Youtube reverses decision to censor Red Dead Redemption 2 suffrage video

This week Youtube made headlines over a controversial stance which saw a gaming channel suspended after several videos being deleted on the platform, which showed violent scenes from the game Red Dead Redemption 2 taking place against a suffrage.

In a video called 'Annoying feminist fed to Alligator', the Youtube account Shirrako showed a suffrage get lasso'd, dragged through a swamp, fed to an alligator and then beaten up. It is an undeniably violent act which takes place, but of course this is within the context of being a video game; and similar violent acts have been involved in similar games for generations now, with the Grand Theft Auto series having similarities with the Red Dead franchise.

Anyway, Youtube deemed the clip bad enough to violate policy and eventually the channel was suspended. Since then, the channel and its videos have been restored and overall it has probably had a positive effect for the channel Shirrako due to the surge in publicity it has generated. A Youtube employee said the guidelines were not violated as first thought, which lead to the restoration.

Overall - the whole episode has shown that even video game violence is now being questioned by the Youtube policy which hints towards a change in becoming more child-friendly and politically correct.
As mentioned earlier, it isn't that the act is not a bad thing, it's that it's done within the context of a video game which makes it understandable, the same way that cartoons can be violent; it doesn't mean that the violent act is acceptable in real life.

Watch the video and make your mind up for yourself. Do Youtube have a moral standard to keep to? is the in-game attack against an ideology? or is it just a case of militant feminism destroying good-natured fun?

- Youtube Drama

The Rise and Fall of H3H3 productions, and what it says about Youtube culture?

If you've kept an eye on H3H3 productions lately, then you would know that Ethan Klein in particular has increasingly come under pressure from not only his enemies, but also his fans - and for various reasons which will be discussed below:

The first and main reason was the decline in content on his original H3H3 Productions channel, which resulted in H3H3 giving more focus to their other Youtube channel, The H3H3 podcast.
Like many famous podcast channels, it featured a variety of guests and discussions, which generally didn't go down well with his main audience.
In short, the move away from his usual content towards doing a podcast was disliked by many, as they saw him almost as 'selling out' - because he could easily churn out weekly content via a podcast, whereas the original channel was more artistic in its ideas, which were typically more humorous.
So, although H3H3 started appearing more, Ethan in particular was seen as less comical - often airing his own opinions which weren't always agreed upon. This differed from his original channel, where his opinions weren't as vocal - and he was mostly playing the role as a comedian (this is a classic example of a funnyman turning serious, which his audience didn't take to).

The second reason why people turned was because of his video game release, which was literally the first video in months on his old channel. Again, it was seen as a money grab and inappropriate considering Ethan would previously criticise other Youtubers for promoting other avenues of income (see Jake Paul's constant pushing of his 'merch', to the disdain of H3).
Reflecting on this, Ethan blamed his depression for lack of videos, which may be a genuine reason for his lack of original content, although even then - some viewers have claimed it was a cheap excuse.

Another factor which didn't help was the infamous Bill Burr podcast, which was seen mostly as cringe-worthy due to their bad chemistry and Ethan's inability to connect with Bill. The whole exchange felt uncomfortable and showed than Ethan was probably a better entertainer than host.

As a result of all of this, many videos have now popped up criticising Ethan, claiming he has changed for the bad, and that his Podcast is simply poor content. Although Ethan's image is far from dead, it does not look good for the future as Youtube fans can be fickle (see Epic Meal Time's tragic decline from grace)
This leads us on to the question in the title - what does this say about Youtube culture?

In short, it says that Youtube fans can turn upon their once idols, if not pleased. Personally, I do not think that H3H3 has done much wrong, and it was inevitable that with more fame, they would branch out as a brand. Of course, part of the original H3 charm was that they would often critique people for opening up and doing cringey things, so H3H3 would always be open to this criticism themselves. Perhaps more dark, is the amount of people out there willing to jump on someone when things change, as seen by the sheer amount of criticism videos now out there, which is a lot considering H3 have not done anything massively controversial.

In conclusion, it will be interesting to see how it all pans out and where H3 will be in a years time.

- Youtube Drama

Leafy explains why he left Youtube (Keemstar interview)

In a video released this week, Youtube investigator and general-hub of all things Youtube, Keemstar managed to get a phone interview with Leafy.
For those wondering, Leafy was once one of the biggest Youtube commentators, whose videos commanded millions and views and to this day his channel has millions of subscribers, albeit he has not created content in nearly a year.
So, why did the controversial commentator decide to leave the platform?

In short, it sounds like he made money and then got out. It seems that after his Content Cop exposure, Leafy was actually quite a private person, which is ironic considering his line of work.
Regardless, he now spends his time building and IRA portfolio and dabbling in crypto-currencies - which would have been from the Youtube wealth he amassed.

On top of this, he mentioned no real desire to re-join the site and seemed to be quietly enjoying his new lifestyle; he further stated that the Youtube adsense/monetization system harmed his income and that he got burnt out of making weekly videos.

Furthermore, Leafy was asked by Keem about his previous beefs, including H3H3 and Keemstar himself, to which Leafy responded that he wasn't really angry at anyone and he seemed at peace with the previous drama, further mentioning that his Keemstar feud was used to generate ad-revenue.

Overall it was an honest interview from Leafy; he didn't seem too enthusiastic about Youtube and possibly will not come back. However, he did seem fairly happy and for all his faults, you cannot deny that he was good at what he did when it came to making interesting videos.

- Youtube Drama

KSi vs Logan Paul...a convinient re-match?

Earlier today we wrote about the KSi vs Logan Paul boxing match; which took place in the UK in front of 15,000 people and possibly millions watching via the internet.
As the post referenced, it was an easy way for both Youtube personalities to make quick money.

Anyway, on to the fight, Jake Paul beat Deji in the first fight which meant it was round 1 to the Paul brothers. After this, the main event followed which was KSi vs Logan Paul.
With Logan Paul looking better in the first few rounds, he tired during the middle which lead to a come-back from KSi. Eventually the 6 rounds ended and it went to the judges, who called it a draw.

Whether intentional or not, a draw is excellent for both camps as a re-match has already been scheduled in the USA, which could potentially earn even more money, due to a possibly bigger arena and bigger global audience than before.

It is quite a bizarre world we live in when two amateur boxers can garner such an audience, but then again anything seems possible with the rise of The Youtube Generation. Here's to the next few months filled with more diss tracks, promos and money-making schemes in the build up to the USA re-match.

- Youtube Drama

Logan Paul vs KSi Boxing match, tonight

Tonight sees one of the biggest hyped boxing matches of the year take place. Funnily enough, the two fighters are not professional boxers, instead they are Youtube celebrities, Logan Paul and KSi.
If you have lived under a rock for the past 5 years then you may not know them, otherwise you will know they are probably the two biggest Youtubers out there.

The card also features their respective brothers, the younger Jake Paul is also fighting KSi's brother, Deji.

So, we know that both camps have been training for months and it will be fought at an amateur level, but what does this mean for the culture of Youtube?
Firstly, it means that Youtube stars are becoming more diversified in their income streams. Both groups are not new to cashing out offline, with books, songs, tours etc making up a growing part of their income.
In fact, KSi actually fought English Youtube celebrity Joe Weller last year, which was incredibly successful in generating income, enough for the Paul brothers to jump on board and join the money train.

With this in mind, it's odd that in a boxing match, there are no real winners. Viewing figures are set to be around that of a professional bout, which shows that personality brings a crowd - even if the quality of the fight is lacking.

It also parallels the music industry, where the modern-formula is to branch out into other areas of the economy. And as ever, the fan-boys from either side will be there, willing to spend their hard-earned cash for a ticket to shout hysterically. Once again, this shows that Youtube-hyped controversy sells, and once again the likes of KSi and the Paul brothers are the ones to profit.

- Youtube Drama