[BLOG] Why Youtubers have a 'real job'

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PredictedCyborg
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[BLOG] Why Youtubers have a 'real job'

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This is a blog post. To read the original post, please click here »

Yesterday I wrote up an article on what I called the 'content ID claim wave' that is currently sweeping Youtube, having a large effect on Youtubers who make gaming content. To do this and because I value accurate journalism (because hey, that's my job at the end of the day here) I had to do a lot of research. This led me to a few websites with articles on the same subject and everywhere I went I saw an awful lot of the same comment...



“No sympathy, they got what was coming to them. You'll have to get real jobs now Youtubers!”



Now as someone who used to hear the latter part of that sentence addressed to myself often 2-3 years ago, only 'Youtuber' was replaced with 'media student', I have to take issue with the assumption that content-creation or anything artistic can never be a 'real job'.



Here you have people who spend their days putting in hours of work to make videos that might only end up being 15 minutes long. Some bigger groups put up at least one of these videos EVERY DAY. That's a lot of filming, editing, tweaking and uploading to do. As well these Youtubers interact with their audiences and colleagues/fellow Youtubers through social media and e-mail, they have to find the best equipment both hardware and software to make sure they produce the best quality of content they can, they need to plan and schedule their days accordingly to get everything done, sometimes working ridiculous hours just to get something finished, they need to know the copyright and other related laws like the backs of their hands. Why? Because for the ones that have quit their day jobs to pursue a dream job they are constantly having to budget and watch their money flow. If they drop the ball or screw up in some way, it could have dire consequences for them. Just a pitfall of self-employment. And this is what the content ID wave has made a lot more likely for so many Youtubers caught in it, that is why they are complaining.



Boogie2988 covers this part of the argument better than I could in his video though:







Best part is so many of the 'real job' comments seem to assume that Youtubers love exploiting the game developers, but no this isn't the case. I've seen so many creators, even before this episode that said time and time again “developers if you have a problem with what we are doing, let us sit down and talk about this so we're both happy”. Then you have the fact that many of the developers are coming out in the last few days and saying “we've no idea what's going on, e-mail us and we'll help you” to a lot of people affected by the wave so it seems both sides here are willing to work towards a common good. Maybe this is hope for an agreement finally being made and the 'grey area' that a Let's Play or Game Review video has been for years finally having a light shined on it and tidied up.



I know it seems that making videos for Youtube is an easy job but I can tell you from experience that it's far from it. Setting up even the smallest necessary amount of equipment takes time to fine-tune and the number of times I've recorded something for an hour or more only to watch back the footage and find that either the sound is off or the picture quality not good enough are too many to count. Video-making is frustrating yet I keep trying because I want to get better at it, and the videos I have completed I've gotten some positive feedback on. For me having finished a video and thinking that it's 'good but I can do a little better next time' is an amazingly positive feeling. And doing it isn't even my job.



I know that I am biased thanks to my degree and my job, but if you still have doubts about any sort of media career as a job remember this. If you watch television, listen to the radio, read a book or indeed consume any type of media after coming home from your 'real job'... well, you've benefited from the efforts of those you are saying don't have important or useful jobs.



Don't tell me that the media isn't useful to society when it keeps you entertained. And as Boogie2988 says in his video - 'Have a heart'.
Yes that's Minecraft-me in my av. Done by Reiu who is damn talented!
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