YouTube is less likely to apply restrictions when showing violent game images

YouTube is changing its policy on moderating violent game footage. Violence in games will now be treated the same as other types of simulated violence. This means that restrictions are applied less often, such as age checks in particular.

YouTube says it wants to treat all forms of simulated violence equally; In addition to violence in games, this also includes such images from films and TV series. The video platform wants to contrast these simulated forms of violence with violence from the real world. YouTube says it continues to do its best to protect the public from violent images from the physical world.

This change means that uploads from games that contain violence can be approved without age restrictions being applied. In practice, this will lead to fewer restrictions on showing violence in games. YouTube says it will still apply age restrictions if the video’s sole purpose is to show violence. As an example, the platform cites a video that focuses entirely on the most violent part of a game.