YouTube will no longer restrict violent video game content as of today, as announced in a new Google support post.
This means that “future games uploads involving scripted or simulated violence may be approved rather than age restricted” and that “there are fewer restrictions on gambling violence”. However, Google will continue to protect viewers from real violence. If the video focuses exclusively on bloody content such as “Dismembering, decapitating [or] exposing bodies with serious injuries,” it’ll probably still be age-restricted.
With this change, developers uploading videos from Call of Duty and Gears of War can not be age-restricted. However, this change will not affect the advertiser-friendly policies. This means that the portrayal of violence in video games may still be limited No advertising, depending on the situation.
“We know that there is a difference between violence in the real world and violence in the form of scripts or simulations – such as movies, TV shows, or video games. “Said a YouTube representative in the company’s support post.
Last year, even a White House video that depicts violence in video games was restricted, so YouTube viewers using the restricted mode used in schools and libraries could not see it. Since the focus of this video is on Gore’s presentation in video games, it probably still will not be unrestricted.
