People showing how they play their games, while making comments about the game. This is what is called “Let’s Play”, a phenomenon that became quite popular on YouTube over the last couple years. Usually, game companies allow the content creators to play a game without additional fees. Sometimes they support the biggest and most famous channels and their owners who work with games on YouTube by giving them free games or early access to unreleased games, and the reason for that is simple.

These “Let’s Plays” promote the game to consumers at no cost to the companies. Of course, the people who upload their video’s make a profit, but this profit is supplied by YouTube. Once a Youtuber has reached a certain number of subscribers, they can partner up with YouTube and start getting money for every click on their video. The profits will come from advertisements on the videos.

However, there has recently been some controversy over the advertisements. Nintendo now wants to put ads before the video, promoting their other games. This would not be too bad, if the creator of the video would get at least some of the money from these ads, right? Well in Nintendo’s way of thinking this will not happen. Most of the money will go towards the company itself and the channel owner will only get a small amount. This would be as if Nintendo produced the video, which is not true. Channel owners from all around the world are upset about this idea, since they already promote games and these promotions proved to be quite successful.

Back in 2009/2010 the game Minecraft, an indie survival sandbox game, was released and frequently played on YouTube. Channels playing the game expressed how amazed they were by the game and people started buying the game in high amounts, because their favorite channel was so satisfied and they had a chance to get a preview in the game. Thus the idea of free promotion and advertising was born. Since those days, a lot has changed. A lot more people watch Let’s Plays than ever before and it looks like this will not stop any time soon.

So one could ask himself, why is Nintendo subjecting themselves to negative publicity with taking people the chance to play their games and to promote? Obviously, a number of channels on YouTube announced that they disagree with the way Nintendo is taking here, including the biggest channel, PewDiePie. The owner of the channel, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg outside of the platform, gave serious critical comments on the way Nintendo is taking, since they get a lot of free publicity through the people playing their games “But what they are missing out on completely is the free exposure and publicity that they get from YouTube / YouTubers. What better way to sell / market a game, than from watching someone else (that you like) playing it and enjoying themselves?” wrote PewDiePie, aka. Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, in a post on his Tumblr blog.

At this point, it is still unsure if Nintendo or YouTube will eventually approve the way, but one thing is for certain that this action of the game provider will have consequences within the community of YouTube and that other publishers might will take that way in the close future, if Nintendo be successful with their plan.

Sources: YouTube Star PewDiePie in the Guardian