Specifically, while streaming a session of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, PewDiePie can be seen and heard saying, “What a f- n-–.” In February 2017, a division of Disney severed ties with PewDiePie after the gamer showed a video clip of two men he had paid to hold a sign reading “Death to all Jews.” Gamer PewDiePie’s racist remarks in a recent gaming session only provide the latest example. While streaming video games can promote or criticize products, they can also strengthen a gamer culture sometimes associated with misogyny, anti-Semitism, and racism.
More than the typical video game review, Let’s Play sessions allow prospective consumers to see and hear what their experience may be like if they purchase and play the game. From the viewer’s standpoint, PewDiePie is observed playing either a brand new or popular video game in which the gameplay can be seen and his thoughts on the experience can be heard. The 27-year-old Swede gained fame in 2011 for his popular “Let’s Play” styled videos where he simultaneously plays a video game and streams the gameplay to the web accompanied by his spontaneous reactions and commentary. His YouTube profile shows he currently has just over 57 million subscribers and 14 billion views. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is the most popular video game streamer in the world. Let’s Play sessions allow prospective consumers to see and hear what their experience may be like if they purchase and play the game.
PewDiePie’s situation raises questions regarding the legality of streaming video games, copyright holders’ rights against these streamers, and the potential for both fair removal of videos and abuse of power by game developers. Campo Santo, an independent video game developer, is leveraging the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) against the YouTube star to remove his content from the most widely used video-sharing website. This time, a video game developer is responding to the popular video game streamer by having some of his content removed from YouTube. Popular YouTuber PewDiePie has once again garnered unwanted attention for his recent racist outburst.
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