**The Changing Landscape of YouTube's Let's Play Community**

As we all know, the world of online content creation is constantly evolving, and YouTube is no exception. Recently, there have been some significant changes to the platform that will impact the way creators produce and monetize their content. In this article, we'll explore what these changes mean for the Let's Play community and how they can adapt to survive in the new YouTube ecosystem.

**The Shift Away from Raw Gameplay Footage**

One of the most noticeable changes is the shift away from raw gameplay footage. With the increasing popularity of Let's Plays, it seemed like a no-brainer that this format would remain the staple of the community. However, as YouTube continued to evolve, they realized that the platform was becoming saturated with identical content. To combat this, creators began experimenting with different formats and styles to set themselves apart from the pack.

**The Importance of Sharing Credit**

As a Let's Play creator, it's essential to remember that sharing credit is key to building a successful community. When working on a project with other creators or contributors, make sure to give proper credit where credit is due. This not only shows respect for your fellow collaborators but also helps to maintain the integrity of the content. By acknowledging the work of others, you demonstrate that you value their contributions and are willing to put in the effort to create high-quality content.

**The Power of Collaboration**

Collaboration is a vital aspect of creating engaging Let's Play content. By working together with other creators, you can pool your resources, share ideas, and bring new perspectives to the table. This not only helps to build a stronger community but also allows you to experiment with different formats and styles that might not have been possible on your own.

**The Art of Creative Problem-Solving**

As the YouTube platform continues to evolve, creators will need to think outside the box to stay ahead of the curve. One way to do this is by coming up with creative ways to present gameplay footage. Instead of relying on raw gameplay, try incorporating other types of content, such as voiceovers, animations, or even live-action segments. This not only keeps your content fresh but also helps to differentiate you from other creators in the community.

**The Rise of Affiliate Partnerships**

Affiliate partnerships have become an increasingly popular way for creators to monetize their content. By partnering with affiliate programs, you can earn commissions on sales generated through your unique referral link. However, it's essential to note that these partnerships often come with strict guidelines and requirements. Make sure to carefully review the terms and conditions before signing up for any affiliate program.

**The Scheduled Uploader: A Game-Changer**

One of the most significant changes coming to YouTube is the scheduled uploader feature. This tool allows creators to schedule their content in advance, ensuring that it goes live at the same time every week or month. With this feature, you can plan your content weeks or even months in advance, giving you more control over your schedule and allowing you to focus on other aspects of your channel.

**The Monetization Review: A New Era for Creators**

In 2014, YouTube implemented a monetization review process that would randomly select videos for review. This was intended to combat copyright infringement and ensure that creators were adhering to fair use laws. However, the process proved to be random and often left creators feeling frustrated and uncertain.

**The New Normal: Adapting to Change**

As we move forward in this new era of YouTube, it's essential to adapt to change and find ways to thrive in a more structured environment. This means embracing original content, seeking written permission for music use, and leveraging royalty-free music options. By taking these steps, you can ensure that your channel remains competitive and continues to grow.

**The Future of Live Streaming**

As the YouTube platform continues to evolve, live streaming is becoming an increasingly popular way for creators to connect with their audience. With the rise of platforms like Twitch, it's clear that this format is here to stay. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, live streaming offers a unique opportunity to engage with your viewers and build a loyal community.

**Conclusion**

The world of online content creation is constantly evolving, and YouTube is no exception. By adapting to change and finding ways to thrive in a more structured environment, creators can ensure that their channel remains competitive and continues to grow. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, there's never been a better time to explore the world of Let's Plays and live streaming. With hard work, creativity, and a willingness to adapt, you can build a successful channel that brings joy and value to your audience.

**Final Thoughts**

As we wrap up this article, it's essential to remember that the future of YouTube is uncertain, and only time will tell how these changes will play out. However, one thing is clear: creators who are willing to adapt and evolve will be better equipped to thrive in this new environment. By embracing original content, sharing credit, and leveraging tools like scheduled uploaders, you can ensure that your channel remains competitive and continues to grow.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, the world of online content creation is full of opportunities and challenges. By staying focused, being creative, and adapting to change, you can build a successful channel that brings joy and value to your audience. So, what are you waiting for? Start creating today and see where this new era of YouTube takes you!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enladies and gentlemen my name is eva voxx and welcome to your guide to surviving in youtube with the new changes there's basically four things I want to cover in surviving with the new YouTube basically just environment then you can described as hostile or not I don't want to cover and that is understanding the changes understanding fair use stepping your game up so to speak and using the scheduled uploader so while developers and publishers of games are working to undo a lot of the recent changes to the content ID claiming system on YouTube it is important to understand what the changes were and why they were made according to youtube a YouTube spokesperson networks are not enforcing copyright rules enough on their managed partners there are two types of partners managed partners and affiliate partners affiliate partners are just people who have the ability to monetize their videos through Adsense directly with YouTube managed partners are primarily you know gaming partners but partners who have networks that they are partnered through such as machinima youch RPM laris rev3 networks like that originally copyright enforcement was done by the networks to the manage partners now unmanaged partners or affiliate partners had to wait for their video to be approved by YouTube's monetization team before they could monetize it network partners however could simply monetize as soon as they uploaded and networks were expected to basically keep all other eggs in the basket when it came to their partners obeying the copyright policies youtube however feels that then the networks are not doing a good enough job and so they have enforced a new copyright identification sweep across basically all partners this includes the affiliate partners and managed partners now there seems to be a bit higher level of partnership status that has been established that we don't fully you know we don't know who is who but that seems to have just simply avoided the sweep cell together but for the most part everybody gots weeped with new Content ID claims now this was not an act for the most part this was not an act done by publishers nor developers of video games a sign from Nintendo who is just taking an outdated stance at things at the moment most developers and publishers have actually reached agreements with content creators YouTube or have just put out blanket agreements regarding video monetization of their games and that has worked pretty well so far however this is all one huge grey area and it only works with cooperation so far we've had that cooperation however YouTube decided to be an unexpected trump card in this matter and just kind of throw their own say into the nest even though frankly while it's their ass on the line if they get in trouble but so far no party is complaining for the most part so I don't understand why they feel the need to just be like you're not doing a good enough job when the publishers say we are but whatever the next thing is to understand fair use fair use is basically our only legal defense for what we do in terms of creating and monetizing video content of video games and that is a very sad and unfortunate fact when it comes down to it the legal context of everything surrounding fair use and digital media is completely outdated and frankly ill relevant to modern times as is the case with a lot of legal matters similar to that and so we don't have any sort of proper legal defense or even you know administrative Bonnie to defend us or work with us or you know come up with a solution for these issues so the actual what is considered the legal rule for fair use of just straight using somebody elses content is actually seven to ten seconds of you know the raw footage music whatever and you'll see this in news usage you'll see this and like the philip defranco show and things like that it is mostly original content with seven to ten seconds of the use clip now we sort of follow this in YouTube bill world but the general rule of thumb that youtubers structure was actually 30 seconds because that's generally the most we could get away with without the previous content ID system picking up us using someone else's content however that is basically about to change so what does this mean for content producers well many of them are just deciding they're quitting entirely some are quitting you know stepping away a bit from YouTube and moving towards the twitch live streaming scene which while that sounds great guys if everybody just jumps over to twitch the same rules are going to end up having to apply there as well they're not just because they're a live stream website doesn't mean they're completely excluded to the DC na lols and copyright lols so frankly that would make the twitch environment a lot worse considering how many twitch streamers use copyrighted music and stuff but that's a whole different you know talk entirely so for content creators this means you simply need to step your game up full just basically you know more original content and I find this funny that we actually have to you know harp on this now because what's said in every quote how to succeed on youtube or youtubers playbook or anything like that is the original be yourself create original content that people want to watch suddenly everyone's really upset because they're unoriginal content is not being allowed I'm just going to leave that there on the table and walk away from it now to people who make new gaming news videos you're you're really gonna have to get your game into shape frankly ninety percent of gaming news videos are basically just rehashing someone else's news videos or a news they read without doing any actual reporting themselves or you know checking sources checking facts nothing like that it's basically a bigger channel with 10,000 more subscribers than me posted a news video I'm going to paraphrase it and post my own this has led to a very terrible scene of just the worst sort of reporting and journalism I've ever seen you can't do that you would not get away with that in the real media industry you're not going to get away with it here anymore this also means no more just reuploading someone else's videos no more reuploading trailers raw interviews or you know rehashing other videos and using part of the clips and this will get detected this will enforce copyright you know they will enforce copyright upon you it is not okay you need to do your own reporting you need to get your own facts say it in your own way and present it in your only get some cool graphics get some more cool video backgrounds you know spice it up make it if you do use footage make sure it has some sort of original content added to it use your face you know you see news reporters on camera on screen that's because they're creating original content they're reporting it themselves they're not reporting it through gameplay they're you know they're not using the footage of what they're reporting to report they're using themselves and their own reporting abilities and yeah tell News use 10 seconds or less of straight reuploaded content and do your own reporting for as commentators go and be more original you know don't just post up some raw gamepla hand say two words about it or you know there it used to be really popular just to talk a little bit and then post a full gameplay with some you know ACDC music or something goof and now no more that use more graphics on your videos get some lower thirds get some layouts create some original stuff turn down game sound definitely you're gonna have to start low ingame sound or it's going to get picked up that is the number one thing that this new content ID thing is scanning is game sound gay music game sound effects voice acting it's getting picked up you have to cut that out you can use music as long as you're not using license copyrighted music you have to get expressed written permission to use the music unless it comes from a royalty free service if you're with the network like RPM you have access to audio micro which is a huge royalty-free music library that you can use and there's another one called audio jungle and they're provide music for you that you get the license use in your videos you have to have like two lines to your description about it and that's it now with the new suite that was just enforce a couple audio microsomes have gotten picked up across the board but all you have to do is counterclaim it mention why you have you know basically the right to use it and the claim gets removed or alternatively you can send the link to our PM or audio no you send it to audio micro specifically and they will remove it for you so that's because you have the license to use the music lets players you're a bit tougher crowd there's honestly a large portion of youtube that considers let's playing basically the scum of youtube because you're on a very on some level your lets playing is very very unoriginal content especially of cinematic heavy games you cannot add that much to a video of a cinematic heavy game let's play and make it original work no matter what let's plane is going to be at risk there's no getting around that and frankly there's no reason to fight it playing through your you're basically that's basically trying to live stream watching a movie with someone you're gonna get kicked off you can't do that you're it's just show your sharing the work without making other people pay for it and you're barely talking about it you come up with more creative ways to let's play you know set challenges do different types of content other than just raw gameplay footage with some light voiceover but let's play the most games has to change now granted I still you know as it as it can be got away with their games I want to let's play I'm considering ways of turning this into a more stream fashion but I'm certainly finishing out my pokemon Let's Plays and then things like Minecraft Let's Plays are always going to be safe because those are always original no Minecraft Let's Plays going to be today and mine crafts never going to be a game that takes you know that breaks copyright because as soon as the game was released it would you know notch set out blanket agreements about video monetization now the big change that was supposed to be the big change before all this happened was that in 2014 they are doing a monetization review that thing I mentioned before we're affiliate partners have to wait for their videos to be approved for monetization yeah that's going to be a random thing for everybody what's going to happen is videos at random are going to be taken in put under monetization review which could take up to 48 hours to be approved for monetization with your partnered or not and then you can monetize them and let them go hey however there's an easy solution for this and I'm not even gonna beat around the bush use this scheduled uploader amazingly enough it seems like while we were away looking at how awful the sub boxes where they actually fix the scheduled uploader I've been using it for a few weeks now it appears to work just fine other people been using it than peers the work just fine it used to be the most broken feature on YouTube ever but it works fine just now and it's going to have to if you want to get around you know the the monetization review it's basically if you just straight upload a video it's gonna take 48 hours before you can make any money off of it that that that means from that you know you upload it for eight hours later it's approved only the boot only the views you get after that 48 hours will count you know that that'll be the first time it has ads on it that'll be the first time you can actually make money off of it so if you're a big especially if you're a bigger channel all of your views basically are right then so what you're going to have to do is scheduled videos out you know basically two days in advance using the scheduled uploader that way by time it's actually written you know posts it'll have been approved for monetization seems like a lot of work but nothing in life is easy so I'm frankly I mean it just means you have to work for your money there's nothing wrong with that a lot of youtubers but if I'm honest have been getting away with really really easy and lazy content making money and making lots of money just doing bait nothing and YouTube's apparently putting their foot down now again a lot of these declaiming issues and things like that are working to be resolved they're working to be fixed or gonna be removed entirely but that doesn't mean that the issue is done entirely copyright is and always has been a tough spot a gray area of rough patch on YouTube and it's just going to be a little bit more stricter from now on which frankly it sucks for a lot of people who don't want to put in the effort and who just want to leave YouTube / but it will be great for those who want to take advantage of this opportunity to really step their game up and I'm looking forward to it and I'm gonna be one of those people that also means probably a spike in those who become full-time streamers because they don't want to deal with it and they want to move the live streaming until twitch has these same issues also looking forward to seeing if anything good comes from that as well so wrap things up understand the changes understand that this was an act of an automated YouTube system and that they feel copyright needs to be more heavily enforced on YouTube understand the fair use laws in which you actually can and cannot do on YouTube and do some research for yourself step your game up in terms of content use you know more original work get written permission for music use royalty free music use your own graphics use less gameplay use your face and make use of the scheduled uploader starting in January or you won't make any money hope you enjoyed my guide to working and surviving in the new YouTube thank you for watching guys as always leave me comments in the comment section below if you have any questions or other tips or advice for youtubers and I will talk to you guys later byeladies and gentlemen my name is eva voxx and welcome to your guide to surviving in youtube with the new changes there's basically four things I want to cover in surviving with the new YouTube basically just environment then you can described as hostile or not I don't want to cover and that is understanding the changes understanding fair use stepping your game up so to speak and using the scheduled uploader so while developers and publishers of games are working to undo a lot of the recent changes to the content ID claiming system on YouTube it is important to understand what the changes were and why they were made according to youtube a YouTube spokesperson networks are not enforcing copyright rules enough on their managed partners there are two types of partners managed partners and affiliate partners affiliate partners are just people who have the ability to monetize their videos through Adsense directly with YouTube managed partners are primarily you know gaming partners but partners who have networks that they are partnered through such as machinima youch RPM laris rev3 networks like that originally copyright enforcement was done by the networks to the manage partners now unmanaged partners or affiliate partners had to wait for their video to be approved by YouTube's monetization team before they could monetize it network partners however could simply monetize as soon as they uploaded and networks were expected to basically keep all other eggs in the basket when it came to their partners obeying the copyright policies youtube however feels that then the networks are not doing a good enough job and so they have enforced a new copyright identification sweep across basically all partners this includes the affiliate partners and managed partners now there seems to be a bit higher level of partnership status that has been established that we don't fully you know we don't know who is who but that seems to have just simply avoided the sweep cell together but for the most part everybody gots weeped with new Content ID claims now this was not an act for the most part this was not an act done by publishers nor developers of video games a sign from Nintendo who is just taking an outdated stance at things at the moment most developers and publishers have actually reached agreements with content creators YouTube or have just put out blanket agreements regarding video monetization of their games and that has worked pretty well so far however this is all one huge grey area and it only works with cooperation so far we've had that cooperation however YouTube decided to be an unexpected trump card in this matter and just kind of throw their own say into the nest even though frankly while it's their ass on the line if they get in trouble but so far no party is complaining for the most part so I don't understand why they feel the need to just be like you're not doing a good enough job when the publishers say we are but whatever the next thing is to understand fair use fair use is basically our only legal defense for what we do in terms of creating and monetizing video content of video games and that is a very sad and unfortunate fact when it comes down to it the legal context of everything surrounding fair use and digital media is completely outdated and frankly ill relevant to modern times as is the case with a lot of legal matters similar to that and so we don't have any sort of proper legal defense or even you know administrative Bonnie to defend us or work with us or you know come up with a solution for these issues so the actual what is considered the legal rule for fair use of just straight using somebody elses content is actually seven to ten seconds of you know the raw footage music whatever and you'll see this in news usage you'll see this and like the philip defranco show and things like that it is mostly original content with seven to ten seconds of the use clip now we sort of follow this in YouTube bill world but the general rule of thumb that youtubers structure was actually 30 seconds because that's generally the most we could get away with without the previous content ID system picking up us using someone else's content however that is basically about to change so what does this mean for content producers well many of them are just deciding they're quitting entirely some are quitting you know stepping away a bit from YouTube and moving towards the twitch live streaming scene which while that sounds great guys if everybody just jumps over to twitch the same rules are going to end up having to apply there as well they're not just because they're a live stream website doesn't mean they're completely excluded to the DC na lols and copyright lols so frankly that would make the twitch environment a lot worse considering how many twitch streamers use copyrighted music and stuff but that's a whole different you know talk entirely so for content creators this means you simply need to step your game up full just basically you know more original content and I find this funny that we actually have to you know harp on this now because what's said in every quote how to succeed on youtube or youtubers playbook or anything like that is the original be yourself create original content that people want to watch suddenly everyone's really upset because they're unoriginal content is not being allowed I'm just going to leave that there on the table and walk away from it now to people who make new gaming news videos you're you're really gonna have to get your game into shape frankly ninety percent of gaming news videos are basically just rehashing someone else's news videos or a news they read without doing any actual reporting themselves or you know checking sources checking facts nothing like that it's basically a bigger channel with 10,000 more subscribers than me posted a news video I'm going to paraphrase it and post my own this has led to a very terrible scene of just the worst sort of reporting and journalism I've ever seen you can't do that you would not get away with that in the real media industry you're not going to get away with it here anymore this also means no more just reuploading someone else's videos no more reuploading trailers raw interviews or you know rehashing other videos and using part of the clips and this will get detected this will enforce copyright you know they will enforce copyright upon you it is not okay you need to do your own reporting you need to get your own facts say it in your own way and present it in your only get some cool graphics get some more cool video backgrounds you know spice it up make it if you do use footage make sure it has some sort of original content added to it use your face you know you see news reporters on camera on screen that's because they're creating original content they're reporting it themselves they're not reporting it through gameplay they're you know they're not using the footage of what they're reporting to report they're using themselves and their own reporting abilities and yeah tell News use 10 seconds or less of straight reuploaded content and do your own reporting for as commentators go and be more original you know don't just post up some raw gamepla hand say two words about it or you know there it used to be really popular just to talk a little bit and then post a full gameplay with some you know ACDC music or something goof and now no more that use more graphics on your videos get some lower thirds get some layouts create some original stuff turn down game sound definitely you're gonna have to start low ingame sound or it's going to get picked up that is the number one thing that this new content ID thing is scanning is game sound gay music game sound effects voice acting it's getting picked up you have to cut that out you can use music as long as you're not using license copyrighted music you have to get expressed written permission to use the music unless it comes from a royalty free service if you're with the network like RPM you have access to audio micro which is a huge royalty-free music library that you can use and there's another one called audio jungle and they're provide music for you that you get the license use in your videos you have to have like two lines to your description about it and that's it now with the new suite that was just enforce a couple audio microsomes have gotten picked up across the board but all you have to do is counterclaim it mention why you have you know basically the right to use it and the claim gets removed or alternatively you can send the link to our PM or audio no you send it to audio micro specifically and they will remove it for you so that's because you have the license to use the music lets players you're a bit tougher crowd there's honestly a large portion of youtube that considers let's playing basically the scum of youtube because you're on a very on some level your lets playing is very very unoriginal content especially of cinematic heavy games you cannot add that much to a video of a cinematic heavy game let's play and make it original work no matter what let's plane is going to be at risk there's no getting around that and frankly there's no reason to fight it playing through your you're basically that's basically trying to live stream watching a movie with someone you're gonna get kicked off you can't do that you're it's just show your sharing the work without making other people pay for it and you're barely talking about it you come up with more creative ways to let's play you know set challenges do different types of content other than just raw gameplay footage with some light voiceover but let's play the most games has to change now granted I still you know as it as it can be got away with their games I want to let's play I'm considering ways of turning this into a more stream fashion but I'm certainly finishing out my pokemon Let's Plays and then things like Minecraft Let's Plays are always going to be safe because those are always original no Minecraft Let's Plays going to be today and mine crafts never going to be a game that takes you know that breaks copyright because as soon as the game was released it would you know notch set out blanket agreements about video monetization now the big change that was supposed to be the big change before all this happened was that in 2014 they are doing a monetization review that thing I mentioned before we're affiliate partners have to wait for their videos to be approved for monetization yeah that's going to be a random thing for everybody what's going to happen is videos at random are going to be taken in put under monetization review which could take up to 48 hours to be approved for monetization with your partnered or not and then you can monetize them and let them go hey however there's an easy solution for this and I'm not even gonna beat around the bush use this scheduled uploader amazingly enough it seems like while we were away looking at how awful the sub boxes where they actually fix the scheduled uploader I've been using it for a few weeks now it appears to work just fine other people been using it than peers the work just fine it used to be the most broken feature on YouTube ever but it works fine just now and it's going to have to if you want to get around you know the the monetization review it's basically if you just straight upload a video it's gonna take 48 hours before you can make any money off of it that that that means from that you know you upload it for eight hours later it's approved only the boot only the views you get after that 48 hours will count you know that that'll be the first time it has ads on it that'll be the first time you can actually make money off of it so if you're a big especially if you're a bigger channel all of your views basically are right then so what you're going to have to do is scheduled videos out you know basically two days in advance using the scheduled uploader that way by time it's actually written you know posts it'll have been approved for monetization seems like a lot of work but nothing in life is easy so I'm frankly I mean it just means you have to work for your money there's nothing wrong with that a lot of youtubers but if I'm honest have been getting away with really really easy and lazy content making money and making lots of money just doing bait nothing and YouTube's apparently putting their foot down now again a lot of these declaiming issues and things like that are working to be resolved they're working to be fixed or gonna be removed entirely but that doesn't mean that the issue is done entirely copyright is and always has been a tough spot a gray area of rough patch on YouTube and it's just going to be a little bit more stricter from now on which frankly it sucks for a lot of people who don't want to put in the effort and who just want to leave YouTube / but it will be great for those who want to take advantage of this opportunity to really step their game up and I'm looking forward to it and I'm gonna be one of those people that also means probably a spike in those who become full-time streamers because they don't want to deal with it and they want to move the live streaming until twitch has these same issues also looking forward to seeing if anything good comes from that as well so wrap things up understand the changes understand that this was an act of an automated YouTube system and that they feel copyright needs to be more heavily enforced on YouTube understand the fair use laws in which you actually can and cannot do on YouTube and do some research for yourself step your game up in terms of content use you know more original work get written permission for music use royalty free music use your own graphics use less gameplay use your face and make use of the scheduled uploader starting in January or you won't make any money hope you enjoyed my guide to working and surviving in the new YouTube thank you for watching guys as always leave me comments in the comment section below if you have any questions or other tips or advice for youtubers and I will talk to you guys later bye\n"