinthebucketattheendofthedayandcanreallyruinnotonlythatYoutuber'sreputation,butthedeveloperaswell(somemayseethatasthembuyingoffaYoutuberforapositivespinincoverage).Idon'tthinkit'sawidespreadissue,butI'mnotnaiveenoughtothinkthatitNEVERhappens.Maybethishappensinabout10%ofallcases.

6/18/20146:26AM

7 Ithinkit'sanawful,shitpracticethatnodevelopershouldeveraccept.Lesswidespreadthanpeopleseemtoimply,possiblymorewidespreadthanIthink,however.I'veneverseensignificantevidenceoftheextentofthis.

6/18/20146:22AM

8 Itshouldbetheotherwayaround.Devsshouldpaytheplayerfortheirtimeandtestingthegameonafull-throttlePCduringanearlybuild/

6/18/20146:19AM

9 Ithinkit'stotallyfinetobepaidforcoverage,butnotiftheypaymentdemandsyoutogiveapositiveimpressionespeciallyifi tmisrepresentsthegame.Thebestwaytohandleitwouldbetoagreetocoverit,playthegame,andgivenostrongopiniontoyouraudienceaboutapurchasingdecision--andyoushoulddisc loseitisapaidpromotion.

6/18/201412:48AM

10 Ifit'snotanopinionpiece,butmerelycoverage.Talkingbulletpointsorjustgivinginformationonit,thenit'sprobablysomethingthatisfine.ChargingforreviewsorLP's,Idon'tthinkit'swrong,butitreallymakesitdifficulttojudgetheintentionsofthecontentcreator.Iactuallythinkit'sveryrare,IthinkmostpeoplebasedonthecurrentmarketA)aresmallenoughwherefreegamesiscoolenough.B)getenoughadrevenuefromafreegameand3hoursofworktomakeitworthittothem.Beingpaidontopofthatmightnotbeneeded.

6/18/201412:22AM

11 Itseem'sabitwrongtome.AYouTubershouldbeprettygratefultosimplyplaythegameearlyatall.Ihaveheardofcompaniesofferingpayment,haven'theardaboutaYoutuberwhosellstheirtime.

6/10/20144:30PM

12 Ithinkthat'sridiculous.Justplaythegame,andremainhumble. 6/9/20143:21AM


2/7

13 Idon'tthinkit'sethical.Thedevelopershavemadethatgameandaretryingtoreceivesomewell-deservedrecognitionforit.Theyshouldn'thavetopaysomeYoutuberwhentheyhavespentcountlesshoursdevelopingthegameandperhapsevenmoneyoutoftheirownpockets.IfYoutubersreallyneedthemoney,theyshouldearnitthroughtheirsubscribersorsetupsomedonationsbininsteadofcharginggamedevelopers.

6/7/20148:25PM

14 Tobehonest,whileIdon'tagreewithhowit'sreputedlybeenhandled,assomeonethathasspendthousandsofhoursanddollarsonmakingvideosandalltheaccompanyingworkthathastogointoachannel,researchinggames,branding,socialmedia,developerrelations,emails,comments,collaborationsetc...I'msurethelargeryoutubersmakeal ivingatwhattheydo,butforthesmallerchannels(evenoneswithhundredsofvideos,greatcontentandoverallquality,andyearsofexperience)...Ifyoudon'tgetthenumbers,it'sabitofaveryexpensiveandtimeconsuminglabouroflove,andasawesomeasthatisitdoesn'tpaythebil ls.Askingfordonations,patreon,stuffl ikethathasalotoftaboointhecommunityaswell,i t'sreallydifficulttonaturallygrowapositivecommunityandpublic personality,tobeabletoreachawideaudiencethattrustsyouropinionsandwantstospendmoneyonwhateveryousayisawesome,whilealsosti l l beingabletoaffordtospendallthetimeyouwantonYoutubeespeciallyifi tdoesn'tpaywellyet,andIthinkgamedevelopersandPRsometimestakeallthatworkforgranted.

6/6/20141:43PM

15 Ithinkitisunethical.Idonotknowhowwidespreaditis,butmyguesswouldbethatitisfairlyuncommon.

6/6/20141:18PM

16 Chargingmoneytoadevseemslikeaweirdideatome,Idonotknowhowwidespreadthisisbutwouldneverrequirethatsortofthings.IknowpromotionaldealswithpublishersarecommonandI'mfinewiththemaslongasthey'rebrandedforwhattheyarebutchargingdevsjustsoundswrongandagainstwhatallthisissupposedtobeabout.

6/6/20147:56AM

17 It'sabittoofar.I'mallforprofitingfromyourwork,buttakingpaymenttoplayagameinthismannerisabitl iketakingabribetoprovideagoodreview.Itfeedsdishonesty.

6/6/20145:52AM

18 IfyouneedmoneyandyougetanoffertoadvertiseagoodgameIthinkitisworthit.Ifthedevelopercan'taffordtopayYouTuberstopromotetheirgamestheyshouldn'tdoit

6/6/20144:50AM

19 Idon'tseeanyproblemswithitaslongasanydealsdon'tinterferewiththeintegrityorviewsofindependentYoutubers.Idon'twanttoseeYoutubersgettingpaidtosaysomethingthecorporationstoldthemtosay.

6/5/20141:57PM

20 IguessitalldependsonhowmuchtheDevelopersarewil l ingtodotogettheirgameoutthereandknown.Iknowthatifi foundadevaskingmetodoavideoononeoftheirgamesandifoundittobeainterestinggameiwouldjustrecorditforthefunofrecordingagreatgame!

6/5/20147:43AM

21 Iftheycangetawaywiththat,it'stheirprerogative. 6/4/20147:23PM

22 Ithinkitisperfectlyethical,aslongasitremainsaboveboard.Viewersshouldknowifgameplaycoverageissponsored.Reviews,however,shouldNEVERbepaidfor,

6/4/20144:14PM

23 Paidreviewsarecompletelyunethicalandshouldnothappen(andthoughonlyrestric tedasmallproportionoftheYTcommunitythey'reopinionsdocarrysomeweight).Payingforcoverage(travel&accomodation)ofreleaseevents,earlypreviews,junkets,etc.isanethicalgreyarea.Thoughnotanoutandoutbadpracticeitissti l l goingtoinevitablybiastheYouTuber'sopinion.

6/4/20142:49PM

24 IthinkYoutubersareofferingaservicetodevsandshouldgetmoneyforit. 6/4/20148:45AM

25 YouTubevideosare,inasense,aformofadvertising-thereforeitmakessensetopayforadvertising.

6/4/20148:02AM

26 Noitisnotethicalatall.Idon'tcarehowbigthechannelis.Gamedevelopersshouldhavegamesplayedbecausetheyaregood,notbecausetheybasicallyhavetopayabribe.

6/4/20147:51AM

27 IthinkitisunethicalasmostYoutubersrecordgamesforfunandnotforprofit. 6/4/20147:14AM

28 Itdependshowtheyruntheirchannel/business.Personally,ImakevideosofgamesIenjoy,andIcanmakemoneyfromtheadsIhavepermissiontoplaceonthosevideos.Thedevelopers/publisherscouldremovethatpermission,soIseethatasthegiveandtake:Iadvertisetheirproduct,theyallowmetopotentiallymakemoney.IfaYouTuberwantstopromoteagamedespitetheirpersonalopinionsonit,thenIcankindofunderstandchargingforit,butIdon'treallyagreewithit.

6/4/20146:15AM

29 Ipersonallyfrownuponthis.Ifeell ikeitjustisn'tinthespiritofwhatwearedoingasYouTubers.Iwouldsuspectthatitisprobablyfarmorewidespreadthanitappears.

6/4/20145:15AM


3/7

30 Idonotthinkitisethicalifi tisadirectpayment.ButIthinkifdeveloperscan/wanttosupportreviewers/reviewsitesinanear-anonymousway,thathelpssupporttheveryindustrytheydevelopfor.Iassumeyoutubersaskingformoneyisprettywidespread.Youtubeisachild'stoy,andtherearefartoofewgrownups.

6/4/20145:15AM

31 Idon'tthinkYouTubersshouldchargedevelopersforcoverage.Mostcanputonadvertisementsanywayandtheygetthegamefreealready.Butsimplydoingavideoaboutagamebecauseyougetmoneyifyoudo,justdoesn'tseemrighttome.

6/4/20144:46AM

32 Aslongastheydon'tchargetoomuch,theyaregettingpaidforwhattheyenjoydoing,whichIamallfor.

6/4/20144:14AM

33 Itdependsiftheyaregoingtodoafullindepthseriessupportedbythedevsmaybesomemoneywouldbegoodtoreceiveinreturn.Idon'tthinkthisisverywidespreadATMIhaven'theardofanyoneIknowdoingthis.

6/4/20144:04AM

34 Itisethical.Itisamuchmoreeffic ientwayofadvertisingviaactualgameplayfootage.Plus,ourfansloveusandwanttoplaythegamesthatweplay,thereforethesevideosbringamuchmoredirectandconsistentreturntothecompany.

6/4/20144:04AM

35 Thatisahorribleidea.Thepeopledoingthatareasignofafundamentalmisunderstandingofwhattheroleofthemediais.

6/4/20143:37AM

36 Ithinkitisnotethical 6/4/20143:24AM

37 YouTubersaskingformoneyforcoverageissleazyandborderlineunethical.BoththeYouTuberandDevbenefitfromthiscoverageandeithersideaskingforadditionalmonetarycompensationseemsgreedytome.Astohowwidespread,Idon'tthinkthatitis.Idon'ttalkwiththebigchannelsbutIknowthatalloftheotherLPrsIdocommunicatewithwouldnotdothisandalsobelievethatit'swrongtodo.

6/3/20141:02PM

38 Unethical;AYouTubershouldnotexpectoraskformorethanbeingallowedtomonetizethevideos.Iwouldassumeit'ssomethingnotmany(reputablechannels)trytodo,thoughIalsowouldn'tdoubtiti ftherewereal istofbigchannelsdoingitunderthetablebecausethey'rebigchannelsandoffer"exposure".However,ifthedevstudiowherehiringforapositiontomakeonlinevideocontentforthem,itwouldbedifferent.

6/3/20149:24AM

39 Idontdoitandthinkearlyaccessisenoughofatradeoff. 6/3/20148:18AM

40 IftheYoutuberisnotmonetizingthevideothroughothermeansthanitissomewhatacceptabletome.Myonlyethicalconcernwiththatisthereisnomarketregulationatworkwhenthese"back-room"dealsaremadeandnoimpetusfortheYoutubertorevealtotheiraudiencethattheyhavebeencompensatedfortheirtime(whereasinthetraditionalmonetizationmodelitissomewhatmorec learthatcompensationhashappenedintheformofadrevenue).Idonotbelievethatyoutuberschargingdevelopersdirectlyisawidespreadpracticetodate.

6/3/20148:06AM

41 Itturnstheiropinionintonothingmorethanapaidendorsement,iftheydisc losethepayment.Iftheydonotdisc losethepayment,itisentirelymisleadingandunethical.

6/3/20147:34AM

42 It'scontextdependent.IfthedevispayingabignametoplaytheirgameonYouTube,notfortheiropinion,that'sjustadvertising,solongastheYouTuberdisc losesthatthecontentisbeingpaidforbythedev.Ifwe'retalkingpayingforarevieworforabetterreview,that'snotacceptable.Itwouldn'tflyinprintmediaandit'snodifferentinvideo.Iknowlargechannelsoftengetofferstopromotegamesformoney.I'mnotawareofmanyinstancesofYouTubersapproachingthedeveloperfirst.

6/3/20147:23AM

43 Disgusting 6/3/20147:17AM

44 Absolutelynotethical.Devsoweusnothing,andweowethedevsnothing.Thisisaknee-jerkreactiontoContentIDmatchingandtheperceptionofpublishers"stealingourmoney",andIhopethetrenddiessoon.

6/3/20147:00AM

45 Ibelieveit'sunethical.Wealreadygetmoneyfortheviews,andpersonally,I'mnotinthisforthemoneyanyway.IcanunderstandwhyaYouTuberwouldcharge(weallhavetomakeal ivingandIrespectthat),butIfeelthatinthiscontext,theYouTuberbecomesajournalistorareviewer.Takingmoneyforareviewisaslipperyslopeanduntrustworthy.

6/3/20146:52AM


4/7

46 WhilstIunderstandtheconceptofmanyYoutubershavingalargesubbaseandsubsequentpromotionalplatformIcannotabideanybodywhowouldacceptcashtopromoteagametheydonotactuallyl ike.Sadly,thishappensallthetime,peopleallowthemselvestobetemporarilyboughtinordertopromoteagame.TheygetflowntoexclusiveeventsandalwaysreallyenjoytheBetabutwhenthegameactuallyreleases...whereisthecontent?It'snotthere,becausetheydidntactuallyl ikethegame.

6/3/20146:44AM

47 Ithinkit'soutrageousforYouTuberstoaskformoneyfromdevs.Ifdevswanttooffercompensationthenthat'sfine,butnottheotherwayaround.Isupposeit'sethicalaslongastheYouTubermadeitabundantlyc learthattheyaresimplyactingasamarketingtool.FranklyIhavenoideahowwidespreaditis,Ihopenotvery.

6/3/20146:43AM

48 Idon'tthinkitisethicalatall.BigYouTuberswil lgettheirrevenuefromads.IfallYouTubersdidthisthenonlythebiggameswithbigmarketingbudgetswouldgetanycoverage.

6/3/20146:41AM

49 Casespecific Iwouldn'tnecessarilybeagainstit.I'dhaveacoupleofconditionsthough,eg.Icanhavemyownhonestopinionaboutthegame,andinturnI'l l domebesttolookatthegameobjectively

6/3/20144:55AM

50 Ithinkitsokayforthemtodoitasthepublic itytheywouldgainfromareallylargeyoutuberisagoodwayofgettingthegameoutthere.Atafractionofthecosttoo.

6/3/20144:06AM

51 Verywidespread.Makingvideostakestimeandmoneygreasesthehinges. 6/3/20144:02AM

52 Idon'tagreewithitbutIcanunderstandit.YouarepayingtoinjectcoverageofXgametoapre-madelarge-scaleaudience,afterall.

6/3/20143:26AM

53 Idon'tagree,butIunderstand.Ialsoonlythinkitshouldbedoneifi tdoesn'teffecttheYouTubersopinionofthegame(Orjuststopsthemcritisingitl iketheYogscastandWatchdogs).

6/3/20143:15AM

54 Iftheyoutuberbrandshimselfasareviewer,itwouldnotbeethical.Iftheyoutuberismoreofalet'splayer,it'sreallyuptohimaslongasheremainstransparent.Ireallycannotsayhowwidespreaditis.Mostyoutubersdon'tdisc losethoseoffers,eveninvideodescriptions.It'sprettysecretive.

6/3/20143:08AM

55 Notreally...;) 6/3/20142:57AM

56 Thisisnotethicalbehaviour;newspapersdonotchargewhentheyreviewbooks,fi lmsorgames,soneithershouldvideoproducers.Idonotconsiderthisbehaviourwidespread.However,suchbehaviouristechnicallyaviolationoftheBriberyAct2010,wherepositivecoverageequals"financialorotheradvantage".Thisisquitec learlyabribeandisagainstthelaw.

6/3/20142:43AM

57 Idon'tagreewithitjustasIdon'tagreewithreviewsitesaskingformoney.It'shardtojustifyanimpartialreviewwhenyouhavebeenpaidtodoit.PersonallyIfindithardenoughwhenjustgivenareviewcode.Idon'tthinkitstoowidespreadyetandhopethatitneverbecomesabigthing

6/3/20142:42AM

58 n/a 6/3/20142:31AM

59 Ithinkitisadisgustingpractice. 6/3/20142:29AM

60 Ithinkthatitisridiculous,unlesstheyoutuberissponsoredtoshowthegamethentheyshouldneveraskformoneyfromdevstoplay!

6/3/20142:20AM

61 Idon'tknow 6/3/20142:01AM

62 Receivingmoneytoreviewagamemakesforaunfairandunbalancedviewontherelease.TheYouTuberfeelsobligedtogivethegameapositivereview.

6/3/20141:54AM

63 It'snotethical,anditcompromisestheirintegrity.Ifthey'reupfrontaboutit,thenfairenough-butIwouldn'ttrustanythingtheyhadtosay.Anydev/publisherthatwouldpaymoneyforcoveragethatisn'tadvertising,andexplic itlypresentedasadvertising,isalsoonpoorgroundmorallyimho.

6/3/20141:53AM

64 Paidpromotionscanworkifallisaboveboardanddisc losureismade.It'sprettyrampantamongstlargerYouTubers.Seldomdisc losed.Youhavethepotentialforhugeinfluencewithnoneofthosetraditionaljournalistic ethicsintheway.Manyyounginfluencerswonoverbyrelativelysmallamounts.

6/3/20141:48AM

65 Idon'tthinktheyshouldasktobepaidforit,i tisunethicalandmakesthemseemlikeadouche. 6/3/20141:47AM

66 Idon'tagreewiththispersonally.Ifeelthatmoneywouldmakethecoverageunethicalandbiased.Iwouldhopethatitissomethingthathappensveryrarely.

6/3/20141:46AM


5/7

67 It'sunethical,asitcaninfluencethepotentialopinionofagame.That'sreasonenoughthatitreallyshouldn'thappen.

6/3/20141:44AM

68 IfitmakesthedevmoremoneythenspentthenfairenoughbutasmallchannelIwouldneverchargeweareallIndiesandshouldhelpeachother

6/3/20141:43AM

69 No,it'snotright. 6/3/201412:11AM

70 Askingforpaymentisdumbespeciallyconsideringpeoplel ikemyselfmakeal iveablewageoffofit.

6/2/20148:53PM

71 WhileIthinkitisal i ttleunseemly,iftheYouTuberisupfrontabouthavingreceivedmoneyfortheircoverage,intheircoverage,andissti l l honestintheircommentarythenit'sfine.

6/2/20146:14PM

72 YouTubersareacertainkindofpress,sochargingmoneytocoversomethingseemscompletelystupid.Presscoverthingstogetthemselvesthescoopandalsoreceivealltheglory.Whileitisadvertisingtosomeextent,it'salsothejobtheysignedupfor.Iftheywanttochargedevsforcoveragethentheyshouldgointothepop-upadbusiness.Idoubtit'sverywidespreadunlessdevelopersarewaymoredesperatethantheyshouldbe(ifyourgameisgood,itwil l getoutthere,trustme).

6/2/20145:34PM

73 Unethical.It'spaidpromotionatthatpoint. 6/2/20145:23PM

74 ThebiggertheYouTuber,themoreethical,Iguess.It'sl ikepayingabaseballstadiumtoputyouradsomewhere;It'sprobablynotallthatcommonatthispoint.

6/2/20145:18PM

75 It'sethicalaslongasitdoesnotinterferewiththequalityofthevideoandtheviewersknow. 6/2/20143:55PM

76 It'sshitandnotfair. 6/2/20143:40PM

77 Badpractice,it'snotethical.Ithinkit'saveryrareoccurence,butundoubtedlyithappensfromtimetotime.

6/2/20142:53PM

78 It'sprobablymorewidespreadthanyouwouldthink.IfeelthatitiswrongsincedoingsoputsupabiasforYouTuberstosaypositivethingsaboutgamestheymaynotactuallyenjoy.

6/2/20142:43PM

79 Itsridiculous 6/2/20142:29PM

80 AskingforaflatoutfeeseemsreallydishonestandI'dloserespectforreviewersthatdoso.Gettingthegameforfreeisalreadygoodenoughforme.Ifthedevwantstogiveayoutuberfunthingsl ikeashirtordollofacharacter-that'dbefarmoreacceptable/lessskeezy.

6/2/20142:18PM

81 ifitisoffereditisfairgame.demandingiswrong. 6/2/20142:15PM

82 ConsideringYoutubeismostlybeingadvertisedasaPRplatformandnotasaplatformforlegitimatecritique,IwouldnotbesurpisedifbiggerYoutuberswouldchargemoneyforcoverage.Inthatregardtheywouldprovideaservicetothegamedevelopers.Ithinkit'ssti l l unethicalifi t'snotdisc losedtotheviewerhowever.

6/2/20142:09PM

83 It'sOK,althoughIdon'tl ikeit.It'snotl ikethedevhastopaythemoney. 6/2/20142:02PM

84 Ithinkitiskindofwrongbut,ifdone,itshouldalwaysbefullydisc losedtothesubscribers.Ithinkitisquitewidespreadamongthe1-2m+subsyoutubercommunity.

6/2/20142:02PM

85 Isthisisathing?Ifi tisit'skindofcrappy.TheonlywayIseethisbeingacceptableatallisifi t'sabigstudiocontactingaYoutuberwantingthemtoplayatripleArelease-theyhavemoneyintheirbudgetforadvertising.Theyarecontactingsomeonespecificallywantingthatpersontoadvertisetheirgame.Otherthanthat-no,Idon'tthinkYoutubersshouldchargedevsmoneytocovertheirgame.

6/2/20141:57PM

86 Idonotl ikeaskingformoneytoreviewagame.Ithinkitsentirelyreasonabletoaskforthegameforfreel ikeadeveloperscopybutotherthanthatno.Itfeelstomethatbasedonpayyoucouldratethegamehigher.Ihonestlydontknowhowwidespreadthisissueis.

6/2/20141:56PM

87 No.Justno. 6/2/20141:54PM

88 That'shorrible. 6/2/20141:51PM

89 Idontmind,iftheytakemoney,Ithinkitwouldbebetter,iftheymentionthisfact,butwhentheydo,whynot?

6/2/20141:51PM

90 Ifthedeviswil l ingtopayforcoverage,that'sfine.That'sanagreementbetweentwoparties.Itcouldbeannoyingifthechannelwindsupbeingcompanyshil ls.

6/2/20141:49PM


6/7

91 Dependsonthescale.Anyoneprolific l ikePewdiePie,maybe.Italsosortofdependsonthestudio.ForthemostpartthoughIamnotafanofit.

6/2/20141:45PM

92 No,it'sincrediblypompous.Andit'stoowidespread;theattitudethatYouTubersaredoingtheindustryafavorhastostop.

6/2/20141:44PM

93 Ifyouchargeadevitsabitwrong,ifthey'regivingyouafreekeyandyou'remonetisingyou'vegotnoexcusetoaskforit.Idon'tthinkitsverywidespread,butIcanimaginesomesmallerdevsareofferingsomemoneytogetnoticedbybiggernamesduetothelargerequeststheyget,notsayingpotatomanwasoneofthosebutIvegotmysuspic ionsandImawareofanothernovaandtheganggotpaidal i ttletocover,buttheydiditwellnotcompromisingthemselves

6/2/20141:43PM

94 NoIthinkthatisunethicalImakeenoughfromyoutubeandtwitchbymyselfandIfeell ikeitcangiveanegativebiasonthegame.

6/2/20141:42PM

95 ithinkit'sunethicalandwrongtochargeforreviews.Youcan'tbesurethereviewerisunbiasedbecauseofthat.

6/2/20141:41PM

96 Neverheardofit,wouldn'tdoit;seemsunethical 6/2/20141:40PM

97 Idon'tthinkit'sethicaltotakemoneyforcoverage,objectivitymightbec louded.ForbiggerYouTubersIknowit'softenofferedbutIhopeit'smostlydeclined

6/2/20141:37PM

98 Usuallyit'stheotherwayaround,publishers/devsofferingmoneytoYoutubers(eitherdirectlyorthroughtheirMCNs).Idon'tknowofanyYoutuberthatactuallyproactivelyseeksoutpaymentifthey'regoingtocoveragame.

6/2/201412:52PM

99 Ithinkit'sfairlywidespread.Requiringpaymentforcoverageshouldn'tbenecessary.Ifthereisgamesyougenuinelyenjoy,wantingtosupportthedevelopersandgettingthegamenoticedshouldbeenough.Admittedly,itisentic ingwhendevelopersoffermoneyforvideocoverage,butItendtodeclinewhentheysetstandardsof"Nonegativefeedback,etc".

6/2/201412:39PM

100 Ithink,aslongasthere'sfulldisc losure,andaslongastheYoutuberisnotpreventedfromcritic ising,it'sabsolutelyethical.Ifi t'skeptasecret,ortheYoutuberhastokeeptheirmouthshutaboutflaws,thenit'sunethical.

6/2/201412:38PM

101 Idon'tbelieveYouTube'sshouldchargeforvideocoverageever.Developersofferingmoneyaspartofamarketingsceneisdifferentbecausethatisfortheyoutubertodecidewhatkindofcreatortheyareegentertainervsjournalist.Idon'tbelievethepractiseofchargingforcoverageiswidespreadifi tdoeshappen.I'venotheardofithappeninginmynetwork.

6/2/201412:30PM

102 Ihavenoopiniononthematter,asI'mtoosmallaYouTubertohaveasayinsuchhighpriorityissues...

6/2/201412:29PM

103 ItmakesaboutasmuchsenseasNintendowantingtotakeaportionofouradrevsforcoveringtheirgames.Abitofgiveandtakeisneeded.Idon'tbelieveit'sawidespreadpractice,althoughIcanimaginesomeofthebiggestandmostpopularcontentcreatorscouldprobablymakesuchdemands,andhavethemaccepted.

6/2/201412:28PM

104 Everyoneneedsmoney,whodoesn't,butnoitisn'tethicalandifmoneyisexchanginghandsthenthereneedstobetransparencybetweenYoutuberandaudienceanddeveloperinallc ircumstances.AYoutuberisgreatforgamecoveragebecausetheaudiencetruststheiropinion,ifthattrustisbrokenthensoistheircareer.Ithinkwith"toptier"Youtubersit'sdefinitelyaproblemwhichistheproblemitself,Devsdon'twant"lowerc lass"Youtuberscoveringit,theywantasmanyeyesoftheirstuffaspossibleandthebiggerYoutuberswantsasmanyviewsaspossibleontheirexclusivecontent=evenmoremoneyandmakingdecentmoneyishardunlessyouarePewDiePie.Ihavenodoubtthisstuffgoeson,onsomelevelwithsomepeople.

6/2/201412:23PM

105 Ihaven'theardtoomuchaboutit.Iassumemostofthegamescoveredweregiventothemandthat'salreadymorethanenoughpayment.Askingformoneyontopofgettingthegamedoesseemunethicalmainlybecauseofpossiblebias.

6/2/201412:08PM

106 Wellnowadaysbigyoutubers(E.GPewdiepie)areasmuchasawaytoadvertiseyourgamethanotheradvertisingmethods.Lotsofpeopleareguaranteedtoseeyourgame

6/2/201412:06PM

107 YouTuber'scandowhattheywantinthatregard.Iguessifthedevsarewil l ingtopayit,sobeit.Itsnotmything,buttoeachtheirown.IthinkthenumberofYouTubersthatchargedevstoplaytheirgamesisveryminor.Ithinkwearelookingatanincrediblysmallgroupofpeopleinrelationtothosethatcovergames.

6/2/201412:05PM


7/7

108 Idonotl iketheideaofYouTuberschargingmoneyforreviewingagame.Ifyouarelargeenoughtohaveabigenoughfanbaseto"chargemoney"thenyouaredefinitelylargeenoughtogetadecentadrevenue.Inmyopinion,YTerswhochargemoneytoreviewagamemakecontentcreatorslookbad.Thedevelopment/reviewerrelationshipissymbiotic .Wereceiveviewersandadrevuetokeepoursiteopen,theyreceivepromotionandrevenuethroughsales.Whymesswiththat?

6/2/201412:01PM

109 Ithinkit'sfineifforyoutuberstodothat,aslongasthedevscontactedtheyoutuberaboutdoingavideoonthegame

6/2/201411:59AM

110 Ithinkit'stotallyunethical.Itcomesoffasabribe.I'mnotsureaboutcoveragebutIhopeit'ssmall. 6/2/201411:58AM

111 Idon'treallyknow. 6/2/201411:56AM

112 ItseemsridiculoustomeandIcan'timaginethere'smanychannelswhereadevwouldevenagreetothis.Havingsaidthat,ifyoucangetpeoplel ikepewdiepieorotherchannelsofthatmagnitudetoplayyourgameit'l l probablypayforitselfinadvertisement.Itdoesdependheavilyonhowmuchthere'sactuallybeingchargedthough.

6/2/201411:54AM

113 imsurealotofyoutubersdoittomostindiedevssincetheyfeell iketheyaregivingthedevandgamecoverage.isti l l thinkitsabadthingtopractice,especiallyiftheyoutuberdoesntneedthemoneytosurvive.ilovegames,playingthem,showingthemtopeople,especiallytheonesienjoytoplay.

6/2/201411:54AM

114 IbelievethistobeethicalhowevertheYouTuberwouldhavetohavealargeamountofaudienceretentioninorderaskforsuchathingastheyshouldbetryingtogetthegametoasmanypeopleaspossible.

6/2/201411:53AM

115 Definitelyabadthing.Thiscannotnotaffecttheopinion,andthat'salwaysbad 6/2/201411:52AM

116 IbelieveifthereisnodealwhenthevideoisrecordedthentheYouTuberhasnorighttoaskformoneyandmakestheYouTuberlookl ikeanarsehole.

6/2/201411:51AM

117 Providedthatitisdeclaredloudly,notmisleading,notareviewofanysortandtheYTerdoesnotofferopinionsonthatgamethensure.Butitisafinel ine.

6/2/201411:49AM

118 Ifinitunethicalandanopinionformedsolelyaroundthegameandnotbecausesomeonepaidyouwil lincreasethequalityofthevideo

6/2/201411:47AM

119 It'skindofridiculoustome.Theonlypeoplewhocandriveenoughsalestowarrantchargingdevsafeeor(godforbid)arevenuesharealreadygethundredsofthousandsofviewspervideo.That'spotentiallyhundredsorthousandsofdollarsforveryl i ttlework.Ontheotherhand,thedevhas(usually)workedhardandsacrificedalotforyearstogettheirgamefinishedandreleased.Itrubsmethewrongwaythatsomepeople(itseemsveryveryrare)stepinandwantashareofitjustbecausetheythinktheycan.

6/2/201410:57AM

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YouTuber Ethics Responses - Gamasutra