Game Industry: Gameplay Videos Copyright Violation?

Some surprisingly draconian castigation of videos of gameplay emerges from several (anonymous) game companies, who were interviewed by TV programme “The Net Star”, which focuses on anime and games:

Company A: We don’t recognise them as they constitute copyright infringement.

Company B: We are concerned that they “spoil” or otherwise degrade the gaming experience, lowering the game’s value.

Company C: We tolerate them if uploaded by individuals to video sharing sites.

Gameplay videos are copyright violations? Reminiscent of anime screen caps being taken as infringing by certain companies…

Clearly, attitudes differ substantially, and doubtless a different attitude applies to commercial reviews (which as you know can be suspect).

Via Hachimaki.

If you’re wondering about the context of this, it is likely in direct response to the current boom in “gameplay videos”, 実況プレイ動画 / jikkyou play douga (actual play videos) on NicoNico Douga.

These videos feature a video capture of normal gameplay, possibly edited or subjected to special conditions, and often spread over many lengthy episodes. Usually an attempt at amusing narration is provided by the creator. Often you can listen to ladies with nice voices.

Here are a few with nice voices for sample purposes (especially the first lady, who has received nearly 400,000 views on account of her lovely voice):

Obviously the latest games also feature frequently, and you can get a good idea of what ot expect from a game by watching them.

You can see more on the charts: just look at the “games” category and search for “実況” or similar. Nico’s tag is here.