14 DAY TRIAL // The Federal Trade Commission in the United States says that all YouTube users who are taking money from video game developers or publishers in order to create Let’s Play-style videos for video games need to offer clear and obvious disclosure for all viewers.
The US government agency says that the requirement is necessary because gamers might base a purchase decision on the footage that they see and they need to make sure that all information involved with their choice is clear.
Gamasutra quotes Mary Engle, an associate director for advertising practices at the Federal Trade Commission, as saying that “Generally speaking, if an advertiser or a marketer is paying someone to write favorable reviews, the reviewer needs to disclose that and that disclosure should be clear and conspicuous, and should be upfront and easy to see where the viewer won't miss it.”
A number of YouTube content creators have been offering disclosure via just one sentence that’s often buried in the video description, and many users tend to only watch the video without bothering to read any warnings below it.
The FTC adds, “What we say is that it should be easily seen or viewed (or heard in the case of audio) by the consumer or by the viewer. It should be made within the endorsement message, and within the review. We don't prescribe particular words or phrases that need to be used, but some people might say ‘this is a compensated review’, or ‘I got this free to try.’”
The federal agency says that it will investigate any case where a YouTube content creator is getting money from a video game publisher and does not disclose it, and that it is ready to pursue any information that the community will offer in the future.
As streaming and YouTube have become some of the most efficient ways to market video games, companies have forged close ties with high-profile content creators, but many players believe that any connection should be clearly disclosed.
It will be interesting to see whether the FTC becomes heavily involved in the near future with increased regulations or whether the agency will only focus on those cases which are reported by the public.
Streaming and YouTube uploads are one of the core features of the PlayStation 4 from Sony and the Xbox One from Microsoft, but those videos are not directly sponsored by publishers, so gamers who upload them have nothing to be concerned about.