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Vimeo bans gaming videos, starts debate among users
Popular video hosting site Vimeo has announced that they will no longer allow videos of video games on the site. Specifically, they're going to be deleting "game walk-throughs, game strategy videos, depictions of player vs player battles, raids, fraps, or any other video gaming videos that simply depict individuals playing a video game." As of September 1st, all videos that fall under that description will be deleted. The staff blog post on the subject lists some reasons for the decision, including the staff's feeling that these videos don't meet the standards of "creative expression" that the site tries to uphold. More importantly, though, video game vids tend to be some of the longest and most common videos on the site, slowing down transcoding times for the other content that Vimeo is apparently trying to encourage.
Debate has already fired up in the comments section of the Vimeo blog, as users wonder why the site would cut off a type of video that is evidently popular enough to take up significant system resources. There's also a fair share of relieved comments from folks who are glad to see this type of "unoriginal" content removed from the site. We can see the points that both sides are making, but what's your take?
[via Eric Rice on Twitter]
Comments
18
Subscribe to commentsBillJul 23rd 2008 9:46AM
Good decision Vimeo! If it will shorten the transcoding time, I'm for it.
Paul NicholsonJul 23rd 2008 9:51AM
"users wonder why the site would cut off a type of video that is evidently popular enough to take up significant system resources"
If you want them to follow the traffic, then they should allow porn.
You have to draw the line somewhere. It is their site, they can do what they want with it. It's not like there aren't other sites out there for gamers to use.
kevjohnJul 23rd 2008 1:32PM
It pains me to say this, because I don't know you at all so there's a legitimate possibility you're a f*cking moron, but dammit man you're right! Then again, another site I frequent that proclaims to promote "creative expression", deviantArt, frequently draws the ire of its members by arbitrarily reclassifying or even deleting their 'artistic' submissions.
mxxconJul 23rd 2008 9:55AM
but they are still allowing Machinema videos, which is good.
MattJul 23rd 2008 10:28AM
Enforcing "creative expression" with censorship makes sense to me.
Halo2MasterJul 23rd 2008 10:42AM
I don't see how Vimeo is in a position to define what constitutes "creative expression". Just like beauty, creativity is in the eye of the beholder. There are many things that I don't find particularly creative or engrossing, but are popular nonetheless.
Of course it is true that Vimeo can run their site however they see fit, but their rationale about video game content not being creative does not work for me (and I don't even make or watch these types of videos). If this decision is about technical resources, they should just say exactly that; trying to define something as abstract as "creativity" is a very slippery slope.
Hax0rJul 23rd 2008 1:29PM
Ok and some guy unboxing something he purchased is creative? Those types of videos are on vimeo also taking up resources. Not every video is going to be a cinematic master piece. The real problem is that vimeo is reaching its threshold on how much high quality content it can allow. Now I know that vimeo has been having some technical issues but to say that this will help is absurd. Hey if people want to use vimeo let them as long as its not perverse or inappropriate. I have never seen a company say hey were getting too popular lets cut back now.
NoelJul 23rd 2008 11:33AM
Seems like a mistake. Does Vimeo really want to wade into the debate over what does and does not constitute creative expression? This can only end badly for them.
A smarter, more devious approach would have been to simply flag those users who are responsible for uploading the majority of the gaming videos they deem "uncreative" and punish them in transcoding queue placement (e.g., game videos get low priority in the queue and only get transcoded during low usage time periods).
jeadlyJul 23rd 2008 12:30PM
This seems a lot like a "Murky Coffee" decision to me. Its worth alienating a demographic of customers in exchange for creating an atmosphere that target consumers will enjoy and become more deeply engrossed in.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080720/1654101736.shtml
Halo2MasterJul 23rd 2008 3:20PM
Yeah, I see what you mean, but I think there is a difference between this situation and something like the Murky Coffee deal. Iced cappuccino (or whatever it was) is a defined, discrete product; a company can choose to offer it on their menu, or not.
Vimeo, on the other hand, is a service, which by definition is much more nebulous. The whole premise is users sharing creative video content; it offers no guidelines (other than legal ones) about what the actual contents of a given video are. Until now, that is.
If they can say that all video game content lacks creativity, what stops them from declaring the same thing about, say, "day in the life" type documentaries? Or, like another commenter pointed out, product "unboxings"? In effect, they have drawn a line between what content is "creative" and what content is not. The problem is that if you asked 10 people to draw that same line, you would see 10 different lines. It is all subjective, and I think a poor basis on which to deny certain users their creative outlet.
EarnestJul 23rd 2008 7:03PM
When you visit Vimeo, it's clear that they're trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors by the kind of videos they want to attract and promote. Videogame walkthru's are not what Vimeo wants to be known for, and I don't mind that they're exercising editorial control over the content on their site. Vimeo, Stupidvideos, and FunnyorDie are all niche sites that allow uploads of all kinds but are clearly catering to specific audiences. I applaud Vimeo's decision to attempt to better serve its core audience.
supernova_hqJul 24th 2008 5:03PM
I think it's a good idea executed badly. There are some game videos that I don't think should be taken down, ever seen "sticky style"? (1), but on the other hand, watching a guy walk through WoW for half an hour really isn't the most creating thing I would like to watch.
Also, saying that a type of video is popular because lots of people make them is stupid, a video types popularity should be gaged by how many people WATCH them, not how many 10 year olds finally figured out how to capture video screenshots.
(1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6MI8FAp76k
AlanJul 23rd 2008 9:07PM
How about leaving those gaming videos to a site dedicated to them:
http://www.gamevee.com/
=P
AlfredJul 23rd 2008 10:17PM
http://www.wegame.com/ has pretty good quality videos. I hear they are going HD soon.
captain_duckJul 24th 2008 6:07PM
Well i cant really care, i've used vimeo for a let's play before, but viddler is a far superior video host and isn't bitching about this. Vimeo just want to save some server costs i bet.
JamesJul 28th 2008 4:11PM
They might as well just say "I'm the owner and I'm deleting anything that's boring and a waste of my time". Works just as well, IMHO.
srinivasJul 29th 2008 1:11AM
thanx for the information
srinivasJul 29th 2008 1:11AM
very well