A Mega Man 2 documentary has received an age-restricted rating on YouTube perplexing its creator and fans alike. The one-hour video was flagged as being potentially inappropriate for viewers under the age of 18. The creator, Summoning Salt, tried to appeal the decision and was told that the video does not conform to community guidelines.
Lovely. Any explanation would be appreciated @YouTube @TeamYouTube pic.twitter.com/lim551sMiH
— SummoningSalt (@summoningsalt) September 21, 2022
The History of Mega Man 2 World Records
So what was the trigger for the automated and enforced rating for this Mega Man 2 documentary? Well, it turns out that roughly halfway into the documentary there is a 3-second clip where a gamer tries to achieve a world record while repeating a 4-letter word beginning with the letter “F”. This was enough to trigger YouTube’s algorithms to kick in and consequently qualified the video as ranting thus violating its guidelines.
There was a brief period where the creator seemed to have won. YouTube reversed its decision a day later and even apologized but the victory was short-lived. One week later and the video had returned to its age-restricted status. Once again appeals were sent but this time he was told it was flagged for sex and nudity. This wasn’t due to actual sex or nudity but again, the same previously referenced clip. He received an email stating that senior members of the policy team have confirmed the decision saying the video violated the use of sustained profanities and it would remain restricted. At this point, he has decided to move on but may edit the clip out of the video.
Age-restricted video card reviews
This is not the first time that YouTube’s algorithms have kicked in and blocked an otherwise seemingly innocent video. In July the platform age-restricted an Intel Arc A380 graphics card review from Gamers Nexus. The restriction was lifted one day later after a viewer that works for google managed to escalate the case to rescue the “age-gated” video. Steve Burke did a brief explanation of what happened that can be viewed here.
@TeamYouTube It’s just a review of a computer part. There’s nothing in there worthy of an “18+” rating. So disappointed in YouTube.
— GamersNexus (@GamersNexus) July 14, 2022
Clearly, there are processes that could use some improvement for the streaming platform. Some may remember that Bungie chose to file a lawsuit after algorithms sent the publisher takedown notices for its own content. From restrictions to full-on takedowns, there have been a number of controversial events for YouTube content providers in 2022.
Source: Kotaku