• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

EA and YouTube producers seemingly broke FTC guidelines with Battlefield 4 promotion

Lakitu

st5fu
I just think it's funny how much people rage over stupid trivial things. I honestly believe that JackFrags didn't think to "disclose" this because he honestly didn't know. I mean seriously who cares? Oh no Jack didn't tell me that he made a little extra money off of a video that had no commentary and was raw footage at a gaming convention. Nevermind the fact that it's the same video that he puts out almost on a daily basis.. GET HIM!! People need to grow up.

People blowing this waayy outta proportion. Most of the Youtubers you watch.. they sign up for assignments... Get over it.

Completely agree with you. Love Frankie and Jack's videos, both are honest and love what they do, plus they're hilarious. Yes, Jack should have disclosed it, but nobody did at all and he explains it well in his video.
 

Remmy2112

Member
Ha.I doubt for a fact that their opinion is genuine. There's a reason why other YouTubers have called out this practice whereas these guys made videos on Battlefield within a few days of agreeing to the assignment.
Those Battlefield/CoD and Fifa players, yo. Play for money, not for fun..

I am just going to have to lol at you here. You do realize that two of the three youtubers singled out here, LevelCap and JackFrags, have been playing the Battlefield series since Battlefield 2 or possibly even its first game, 1942. These are not people who hopped onto the BF4 bandwagon to the call of dollar signs. Their channels date back to BF3 days and include some footage shot before in Bad Company 2. The assertion that they turned their channel in BF4's direction for money tells me that you haven't done anything more than read the click bait headlines associated with this witch hunt.

These people put out videos every single day of the week and if you bothered to actually research the subject or, I dunno, actually watch the response to hear the accused's own words you'll see that he was paid for three videos, the maximum allowed under Ronku. One was raw footage shot at a preview event he was invited to and was nothing but gameplay with no commentary added in, and was not originally intended as a Ronku-eligible video, posted before videos were considered for submission. He asked if it could be added and it was granted. The second video was a levolution guide video covering, surprise surprise, one of the most hyped up parts of the game going in. Practically every youtuber and media website, regardless of being paid by EA or not, did one of these because it is material that not every player will realize is there or doable. Jack decided to be add a comedy take to it by roleplaying a British television character along with a friend. The third video was more raw gameplay footage with voice comms included, dubbed with music on top. No commentary or opinions.

So let me by clear, for those who refuse to even consider the responses by the youtubers accused of this crap: Ronku only covered three videos per youtuber. They did not in any way, shape, or form purchase these guy's souls forever more to only say nice and fluffy things about Battlefield 4, DICE, EA, Santa Clause, Scientology, or whatever else. They created these videos because that is what they do, they create content about a game series they like and post it for the world to see.

That these videos also met the criteria for a special advertising campaign created by EA and allowed them to be paid a little extra was simply a nice bonus. Jack acknowledges that he may have (my words) fucked up by not disclosing that fact and will now do so in any similarly compensated videos in the future but it was such a minor thing that only covered such a small fraction of his content output and on stuff that on its own two legs was in no way sinister. In my opinion these guys are being singled out by people making a gigantic stink about something that is barely a fart, a number of whom are making wild accusations without a single shred of evidence. Why? I'm sure it is for a variety of reasons, but the biggest in my mind is that it is "cool" on the internet to hate EA, that they are dirty and anything their money touches is dirty. Hate EA if you want for the actual dastardly shit they have done, don't start leaping on faux controversies to justify yourself.

And they're not even journalists. That's the funny part. They aren't professionals. Just generic YouTubers who play shooters with a large fanbase

Then maybe people should stop acting as if these guys are patron saints of gaming who robbed the collection plate and betrayed the noble profession of games journalism. They are as you said, youtubers who play shooters and offer tips. People should stop pretending otherwise.
 

MJLord

Member
I am just going to have to lol at you here. You do realize that two of the three youtubers singled out here, LevelCap and JackFrags, have been playing the Battlefield series since Battlefield 2 or possibly even its first game, 1942. These are not people who hopped onto the BF4 bandwagon to the call of dollar signs. Their channels date back to BF3 days and include some footage shot before in Bad Company 2. The assertion that they turned their channel in BF4's direction for money tells me that you haven't done anything more than read the click bait headlines associated with this witch hunt.

These people put out videos every single day of the week and if you bothered to actually research the subject or, I dunno, actually watch the response to hear the accused's own words you'll see that he was paid for three videos, the maximum allowed under Ronku. One was raw footage shot at a preview event he was invited to and was nothing but gameplay with no commentary added in, and was not originally intended as a Ronku-eligible video, posted before videos were considered for submission. He asked if it could be added and it was granted. The second video was a levolution guide video covering, surprise surprise, one of the most hyped up parts of the game going in. Practically every youtuber and media website, regardless of being paid by EA or not, did one of these because it is material that not every player will realize is there or doable. Jack decided to be add a comedy take to it by roleplaying a British television character along with a friend. The third video was more raw gameplay footage with voice comms included, dubbed with music on top. No commentary or opinions.

So let me by clear, for those who refuse to even consider the responses by the youtubers accused of this crap: Ronku only covered three videos per youtuber. They did not in any way, shape, or form purchase these guy's souls forever more to only say nice and fluffy things about Battlefield 4, DICE, EA, Santa Clause, Scientology, or whatever else. They created these videos because that is what they do, they create content about a game series they like and post it for the world to see.

That these videos also met the criteria for a special advertising campaign created by EA and allowed them to be paid a little extra was simply a nice bonus. Jack acknowledges that he may have (my words) fucked up by not disclosing that fact and will now do so in any similarly compensated videos in the future but it was such a minor thing that only covered such a small fraction of his content output and on stuff that on its own two legs was in no way sinister. In my opinion these guys are being singled out by people making a gigantic stink about something that is barely a fart, a number of whom are making wild accusations without a single shred of evidence. Why? I'm sure it is for a variety of reasons, but the biggest in my mind is that it is "cool" on the internet to hate EA, that they are dirty and anything their money touches is dirty. Hate EA if you want for the actual dastardly shit they have done, don't start leaping on faux controversies to justify yourself.



Then maybe people should stop acting as if these guys are patron saints of gaming who robbed the collection plate and betrayed the noble profession of games journalism. They are as you said, youtubers who play shooters and offer tips. People should stop pretending otherwise.

Much better way with words than me. I agree.
 
I am just going to have to lol at you here. You do realize that two of the three youtubers singled out here, LevelCap and JackFrags, have been playing the Battlefield series since Battlefield 2 or possibly even its first game, 1942. These are not people who hopped onto the BF4 bandwagon to the call of dollar signs. Their channels date back to BF3 days and include some footage shot before in Bad Company 2. The assertion that they turned their channel in BF4's direction for money tells me that you haven't done anything more than read the click bait headlines associated with this witch hunt.

These people put out videos every single day of the week and if you bothered to actually research the subject or, I dunno, actually watch the response to hear the accused's own words you'll see that he was paid for three videos, the maximum allowed under Ronku. One was raw footage shot at a preview event he was invited to and was nothing but gameplay with no commentary added in, and was not originally intended as a Ronku-eligible video, posted before videos were considered for submission. He asked if it could be added and it was granted. The second video was a levolution guide video covering, surprise surprise, one of the most hyped up parts of the game going in. Practically every youtuber and media website, regardless of being paid by EA or not, did one of these because it is material that not every player will realize is there or doable. Jack decided to be add a comedy take to it by roleplaying a British television character along with a friend. The third video was more raw gameplay footage with voice comms included, dubbed with music on top. No commentary or opinions.

So let me by clear, for those who refuse to even consider the responses by the youtubers accused of this crap: Ronku only covered three videos per youtuber. They did not in any way, shape, or form purchase these guy's souls forever more to only say nice and fluffy things about Battlefield 4, DICE, EA, Santa Clause, Scientology, or whatever else. They created these videos because that is what they do, they create content about a game series they like and post it for the world to see.

That these videos also met the criteria for a special advertising campaign created by EA and allowed them to be paid a little extra was simply a nice bonus. Jack acknowledges that he may have (my words) fucked up by not disclosing that fact and will now do so in any similarly compensated videos in the future but it was such a minor thing that only covered such a small fraction of his content output and on stuff that on its own two legs was in no way sinister. In my opinion these guys are being singled out by people making a gigantic stink about something that is barely a fart, a number of whom are making wild accusations without a single shred of evidence. Why? I'm sure it is for a variety of reasons, but the biggest in my mind is that it is "cool" on the internet to hate EA, that they are dirty and anything their money touches is dirty. Hate EA if you want for the actual dastardly shit they have done, don't start leaping on faux controversies to justify yourself.



Then maybe people should stop acting as if these guys are patron saints of gaming who robbed the collection plate and betrayed the noble profession of games journalism. They are as you said, youtubers who play shooters and offer tips. People should stop pretending otherwise.


Well said
 

superbank

The definition of front-butt.
Really sad about Frankie, for him to say "I'm not being paid to say this" while actually being paid. That's some real lack of respect for viewers right there. Hopefully all of these youtube personalities get fined for misleading viewers.
 

gogosox8

Member
Yeah I can see your point but at the same time how many gaming Youtubers do this with announcing that it's a controlled environment? (You'd be surprised at how many get paid from companies like this)

I find this like hotdogs or McNuggets... People will eat them but they don't wanna know what goes on behind the scenes. Probably throw up if I knew how those are made. I mean this is a common thing and people know it is but as soon as people find out somebody that does it.. They rage. And I honestly I don't know what people are talking about... LvlCap, Matimi0, XFactor all came out days after the launch and said that the game has numerous problems and bugs

I get what your saying but it wouldn't have that hard to make a little text box in the top or bottom of the screen that says "this gameplay was recorded at a promotional event sponsored by Ea and Dice". That's really all anyone is asking for and it wouldn't have taken that long to do that.
 

gogosox8

Member
I am just going to have to lol at you here. You do realize that two of the three youtubers singled out here, LevelCap and JackFrags, have been playing the Battlefield series since Battlefield 2 or possibly even its first game, 1942. These are not people who hopped onto the BF4 bandwagon to the call of dollar signs. Their channels date back to BF3 days and include some footage shot before in Bad Company 2. The assertion that they turned their channel in BF4's direction for money tells me that you haven't done anything more than read the click bait headlines associated with this witch hunt.

These people put out videos every single day of the week and if you bothered to actually research the subject or, I dunno, actually watch the response to hear the accused's own words you'll see that he was paid for three videos, the maximum allowed under Ronku. One was raw footage shot at a preview event he was invited to and was nothing but gameplay with no commentary added in, and was not originally intended as a Ronku-eligible video, posted before videos were considered for submission. He asked if it could be added and it was granted. The second video was a levolution guide video covering, surprise surprise, one of the most hyped up parts of the game going in. Practically every youtuber and media website, regardless of being paid by EA or not, did one of these because it is material that not every player will realize is there or doable. Jack decided to be add a comedy take to it by roleplaying a British television character along with a friend. The third video was more raw gameplay footage with voice comms included, dubbed with music on top. No commentary or opinions.

So let me by clear, for those who refuse to even consider the responses by the youtubers accused of this crap: Ronku only covered three videos per youtuber. They did not in any way, shape, or form purchase these guy's souls forever more to only say nice and fluffy things about Battlefield 4, DICE, EA, Santa Clause, Scientology, or whatever else. They created these videos because that is what they do, they create content about a game series they like and post it for the world to see.

That these videos also met the criteria for a special advertising campaign created by EA and allowed them to be paid a little extra was simply a nice bonus. Jack acknowledges that he may have (my words) fucked up by not disclosing that fact and will now do so in any similarly compensated videos in the future but it was such a minor thing that only covered such a small fraction of his content output and on stuff that on its own two legs was in no way sinister. In my opinion these guys are being singled out by people making a gigantic stink about something that is barely a fart, a number of whom are making wild accusations without a single shred of evidence. Why? I'm sure it is for a variety of reasons, but the biggest in my mind is that it is "cool" on the internet to hate EA, that they are dirty and anything their money touches is dirty. Hate EA if you want for the actual dastardly shit they have done, don't start leaping on faux controversies to justify yourself.



Then maybe people should stop acting as if these guys are patron saints of gaming who robbed the collection plate and betrayed the noble profession of games journalism. They are as you said, youtubers who play shooters and offer tips. People should stop pretending otherwise.

That's funny b/c I lol at people who are defending them like a gun is to their head. Again how hard would it have been to just put an annotation saying "This video is part of a promotion sponsored by EA/Dice"? No one's asking for a blood test here or to see tax returns, just something as simple as putting an annotation saying the videos are part of a promotional campaign. Its seriously not hard. And read the thread. There are clearly people who do go to these guys for purchasing advice and given how knowledgeable you say they are about bf, I think their opinion would matter even more to people honestly. So their not just dudes playing a game. Dudes playing a game don't get invited to promotional events sponsored by EA.
 

Remmy2112

Member
I get what your saying but it wouldn't have that hard to make a little text box in the top or bottom of the screen that says "this gameplay was recorded at a promotional event sponsored by Ea and Dice". That's really all anyone is asking for and it wouldn't have taken that long to do that.

Uh, they did. On their videos recorded at press events prior to the launch of the game they told their viewers where they recorded them. They'd post a video telling their fans that they were at so and so event. Jack had these listings in his singleplayer vids from Stockholm, his Paracel Storm vids from gamescom, and numerous others in the description section of the video. I don't know if Level did the same and I don't watch Frankie but I know Level would at the very least put out a initial video indicating where he got the footage from then put out a few more videos over the next couple days showing off weapons and gameplay from the same map the event was showcasing. If a viewer of his could not tell that it was footage coming from the same event based on that information then perhaps they need to work on their reasoning skills.

That's funny b/c I lol at people who are defending them like a gun is to their head and I happen to really like Jack and Level's channels. Again how hard would it have been to just put an annotation saying "This video is part of a promotion sponsored by EA/Dice"? No one's asking for a blood test here or to see tax returns, just something as simple as putting an annotation saying the videos are part of a promotional campaign. Its seriously not hard. And read the thread. There are clearly people who do go to these guys for purchasing advice and given how knowledgeable you say they are about bf, I think their opinion would matter even more to people honestly. So their not just dudes playing a game. Dudes playing a game don't get invited to promotional events sponsored by EA.

Well I am defending them because there is a financial gun to their heads. While some of these people have day jobs their youtube channels represent a good portion of their livelihood. A faux controversy like this stoked by people who don't have the facts (or don't want them) fabricating accusations and outright lies does nothing but harm a group of people who do not deserve it. Why? I really wish I knew, but I have a few theories.

JackFrags has also said that he should have disclosed which three videos were part of the Ronku program and said he would now mark any videos part of a similar promotional campaign as such. He has already said he fucked up (again my words) in his response video and will fix the situation going forward. I wish more people would actually watch that response rather than continuing along the same lines of inquiry that have already been addressed.
 

gogosox8

Member
Uh, they did. On their videos recorded at press events prior to the launch of the game they told their viewers where they recorded them. They'd post a video telling their fans that they were at so and so event. Jack had these listings in his singleplayer vids from Stockholm, his Paracel Storm vids from gamescom, and numerous others in the description section of the video. I don't know if Level did the same and I don't watch Frankie but I know Level would at the very least put out a initial video indicating where he got the footage from then put out a few more videos over the next couple days showing off weapons and gameplay from the same map the event was showcasing. If a viewer of his could not tell that it was footage coming from the same event based on that information then perhaps they need to work on their reasoning skills.



Well I am defending them because there is a financial gun to their heads. While some of these people have day jobs their youtube channels represent a good portion of their livelihood. A faux controversy like this stoked by people who don't have the facts (or don't want them) fabricating accusations and outright lies does nothing but harm a group of people who do not deserve it. Why? I really wish I knew, but I have a few theories.

JackFrags has also said that he should have disclosed which three videos were part of the Ronku program and said he would now mark any videos part of a similar promotional campaign as such. He has already said he fucked up (again my words) in his response video and will fix the situation going forward. I wish more people would actually watch that response rather than continuing along the same lines of inquiry that have already been addressed.

How is it a faux controversy if their admitting that they (or at least one them) messed up? There would be no controversy if the disclosure was there but it wasn't hence the controversy. And if this was my livelihood, I'd make sure all my t's were crossed and i's were dotted (ie take it to a lawyer before signing the contract) before signing some agreement that could potentially screw with said livelihood.
 
Well I am defending them because there is a financial gun to their heads. While some of these people have day jobs their youtube channels represent a good portion of their livelihood. A faux controversy like this stoked by people who don't have the facts (or don't want them) fabricating accusations and outright lies does nothing but harm a group of people who do not deserve it. Why? I really wish I knew, but I have a few theories.

JackFrags has also said that he should have disclosed which three videos were part of the Ronku program and said he would now mark any videos part of a similar promotional campaign as such. He has already said he fucked up (again my words) in his response video and will fix the situation going forward. I wish more people would actually watch that response rather than continuing along the same lines of inquiry that have already been addressed.

SMH%20Posse.gif
 
Unsubscribed from Jackfrags. I'm just angry he didn't disclose he was being paid. Ugh, Youtubers just can't be trusted over game journalists since there are no boundaries or repercussions.
 
Top Bottom