Gamergate

[Jragon]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

Wellllllll…if a journalist is in this case a culture critic, and if a culture critic is someone who explains, in great detail, their opinion about an artwork to a large audience, and if a videogame is an artwork, then yeah, PewDiePie is a journalist. I don’t think any of those jumps are unreasonable.

Except Pewdiepie DID disclose the conflict of interest. Others didn’t, mostly no-name you tubers, but the media is wrongly entangling PDP in this because his name gets clocks.

[Jragon]

That wasn’t meant to quote lhod but I can’t figure out how to edit on this dumb phone.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@Jragon

Except Pewdiepie DID disclose the conflict of interest. Others didn’t, mostly no-name you tubers, but the media is wrongly entangling PDP in this because his name gets clocks.

Ah, didn’t realize that. To be fair, until this article I didn’t know exactly what PDP did, so I’m hardly an expert on the matter :).

[Inner_Stickler]

A single line in the description box may suffice from a legal point of view, but as a viewer, I expect something in the video itself.

[Jragon]

@Inner_Stickler

A single line in the description box may suffice from a legal point of view, but as a viewer, I expect something in the video itself.

I mean, he also said he’ll be more careful to do that in the future after this whole thing, but maintains he did nothing wrong.

I’m inclined to agree, and I am not a fan of PDP at all. The video in question was a normal LP where he said the words “it was fun” at the end, which was likely even true because Shadow of Mordor is a fun game. He got paid for it, and disclosed it in the description. On the totem pole of bad ethics in gaming, if it’s even on there it’s on the bottom. The far more damning problems are bought reviews, and WB doing it in the first place. PDP misstepped for sure, but I don’t think you can really accuse him of bad ethics. WB is the one at fault.

[Reluctant_A]

Okay, let’s stipulate that: are all the, um, “people” who were lining up to doxx the women involved in this thing in the name of “ethics in journalism” also doxxing whichever suits made the call at Warner Brothers? Will they doxx the male reviewers who took the payouts?

[Jragon]

@Reluctant_A

Okay, let’s stipulate that: are all the, um, “people” who were lining up to doxx the women involved in this thing in the name of “ethics in journalism” also doxxing whichever suits made the call at Warner Brothers? Will they doxx the male reviewers who took the payouts?

What no that’s stupid. When actual games journalism ethics issues occur that only proves you were right to Foxx your mortal enemy, WOMZ.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@Jragon

Except Pewdiepie DID disclose the conflict of interest. Others didn’t, mostly no-name you tubers, but the media is wrongly entangling PDP in this because his name gets clocks.

Did he do it before his review or after it was posted and generated publicity as intended?

Because the linked article seems to say that no one disclosed the paid relationship at the outset, only after millions and millions of views were accrued. In fact, the article specifically says that PewDiePie did not disclose from the first:

Of note, the unfolding scandal included the biggest celebrity in the YouTube culture, Swedish content creator Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. Known to his millions of fans as “PewDiePie,” Kjellberg has become an international sensation (and YouTube’s most-subscribed user since 2013) largely on the popularity of his Let’s Play videos. According to the FTC press release, at issue was an undisclosed agreement for PewDiePie to provide positive-skewed promotion of the Lord of The Rings spin-off Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor.

During the campaign, Warner Bros… hired online influencers to develop sponsored gameplay videos and post them on YouTube. Warner Bros. also told the influencers to promote the videos on Twitter and Facebook, generating millions of views. PewDiePie’s sponsored video alone was viewed more than 3.7 million times.

Warner Bros. paid each influencer from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, gave them a free advance-release version of the game, and told them how to promote it… The FTC contends that Warner Bros. required the influencers to promote the game in a positive way and not to disclose any bugs or glitches they found.

Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor Warner Bros. Paid PewDiePie & Other YouTubers For Positive Reviews
While Warner Bros. did eventually “advise” the over 40 “influencers” to divulge the promotional nature of their arrangements, it was not required – and only came after the videos had garnered over 5.5 million views (a full 3.7 of which came from PewDiePie alone.) Furthermore, the FTC confirmed that this would not have been enough to get around the laws against such arrangements as the information would not have appeared in all places the videos were available. The Commission ultimately reached a settlement with WB, banning the company from such activities in the future. Said Bureau of Consumer Protection director Jessica Rich:

“Consumers have the right to know if reviewers are providing their own opinions or paid sales pitches. Companies like Warner Brothers need to be straight with consumers in their online ad campaigns.”

[Banquet_Bear]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Did he do it before his review or after it was posted and generated publicity as intended?

Because the linked article seems to say that no one disclosed the paid relationship at the outset, only after millions and millions of views were accrued. In fact, the article specifically says that PewDiePie did not disclose from the first:

…all the evidence suggests he disclosed at the outset, in the manner suggested by Warner. (Neogaf user checked it out on Wayback.)

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc. has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers during a marketing campaign for the video game Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, by failing to adequately disclose that it paid online “influencers,” including the wildly popular “PewDiePie,” thousands of dollars to post positive gameplay videos on YouTube and social media. Over the course of the campaign, the sponsored videos were viewed more than 5.5 million times.

Warner Bros. Settles FTC Charges It Failed to Adequately Disclose It Paid...

It is important to note that Warners were the ones who settled, and the only mention of PewDiePie in the FTC release was in regards to the fact he was an influencer and was paid. The FTC don’t state an opinion as to whether or not PewDiePie “disclosed correctly” or not.