YouTube is continuing to create waves with their new monetization guidelines that are leaving YouTubers and Let’s Players feeling a little anxious. The newest guidelines include violent content that will obviously affect the gaming community across the board and cutting the income of those who make YouTube videos full time.
These monetization rules are nothing new; however, there has was some uncertainty in the gaming communities about what could and could not be shown in videos. With this newest updates to the rules, Youtubers can get an idea as to what exactly “violent content” is. It is generally accepted at this point by advertisers that video game playthroughs will include violence. However, videos that promote graphic violence (such as best kills videos, etc) will not be monetized. Below, is a video of one of my favorite Youtubers, John Wolfe, explaining the guidelines when they were first released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIt2p4l4aU8
YouTube released a statement on their Creator’s Blog detailing what kind of content would be targeted in their newest guidelines:
We’ve heard loud and clear from the creator community and from advertisers that YouTube needs to broaden our advertiser-friendly guidelines around a few additional types of content. We’ve responded by adding new guidelines to take a tougher stance on:
- Hateful content: Content that promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates an individual or group of people on the basis of the individual’s or group’s race, ethnicity, or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristic associated with systematic discrimination or marginalization.
- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters: Content that depicts family entertainment characters engaged in violent, sexual, vile, or otherwise inappropriate behavior, even if done for comedic or satirical purposes.
- Incendiary and demeaning content: Content that is gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning. For example, video content that uses gratuitously disrespectful language that shames or insults an individual or group.
Despite these new guidelines, live streams and let’s plays seem to be safe when it comes to these new monetization guidelines. What do you think about the new monetization rules on Youtubers? Especially gamers. Let us know in the comments below!