YouTube, EA, Microsoft and other companies came under fire in the games press this month over terms that surfaced regarding paid video incentives. It was believed that EA and Microsoft paid content creators to say positive things about their games, sparking claims of blatant bias. Some personalities have stepped forward to clarify the issue.
The leaked incentive terms appeared to guarantee a higher pay-per-view rate if a creator’s videos leave out things like glitches and other negative features. Eager to give their side of the story, some YouTubers have given their own account of the matter, starting with Battlefield personality LevelCapGaming.
In a Reddit post he wrote, “I’m writing this response because someone needs to say something on the YouTubers’ behalf about what happened is happening with the situation regarding YouTubers getting paid to make videos of Battlefield and other games. This is not an apology.”
“Most of the recent articles I have read regarding this subject talks about EA buying positive reviews and asking us to lie to our fan base about the state of Battlefield 4. Nothing could be further from the truth, and unfortunately these articles have been written to grab attention, so have dishonestly portrayed this situation as a scandal.
“Having been a part of several EA Ronku campaigns, I can tell you that at no point was I asked to lie or falsify my opinion of a game. EA is aware that asking people to do this is wrong and if you actually read the assignment documents that were leaked, EA never asks us to misinform people by only saying positive things about the game. I would love to disclose the actual campaigns to the public so you could see just how tame the requests were but I don’t have the authority to do so.”
Keen to make clear why he didn’t disclose his deal with EA, he added, “Everything that I say in my Battlefield videos is genuine; no opinions are bought, and thus I didn’t feel the need to disclose that I was getting paid by EA to say what I want.”
“I don’t feel like I’ve cheated anyone or falsely influenced anyone into purchasing Battlefield or any other game,” he concluded. “And while I cannot speak for all my fellow YouTubers, I know that those with whom I work on a regular basis feel the same way.”
