If you’re a fan of say, the Mortal Kombat series, you’ll know that you can almost never watch new trailers on YouTube without signing in. Or if you’re signed in but are under 18, for that matter. This is due to the platform’s policy on graphic violence, which is getting strengthened in the middle of next month. The Google subsidiary announced that it will age-restrict more videos, which it claims are only “an additional small subset of video game content”.
YouTube says that it is taking three key factors into account when deciding which videos will be getting age-gated. The most important one here is the depiction of realistic human characters. Violence and torture against non-combatants are given extra prominence, for understandable reasons.
This is then followed by prominence, meaning if it’s the main focus of the game. While YouTube did not specify examples, the aforementioned Mortal Kombat series, as well as the Sniper Elite series sound like prime examples. And finally, duration, noting that if it’s just a fleeting scene, videos can escape the age-gate net. Compilation videos will have the cumulative duration taken into consideration though.
All that being said, YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle tells The Verge that it is possible for creators to get around the age-restriction. Though this involves doing things like blur or obscure the violence.
YouTube says that these strengthened guidelines will go live on 17 November. New uploads will obviously be affected by it, but so will existing videos. They “may be removed or age-restricted, but will not result in a strike” if not previously age-gated.
