Non-Pewdiepie youtubers about the Nintendo Youtube program

[Scoobes]

The Fury said:

Areym said:

He bought the game, technically it is his game ( I assume pdp buys all his games)

I bought the book, technically it is my book. So I'm going to read it on the internet and make money from it. 

Scoobes said:

A comic is a purely linear thing. A large proportion of games give different experiences for each individual that plays. Look at the videos of Minecraft; it's astounding what people can do and it's something that I would never be able to do or experience if not for the videos uploaded on youtube. 

Video games are an interactive medium. Even most linear games give different events for the same segment. Take Uncharted for instance. The AI may respond differently in the level, maybe you miss shooting an environmental weapon in one playthrough but not another or you may experience funny bugs in just one of multiple playthroughs.

The events of the comic will never change. The artwork will never change. A persons' experience with a comic is tied purely to the passive reading/telling of it. A video games' experience is tied to the direct interaction with it. A video in this context serves as passive marketing. It effectively functions as a modern "word of mouth" effect. You see people having fun actively interacting with a game, you then want a go out and purchase said game.

What about Last Of Us? Sure there are parts of the game that are played but it's mostly a linear(ish) path. Sure you could spean time exploring more or different things will happen but then the cutscenes happen. Non-interactive set cutscenes which never change. 

Yet something else stood out from your post that made me smile:

"A video games' experience is tied to the direct interaction with it" 

And you think this is achieved from someone watching someone else play? Watching someone play a game on youtube, making comments on what they are doing is no different if they are doing it with any other entertainment medium. We as an audience are still just watching and not interacting at all.

Thing is, don't get me wrong. I understand the marketing benefits that youtube and in turn word of mouth has, I'm trying to highlight the idea that just because they are games, people should not automatically (no questions asked) give someone the right to make money off someone elses work. (I'm omitting reviews from this BTW, reviews are meant to be like that).

The Last of Us is actually a good example. It's one of the most linear games you could play, yet every playthrough is different. One player may completely sneak through an area whilst another may create their own weaponry and fight through. Some players may miss sections of levels where they could have gotten bonus items. Another player may find an alternate route into a building. Even though it's a linear game the actual playthrough experience can be quite different from player to player (unlike the comic example where the experience is the same whether you read it or have it read/shown to you).

@ bolded

Watching people playing on youtube isn't really something I'm a fan of, but obviously other people are. Perhaps it's the commentary, or maybe they want to see enough footage to determine whether they would enjoy playing the game themselves (and help to determine whether or not to purchase). In the past this same passive experience would be limited to going round a friends house and watching them playing through part of a game. Now it can be broadcast around the world providing plenty of "word of mouth" advertising.

The fact that they're passively watching the game instead of directly participating is what makes this OK (and actually a positive) compared to other media. They're not getting the intended and full experience of the video game, just some extra details of the experience that reading reviews can't really give. They have to purchase the game before they can get the direct and intended experience.

Coming back to The Last of Us, my nephew decided to purchase the game after seeing youtube videos of game footage (and he happily watches clips of game playthroughs and random commentators). So for at least one person, with a pretty linear game, a purchase was made based on passively watching youtube vids.