Jacksepticeye Weighs In On Markiplier's YouTube Drama

The recent "YouTube: Game On" event showcased interactive videos from several prominent content creators on the platform. Those who took part watched videos made by the creators in which they were asked to make choices. They were then offered a selection of links that led them to different videos displaying the branching consequences of their decisions, sort of like a choose-your-own-adventure or a visual novel.

Markiplier was one of the creators who contributed to the event. YouTube used him in its advertising of "Game On" and asked him to create one of the branching narratives. Markiplier did so with the help of several other people, but then found that his interactive video experience had been cut short during the event – without YouTube communicating to him that this would happen. Markiplier put YouTube on blast, and then uploaded the video with the title "YouTube Cut This Content" to his channel so that his fans would still be able to see it. The reasoning behind why YouTube cut the segment remains unknown. Many people on Reddit seemed to believe it was related to some previous drama the creator had been a part of, but fellow creator Jacksepticeye wasn't so sure.

Markiplier's earlier tension with the platform began after fellow YouTuber CoryxKenshin posted a video in which he accused YouTube of playing favorites and/or engaging in racist practices. He came to this conclusion after he noticed that his let's play of "The Mortuary Assistant" was the only one on the platform that YouTube had age restricted. He explained that this was a frequent occurrence on his channel and that streamers of other races or who had a bigger viewership didn't seem to have the same issues. He pointed to Markiplier's "The Mortuary Assistant" video in particular, which currently has over 2 million views. It showcases the same material and was not restricted at the time. 

According to Cory, a back-and-forth followed between himself and YouTube. The company refused to budge until Cory drew attention to Markiplier's playthrough. He said that YouTube then de-age restricted his video. When Cory argued that this was a condemnation of YouTube's behavior since the content of his video hadn't changed, YouTube added the age restriction back to his video and age restricted Markiplier's video as well.

Three days after CoryXKenshin's video went live, Markiplier uploaded his own video titled "Try Not To Get AGE-RESTRICTED Challenge." During the sequence, he played a game called "Orc Massage" that features some fairly explicit content. He censored the most adult parts, but seemed to push the boundaries of what YouTube would allow. This video was not age restricted, but it was posted just hours before the "YouTube: Game On" event went live and his interactive video mysteriously disappeared.

Jacksepticeye, another popular streamer who took part in the "Game On" event, made a video where he weighed in on Markiplier's situation. "I don't know the exact specifics of why [Markiplier's content] was cut. A lot of people think that it was cut because he did the 'Age-Restricted Challenge' video that day, and then that night they cut the content. That's not true," he said. "I've worked with YouTube for a long time. They do not work that fast. And I asked Mark about it and he said that they cut it for time, or something like that." This doesn't mean Jack thinks YouTube is without fault, however.

The content creator explained that he had created a video to, at least in part, test YouTube's age restriction policies. It was automatically flagged and he later appealed to YouTube. He believes it was manually reviewed by an actual employee of the company who found it acceptable. The video ended up getting flagged once more after it was uploaded. He pointed out that this inconsistency in YouTube's standards and the lack of communication between the representatives at the company makes it difficult for creators to see the line between what is and is not okay.

Jack also felt that this lack of internal communication was why Markiplier's video was cut. "I feel like the people who were marketing the entire event ... I don't think they knew that he was cut," he said. "His main section was completely cut out of it, and I think that boils down to a lot of departments not talking to each other either. Which just sucks, because what are we supposed to do if YouTube don't know what they're doing either?" He ended the video by stating that "clarity and communication" would help solve these growing problems.