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Video Game Movies "Not Creative Expression"
GamePolitics is one of many that is reporting on the impending removal of video game movies from the video hosting site Vimeo. While they have agreed to leave machinima alone, all walk-throughs, strategy videos, pvp battles, raids, etc, will be deleted on September 1st. "The Vimeo staff does not feel that videos which are direct captures of video game play truly constitute 'creative expression.' Further, such videos may expose Vimeo to liability from the game creator(s), as we have already seen action from popular video game companies against videos such as these... Gaming videos are by nature significantly larger and longer than any other genre on Vimeo ..."
Because if gamers saw the actualy game play from the absolute garbage developers are putting out, they'd never buy games.
This is why I rent console games. If it sucks, I'm out a rental fee. If I like it, I'll send back the rental copy and buy one of my own. Of course, you don't have that option for Wintendo games, but that's not my problem. :)
I write sci-fi for metalheads
The "these do not truly constitute creative expression" bit is just a cop-out for them to save face. They just don't want to come out and say "The only reason is that we're afraid of getting sued by the game companies and we're a bunch of poor pussies who can't afford lawyers. So please stop investing in us now that you know we're too poor to withstand even a small lawsuit."
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I think that walkthroughs, or gameplay videos do not necessarily show creative expression. Your watching a video on how to do something. The equivalent is reading a do-it-yourself book. I can see why Vimeo can take on the same view. The posters are not taking the game and throwing their own twist on it, just simply posting a copy of it. Now that the devil's advocate is gone.. Personally i agree with what other people have been saying. Posting walkthroughs and similar could bring about legal issues in the future. In a way, they are promoting creative expression with more intensity seeing you will be watching "videos with a twist" more than other stuff.
I'm posting as anonymous since I am a Connected Ventures employee and I am in the same office as Vimeo. Connected Ventures owns College Humor, Vimeo (sort of), and Busted Tees.
The major push for this came down from the legal department. Within the past few months Vimeo has received a hand full of orders from the likes of EA and other industry giants to take down videos of their games. Video sharing sites in general have a hard time turning a profit, e.g. YouTube, and Vimeo is no exception. At this point it just didn't make sense for Connected Ventures and IAC to fight these orders in court. IAC is the Internet mega-corporation that owns Connected Ventures along with Ticket Master, HSN, and many other populate sites.
While Vimeo moderators and staff will whole-heartily defend and enforce this policy, most of the staff don't really feel too strongly one way or another about it. Aside form the massive amounts of work that they will now have to do to further moderate the community.
The bottom line is that everyone at Vimeo is a good person, and not some right wing anti-technology troll. It came down to implement this policy, and that was the end of it. There are so many C&D Orders you can just throw out before you need to buy a suit.
Another good example would be those self-playing Super Mario World levels. They're nothing but gameplay, but obviously qualify as "creative expression".
Blizzard has a video capture feature integrated into the World of Warcraft Mac client.