Nintendo + Ads = Nerdrage

So the other day, as I was reading my BBC app on the phone (yet another thing to do while I am bored at work), I saw the news that Nintendo intends to claim ad revenue on Let's Plays of their games posted on YouTube. The reaction on the internet seems to have been overwhelmingly negative, with most people considering Nintendo to be legally in their right but morally in their wrong to do this. And I agree that my first reaction also was something along the lines of "wait, what?!", when I first read it, thinking about my friend who does Let's Plays of old Nintendo games, wondering if he too would be affected (which would've annoyed me greatly, since I dislike YouTube ads overall). I decided to find out more about this issue, and what it really means. And especially; are Nintendo really so wrong in doing this?

The first thing I understood about this whole issue is that it really is two different questions being debated -
1. Are Nintendo right in doing this?
And
2. Will Nintendo really gain anything by doing this?

I don't think anyone will question Nintendos legal rights to do this, and that's not what I mean when I say "are Nintendo right to do this". I mean, "are Nintendo really, although no one seems to think so, morally right to do this? Are we getting angry over nothing?". Overall this isn't an easy thing to figure out, since there are so many aspects about this issue that we simply are not clear on and therefor don't agree on.

Are Let's Plays copyrightable?
One of the first things people will mention is that a Let's Play, which is a playthrough of a game basically, for anyone who didn't know, of a Nintendo game isn't necessarily Nintendo property. Unlike a movie or a picture for instance, the game can be experienced in many different ways, and I agree with what most people say that any Let's Play won't be exactly like whatever I end up playing in the end. Another good argument is that if you watch a pirated movie, because piracy is what this has been compared to, you'll probably be done with that movie - meaning you won't feel any need to buy aka pay for it. A Let's Play for a game on the other hand might instead encourage or persuade you to actually buy/pay for it. In fact, one of the issues the gaming industry faced a while ago was that there was no good way for gamers, unlike movie goers, to really find out if they liked a game before buying it. This meant possibly spending a whole lot of money on something that you ended up never playing. This was partially solved with letting people try demos of games, something that is still around to some part, but far from every game has a demo.

I am one of those people who, if I am unsure about a game, will check out Gameplay and Review videos of that game on YouTube to make up my mind, just as I would check out a trailer to a movie to see if it seemed like something I want to pay 10 euro (swedish movie ticket price) to watch. So there is no doubt that Let's Plays, and similar videos of gameplay, hold an interesting value to the game creator. If someone is unsure about a game, it is unlikely they'll dish out 30-50 euro for it on a hunch (at least in my poor ass case). The few times I have done this I have been more sorry than happy for it. And if watching a Let's Play makes me decide the game is not for me, the creator hasn't really lost a potential customer, because without the Let's Play I probably wouldn't have bought the game anyway. If gameplay videos didn't exist in any way, I would still try and find out about the game the old school way, asking friends, trying it out in game stores etc. I think a method a lot of people have been using is to pirate the game to "test it" and then just never end up paying for it because they technically already have the game. So personally I think game creators can only mostly gain from the existance of gameplay videos.

This still doesn't answer the question to whether the material is really copyrightable or not, and each side of the issue has thrown out more or less accurate examples and analogies to prove their point.

Who owns this?

Thruth is there are plenty of game creators out there that encourage their fans own creations of their games, Minecraft is often given as an example of this. There is however a massive difference between a sandbox game like Minecraft and a more linear game like Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. Because games are so different in their nature, it's difficult to compare them straight off - the experience will always be personal to be sure, but there is a big difference in degree here. Overall however, most games seem to benefit from having an active community, and regardless of game type I think that goes for just about any game. Correct me if I am wrong.

In the end, this makes the question of copyright very difficult to answer however. Personally I think that anything created within a game is still somehow owned by that game. But if you think of similar instances or half-silly analogies it is clear that it's not that simple. A painting is owned by the painter, not by the manufacturer of paint - eventhough technically it is the manufacturer that allows the painter to create that painting, just as a game creator allows a gamer to create a gaming experience. Banksy is in fact another half-good example, since the art is on public property - who does it belong to? The creator or the owner of the material used? Who has the bigger claim - the tool provider or the intellectual provider? And how much of which is a game? If I create a copy of a painting in Minecraft, do I own it, the owner of the panting or the owners of Minecraft? These are questions I can't answer unfortunately, but they are definitely very interesting questions.

So who gets to earn money from it?
Without knowing, or deciding on, who has the bigger contribution in a creation, this is equally difficult to answer. When I first read about this whole thing, I was worried that Nintendo were going to put ads on just about any Nintendo-content-video. That doesn't seem to be so, and that's how I learned that there actually are people out there that make money off of their Nintendo game Let's Plays. Of course there are! But it really hadn't crossed my mind. Personally, I would avoid watching any video with an ad in it, and it does make me feel iffy that you'd try to make money off Let's Plays. Don't ask me why, I just think it's wrong somehow but yet again this has got to do with the very difficult question as to who really owns the material. Regardless of my personal opinions however, it is obvious that there are Let's Play channels on Youtube that are very popular, and that make their owners some money (how much is another question I'll discuss further down). And like I said, I do believe these videos are doing more good than harm to the game creators in the end. So what harm really if the people putting the videos up there earn some money from it, right?

What I don't understand however is the argument that putting ads in videos will scare viewers away. If there were already ads on there, I can't see how it coming from Nintendo rather than the channel owner would make any difference to the average viewer? The fact that there is an ad there at all is the annoying part, not who the sender is, or at least that is what I thought. This makes it all seem like the people this change really would bother are the channel owners, which is kind of obvious. They might, and have also in some part said they will, stop playing Nintendo games until Nintendo change their minds. This makes it a question as to whether people watch those videos and channels because of the creator or because of the game? If I can't find the game I want on some certain channel, I'll just move on to the next one. It's not like I have to watch that exact person play that game, or nothing - but I could be the minority on this.

Do Nintendo need to do this?
Regardless of whether I agree with people earning money on playing games on Youtube, I still don't agree with Nintendo making this move either. Like Game Scoop on ign.com was saying, they can't possibly be doing it for the money, so what for? I can't see it being for them to get some advertisement in there either, since the entire Let's Play video of their game basically is an advertisement, as discussed above. Some people have been saying Nintendo simply do this to show everyone that they do consider this their property, and they just want us to know. Unless they have some bigger idea behind it though, that would make it seem like a move to make just for the principle of it, and is that really worth it?

It reminds me of the fan made version of Streets of Rage. A couple of guys sat down for years and re-created, from scratch, every pixel of the game, not using a single line of the original game code. They made 100 all new levels, redesigned every character, recorded 83 new songs themselves for the game and then released it, completely free for anyone to play, on the internet. It had taken them something like 8 years to complete and they had only done it out of love for the game, they didn't ask anything in return. A couple of days later Sega told them to remove everything or they would sue. This on a game that used nothing of the original data and that Sega had basically no interest in at that point either, except for selling cheap digital versions of the original. Eventhough they had asked Sega for permission, it turned out a verbal agreement wasn't much worth in Segas eyes, or obviously the dedication of their fans either for that matter.

The difference between this horrible story and the Nintendo ad one is obviously that Nintendo wants the money that someone is making off of their games, which is understandable in a way, but from a PR point of view it is silly. Many game creators have already realized how incredibly valuable goodwill can be, I think this is the mistake Nintendo are making right now. Looking back into the 80s, Nintendo wasn't exactly famous for its goodwill-policies, running any licensee of their games with an iron fist. This feels like a whiff of those times, but today Nintendo no longer has the power to behave this way and needs to realize that the potential goodwill damage can in no way be replaced by the tiny amount of money they might make off of these ads, regardless of whether they are in the right, morally and legally, to do this. The world doesn't always work that way.

What's the consuequence of this?
What could happen if Nintendo go through with this? I think most viewers will just shrug, or are oblivious to the change anyway, because an ad is an ad regardless of where it comes from. They'll notice if the channel owners suddenly stop doing Nintendo games, and this is where we'll see who ends up to be the "smart guy" in this whole thing. Either Nintendo will be right and the viewers will just look up their games elsewhere, or the channel owners will be right and Nintendo games will suddenly get a lot less attention. I honestly can't predict what could happen, but I am leaning towards the first option. I could be completely wrong, but personally I watch a certain channel more because of the games being played, than because of the personality of that particular channel owner. For instance, I am a pretty big fan of James Rolfes AVGN channel, to a big part because of how he does his videos - but to an even bigger part because of the games he uses in his videos. If he were to make a video of a game I have no interest in, I would probably not watch that video. Yet again, I could be the minority here. It is of course equally possible that most people watch games they have no interest in just because their favorite presenter is playing it - this is where Nintendo could make a big doozy. It makes me think of Two and a Half Men, a show I believe most people watched because of Charlie Sheen and trying to replace him just doesn't work. Unfortunately it turns out Charlie Sheen wasn't much without Two and a Half Men either.

Maybe this will turn out the same way? People will either continue to watch the show, or they will all root for the "Charlie Sheen" and move on to wherever he goes, only to find out that he's nothing without his Nintendo games or that he's perfectly fine without them.

If I could decide, no one would make money off of youtube videos with ads. Just remove them all together - the game creators get their game exposure, and the channel owners get their attention, everyone is happy? If you want to make money on your videos, do it cleverly instead, sell merchandise or something!

Zinn @ Twister Nether Blogcast

Dear readers, I have some exciting news to share with you. This upcoming Sunday the 12th of May, I have been asked to guest speak on the ever lovely podcast show Twisted Nether Blogcast. I am honored and thrilled to have been asked and am really looking forward to it, I think it will be a lot of fun!

This will be the first time you'll get a chance at hearing my sweet voice (ahem) and also hear me inadvertently make a fool of myself (which I almost did there trying to spell that word). I have no idea what to expect and I have never done anything like this before, but I love talking as much as I love writing so I am sure it'll be fine, and hopefully even interesting.

The show is at 8pm PT, which unfortunately for me is 5am my time. I have an evening shift just before and a morning shift of work just after so I am certain to be somewhat dazed and confused at the start, but some tea will get me on track.

I'd love for you to show up if you're curious about anything about me or anything else I might be able to answer (like; why is protection warrior so much fun?). After 8 years with WoW (has it really been that long...) there are tons of things to talk about, so we'll see what subjects we come up with. Hope to see you there!

EDIT:
Here is the link for anyone who wants to hear it.

Field Report - Boulevard Of Broken Games

How about another update on what's going on around here gaming wise?

World of Warcraft
First up, now that I am playing WoW less and less I've noticed something very interesting that I really was wrong about in the past. I've always thought that my WoW-gaming took time from other things that I should or could be doing. I even mention that in my previous Field Report, saying that all the time not spent playing WoW should give me loads of time to do other things I wanted to do. I don't necessarily mean studies, chores, sleeping or work (although also occasionally that) but mostly other games that I wanted to play. I've always been curious about loads of different games but WoW was just always so available, ready, easy to jump in to. I knew exactly what I had to do and eventhough I normally ended up for way longer than expected or planned, I always had the feeling that I could jump in and out of that game easily whereas most other games take some time to get in to and aren't as easy to just quit whenever you want.

This meant that I always had the impression that I chose WoW over other games simply because I was too lazy to get invested in anything else. Turns out, that wasn't the case at all. Now that I don't play WoW that much, I normally don't do anything really! Yeah, how depressing does that sound. I will expand further on this in its own post, so I will leave this thrilling subject here for now, but trust me I will rant on about it eventually because the reality of it really confused me.

Kotor 2
There is much to like about this game and a couple of things to not like so much. Unfortunately, there is a disturbance in that balance and the dark side is definitely starting to take over. The story is ok, and after rewatching the old Star Wars movies I just find it even cooler to be running around in the Star Wars universe. Suddenly I have the new found love for all things Star wars because hells yeah, it's awesome. There are loads of things to do and discover, I've never gotten stuck so far wondering what to do next and I totally love the combat system, honestly. Although the AI isn't always the cleverest and my team mates keep running in to close combat before throwing bombs, but ah well. Things like that rarely bother me as long as they're not game breaking.

I can sense a crash coming...

What is completely ruining the experience however are the myriad of bugs and crashes that this game suffers from. And then I've even updated it with the TSL Restored Content Mod which apparently was going to take care of the worst glitches. Crashes are somewhat ok, when I first started playing Settlers 2 way back when, that used to crash on me every 5-10 minutes (no kidding) but I still kept on playing it. Admittedly I would not have that level of patience nowadays, but a crash every now and then is ok. Just remember to save. The bugs however... now they really push my buttons. Mostly because they're not tinu bugs, like falling through the world somewhere or the game crashing if you do some weird ass combination of commands. No, these are bugs that mean that if you happen to choose the wrong dialogue option somewhere, the event doesn't unfold like it's supposed to. You have to go back to an old save and read up on the internet how to do it step by step right so that the game understands to move on. I can forgive this once in a game, maybe. But every other quest? Come on! Right now my Google Search history is full of things like "kotor 2 Onderon Crash", "kotor 2 Dantooine Crash" and "kotor 2 confrontation with Atris bug". Grr.

I had one where fortunately I had an autosave not long back to remedy the situation. But without a walkthrough it would've taken me a very long time to figure out exactly what step I had done wrong to make things screw up. There are many options to screw up when only one is the right one! And now I am currently stuck on basically the same thing, only this time I can't find out what I've done wrong. I'll have to restart an old save and just hope that it is old enough to fix whatever went wrong, but I'll be seriously pissed if I replay all of that and get the same result.

Other bugs include graphic crashes for no damn reason at all. How do you solve it? Just go into graphic settings and change a setting. Any setting. Doesn't matter if you change it and immediately change it back either, as long as you've pretended to change something it usually works. Having to start most gaming sessions doing what feels completely meaningless also doesn't add much to the fun.

This would be ok if I had cracked or otherwise pirated the game, then I just get to suit myself. But I've paid for this bastard! How can they release such an unfinished game?! It makes me want to scream, and it definitely doesn't want me to play. Kotor 2 should be happy it is as entertaining as it is, because otherwise I would've given up on it long ago in favor of games that actually work. Which is any other game.

Divine Divinity
I had only seen my ex bf play this game a little and didn't think much more of it than that it had to have one of the worst gaming titles ever. Divine Divinity? How about Awesome Awesomeness or Long Longevity? It gives me an excuse to use the phrase "hey, what a tautology" for the first time ever and I am going to take it. Good thing the game is a lot better than its title and until now I've spent some 40 hours playing it. It's very straightforward with its dungeon crawling, skill and stat choosing system, making it resemble most RPGs released around this time. And eventhough there is a lot of "down time" ie time spent mostly running around, trying to find the next thing to do or figuring out how to solve a quest I realized that it doesn't bother me at all. Because I always know what to do next, and if there is a 10 min run to get me to where I need to be, fine. At least I have a clear goal. There is just always something to do and you rarley get stuck not knowing what to do next. Just walk into an area of the map you haven't been to yet and bam, talking tree that summons 30 zombies suddenly attacks you.

Can't have slaughter without laughter

Another thing that I enjoy about old RPGs compared to many other old games are that they give you choices. And I don't mind good vs evil choices, but the choice to leave an area or a quest for now and come back to it later. It feels refreshing when stuck somewhere that I don't have to bash my head against a wall or something that just feels tedious. Instead I can come back to that place later with new eyes and motivation. This is something I really miss about old school console games generally.

Skyrim
I bought this little thing way back, like I don't even know how long ago. I am pretty sure it was last year somewhere. But I've been afraid of it, frankly. I just knew this sucker could hog loads of time from me and I wanted to be ready for it. If I start playing a game I want to invest a lot of time in, I want to make sure I have a lot of that time to invest. At the time I bought it I was playing a bunch of other games, and thought I needed to wait a bit with this one. My goal was to finish either Kotor2 or Divine Divinity first, because I think I am good enough to at least juggle two massive RPGs at the same time. When Kotor2 went all emo on me, and after having tried to fix it for what felt like the hundredth time, I decided I deserveda break. Good old fun really, because playing games shouldn't be about fixing them all the time, it should be about playing them. So I finally dared to start up Skyrim. I've only played a bit into it, I'm level 6 or so and have done the first handfull of quests. So far so good.

There are minor things that bother me about it, things only nitpickers would care about (and I happen to be one, at times). I don't know why, but the scandinavian accents everyone is using kinda bothers me. I realize it's to give that "norse" feeling that they clearly want the beginning of the game to have (what with the Nords and all) but for someone who is surrounded by that accent all the time (I probably suffer from it myself) it just sounds weird. There are also some control choices I found counter intuitive, like favoriting items in the menu with the F button, but you don't use those favorited items outside the menu with the F button  but with the A button. Instead you change camera zoom with the F button. Why? Little things that just... yeah ok, let's move on.

Overall I obviously think the game is really fun so far, it's just the kind of gear collecting-dungeon crawling that I (and most other people) enjoy so much. I was warned by some friends that this game too constains its fair share of bugs and glitches, but since it's a Bethesda game I was prepared for that.

Guild Wars 2
When I last wrote about GW2 I was quite optimistic and had much fun with it. shortly after that, my interest in that game completely died on me though and I can't even remember the last time I logged in. It has to be well over a month ago now. I did have fun with it but I think after a while running around doing nothing I sort of realized that all that was leading anywhere. Comparing it to games like Divine Divinity and Kotor 2 that I was also playing I didn't have a goal, no ending to strive for, and simply discovering the land lost its appeal to me. Not knowing what to do initially seemed refreshing and fun, but soon made the whole experience seem kind of pointless. After ten levels or so I thought I had gotten down the general idea of the game, the feeling of the skills and the surroundings. I realize that it might be like judging WoW after having played through Barrens up to level 10 on one character. Obviously there is loads more to discover for me in GW2 if I want to. But I don't, really.


I think it might have happened when I ran into my first dungeon. I didn't go into it, mind you, because I think I was still way too low level. But I stood outside a while, looking at the people standing there, presumably gathering groups, while also asking for people in chat. And it just sort of clicked with me. I'm not in to this anymore. I've done it in WoW for years and just feel like doing something else for a change. Doing my own adventures now, adventures with a clear goal and not the ever climbing stair of increasing stats and levels into infinity. Besides, just as in WoW I don't know anyone who plays GW2 and so I would have to experience all that with strangers. I could make friends, of course, like I've done in WoW a million times. But right now I am not ready to move from one MMORPG to the next. I think I simply need an interlude of other type of games for a little while. I just don't feel like investing myself in the massiveness that a MMORPG is. We'll see in the future.

And then...
There are always other games I play a little bit every now and then. I just secretly bought a copy of RE4 to surprise the bf. We've played through RE1, 2, 3 Survivor, Code Veronica, Zero and RE1 Remake so far so RE4 feels like the next step. I'm really looking forward to getting started on that! Me and the bf also had a discussion about whether FFVIII is a good FF. He doesn't think so but personally, I quite like it, but I never got very far since my copy kept crashing in the same place. I decided it was time to test it out again, but alas - it's still crashing at that same place. What happens is that it never finishes loading between screens in the Galbadia Missile Base, and overall the loading takes ages even when it does work. I tried different things, avoiding certain areas, opening and closing the disc tray, creating a new save file, but nothing seems to work. Either I chance it and start up another save file, but I doubt that is the problem (since no other game has any issues of this sort). My other option is to buy another copy of the game, and I might get around to that eventually because I actually really want to finish that game.

I recently bought a bunch of old RPGs that are lying in wait for me whenever I finish Divine Divinity, for instance Baldurs Gate 1&2, Planescape Torment and NWN. I'm also pondering buying the old Fallout games. I also want to play the Mario & Luigi games for the DS, I've played Partners in Time and loved it and would like to try Bowsers Inside Story too. Right now I definitely feel like I have more games to play than I have time, but at least I have things to do, whenever I don't end up just not doing anything (as mentioned above). Until next time gamers.