The butthurt of the grandiose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEtBRZP9pK0

It's always fun to see youtubers behave as if they have the one and true word on things, as if they're an age-old and proven institution that can claim sole knowledge. Secly looking at them shows something else though, something less enlightened. When the skin-deep is peeled away what's left are a group of amateurs ranging from being competent to being hacks trying hard to be what they profess not to be; the much hated by youtubers 'game-journalists'.

"I'm not a games-journalist, but now I'm going to talk about this game for twenty minutes sharing my opinions of it."

Their loophole? The upper echelon of the youtubers (Those that got there first.) took to calling themselves entertainers, which allows them to dodge responsibility for what they publish. Afterall, once one places himself as an entertainer one can't claim anymore that one's material was uploaded for informational or educational purposes. It's perfect.

In this case, John Bain, ever the well spoken king of radiating importance instead of actually being important, invited Jim Sterling, who famously placed himself in a position where he can shoot fish in a barrel and a guy known as 'Slowbeef', who reportedly was responsible for the rise of the 'let's play' phenomenon. (Cue history is written by those left standing.)

The occasion for this trio to bang their drums is the fact that another youtuber got exclusive clearance to publish let's plays of MGR The phantom pain two weeks before release. Between the mutual massaging and tooting their own horns for an hour's worth, some interesting things were touched on, which of course wasn't much of a worry to them specifically, but what they still felt necessary to mention.

The youtube landscape is competitive and and it is a ratrace for the clicks. The most interesting reason why they bring that up is something that Slowbeef passingly touches on; anyone can do what they do. And that's where their straw house indeed falls apart and that's why their words ring hollow each time.

A youtuber can only claim fame by the number of people that subscribed to them, which in no way relates to the amount of people that actually watches them. What the number of subscribers actually signify is how many punters clicked the subscribe button. They have no legitimacy because there's no need for credentials, prior experience, a wheel barrow of privelege or an old boy network. With little investment, Joe Blow can do what they do and in many cases better as well.

I believe that this should be the perfect time for youtubers that are in the forefront to reinvent themselves. They know that for two weeks their revenue will falter. So shouldn't this be the right time to come up with something new for them, instead of creating a temple to the god of butthurt? Maybe try to reinvent themselves? Innovate their format? Take those two weeks of somebody else having a shinier toy than them as a gauntlet thrown?

At the very least they should stop believing that they matter outside of what they do as it shows a distinct lack of understanding that merely a mouseclick away from their channel there's a veritable smorgasboard of vidoes on demand, from which a viewer can pick and choose freely without swearing fealthy to just one youtuber. They're just another face with a channel on a video hoster, just as I am just a guy writing a blog here on 2o2p. Totally inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and only relevant to those who are at different levels interested in it.

If youtubers really want to regulate themselves, which is welcome from where I am standing, a group of them will have to unify into a governerning body to develop a comprehensive code of conduct. A governerning body that also offers schooling in ways of production, public conduct, targeted media training and maybe other useful skills that results in obtaining a form of certification. A governing body that also monitors general content of it's alumni as well as being open to scrutiny itself.

But then, butthurt sessions as what's reposted here wouldn't be possible anymore. And I have the feeling that the trio isn't so much interested in restraining themselves as much as they are in restraining others. Foxes performing passion-prayer.