About Them Reactors?

PKGrey

PKGrey

Member
So, I did this interview with YouTube Reactor Akasan and during the research beforehand I discovered a lot of people, both inside and outside the YouTube community, don't seem to think too highly of reaction videos.

I'm personally impartial myself, but the criticism "Reactors don't contribute anything to the content they are reacting to" just doesn't make sense to me.

To me Reactors and Let's Players contribute to content produced by others to the same degree. The only difference to me is Let's Plays are more established.

Does anyone want to weigh in?
 
I think its boring watching reactors. I dont think the reaction is 100% pure and its kinda pointless to watch. Why do i want to watch someone react to someone? I rather react to it myself
 
I don't think to much of reaction videos, not that the people who make them are bad I just feel like they don't bring much to the table. Lets players I count differently since they are actively making choices regarding the game and changing the overall experience. With reactions its like "Hi guys so and so here reacting to a video (of another person) *watches video in silence* That was an awesome/crappy/funny/etc video thanks for watching and make sure to sub". I just don't see the contribution there what did you add to the video? It doesn't help that a lot of reaction channels videos are not exactly high quality and in some cases very unprofessional (one dude I saw just eating while watching a video) so I just can't take them all that seriously.
 
Reaction videos are rarely ever commentary videos. If somebody is doing a sort of director's commentary (without being a director of course, but something along those lines), or analyzing whatever they're watching live, that's like a Lets Play.

The vast majority of reaction videos do not do this. The person's still face sits there in the corner of the screen, sometimes making an expression when something happens or sometimes yelling at something exciting. They average less than 100 words per 10 minutes, and the vast majority of the video is pure silence besides the audio of whatever the person is reacting to. Sometimes the person will spend a couple minutes discussing what they watched when it's all over, but half the time it feels like a bland attempt at making it seem like they're actually doing something that qualifies as fair use when it's really not (if they show the entire duration of whatever it is they are watching, with sound to boot).
Most people watching reaction videos are simply incompetent at pirating, and are just trying to watch content for free but don't know of better ways of obtaining it.

Reaction videos are pretty much a cancer as far as I see it. The term "reaction video" has pretty much been sullied. A "Lets Watch" or "Commentary" video I still have hopes for, but I will never click on a "reaction" (especially "blind reaction") video again in my life. They're atrocious.
 
those old reaction channels were great, just a full view of the reactors cam as they watched 2 girls one cup or something. They were hilarious.

now they just steal popular youtubers videos and sit there quietly. It's not right.

I wouldnt be happy if a video I spent 5+ months on, was just taken by a reactor as they spend 2 minutes recording themselves watching and displaying my video on most of the screen. And then just start earning money on that video. Especially when they put 0 effort into it, and profit of someone elses hard work. If they did not show the videos id be fine with it. Then it's the reaction people are seeing. Not the video.
 
The only ones I like are people reacting to real things, not a YouTuber reacting to someone elses video. what do I mean by real thing's? Buzzfeed does those, people eating weird foods from other countries, grandmothers trying pot for the first time, older generations watching mortal combat fatalities for the first time. Etc, those require some production work, and some forethought. I am biased as I AM a let's player (who does lists and other things too) but I feel as though LP's require editing motivation and excitement/energy to be good, so they require more work then a quick reaction video.
 
Yeah...I don't like reaction videos either, but some people do, right? Tyrone Magnus is on his way to 70,000 subs. So, I think it's worth talking about. Especially since, netflix and other online video providers are considering projects that could use reactors in a BIG way.

Lightsen said:
I wouldnt be happy if a video I spent 5+ months on, was just taken by a reactor as they spend 2 minutes recording themselves watching and displaying my video on most of the screen. And then just start earning money on that video. Especially when they put 0 effort into it, and profit of someone elses hard work. If they did not show the videos id be fine with it. Then it's the reaction people are seeing. Not the video.
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That's one of the arguments I don't get. It's bad to steal a video someone spent five months on and react to it, but it's ok to play a game that a whole team of people spent years of their lives and likely cost a lot of money to develop and record it so people can see it without buying it? I really fail to see the difference. Compared to the amount of work the game makers put into the game, Let's Players are putting in 0 effort, don't you think?

I'm ready to admit that I'm totally missing something if I am, but to me it just seems like YouTubers can relate more easily to other YouTuber's getting their video's ripped and reacted to, then they can to a video game developer getting his or her work ripped and broadcast over the internet for everyone to see.

HumbleZeus said:
I don't think to much of reaction videos, not that the people who make them are bad I just feel like they don't bring much to the table. Lets players I count differently since they are actively making choices regarding the game and changing the overall experience. With reactions its like "Hi guys so and so here reacting to a video (of another person) *watches video in silence* That was an awesome/crappy/funny/etc video thanks for watching and make sure to sub". I just don't see the contribution there what did you add to the video? It doesn't help that a lot of reaction channels videos are not exactly high quality and in some cases very unprofessional (one dude I saw just eating while watching a video) so I just can't take them all that seriously.
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I'm definitely not defending the quality of reaction videos. 99.9% percent of them are not good, and even a dedicated Reactor would tell you that. (Akasan said it several times over the course of the interview, in fact) But I don't think that's a valid argument against the genre, that's just an argument of people not delivering value on their channels. That's more the YouTuber's problem then a problem of the format.
 
My counter argument to you not understanding let's plays. I grew up with a bf who had a terminally ill brother, after a while he was housebound and to fight cabin fever his dad purchased him every game and system under the sun. He wasn't going to live past 20 ish and we all wanted to see little Nick be as happy as possible. He loved games, I grew REALLY enjoy watching someone else get into games. Often moreso than playing them myself. Watching a quality, entertaining, funny, and excited let's player reminds me of my time with Nick, and really warms my heart.

Not everyone has the same value for the same content.

You could even say that if a reactors video goes viral and he plugs the initial video correctly, and respectfully he will bring it vews it may not have otherwise gotten. I don't think enough of them do this, but it is a valid point.


Oh, now I miss Nick. <3
 
The genre is sullied enough that "reaction videos" are now largely a different thing from a "Lets Watch" or "Lets Play".

For one thing, I wish reaction videos that use actual films or TV shows were just straight-up copyright flagged and removed from YT because it does not constitute fair use. A reaction video is not a commentary. A Lets Play typically is.

Also, games are things you interact with. Almost nobody buys a game solely to stare at the screen - that's what movies and shows are. People buy games to PLAY them, not watch them.
 
PKGrey said:
That's one of the arguments I don't get. It's bad to steal a video someone spent five months on and react to it, but it's ok to play a game that a whole team of people spent years of their lives and likely cost a lot of money to develop and record it so people can see it without buying it? I really fail to see the difference. Compared to the amount of work the game makers put into the game, Let's Players are putting in 0 effort, don't you think?

I'm ready to admit that I'm totally missing something if I am, but to me it just seems like YouTubers can relate more easily to other YouTuber's getting their video's ripped and reacted to, then they can to a video game developer getting his or her work ripped and broadcast over the internet for everyone to see.
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I did not mention let's plays at all in my comment, but Ill give you my 2 cents on them.

I'll use myself as an example.

  • I work months on a video, someone watches it on someone elses channel, I get 0 benefit at all and the viewer walks away with the entertainment.
  • a team of developers spend months or years on a game, someone watches it on someone's lets play. developers get no benefit, and viewer walks away with some of the games story.
- That is all that can be taken away from a lets play. a 10 minute video playing minecraft will not give a viewer the full experience of the game. they cannot chose the actions of the lets player, they usually cannot hear the music, build the house they want etc. HOWEVER, if the viewer really enjoys the game, they are quite likely to purchase it for themselves, ... why? Why would someone buy a game if they can watch someone else play it? - of course its because 99% of games are focused on experience. Take undertale for example, i saw 2 videos on it on a lets play channel, and went straight to buy several copies of the game, the full soundtrack, and $70 worth of merchandise. the creator of the game CAN benefit from their content being shared like this.

on the other side:

once someone watches my 10 minute animation, that is it. the full experience of my content is over with. why would someone view my video again? there's nothing to buy, no 'new experience' to be had if they view the video again themselves without the reactor. the video remains constant. add to this that I do not profit from purchases, or own a large company. Add to that that lets players have to purchase the games to even play them in the first place, there has already been a benefit for the game creators!
- I will say that games that are almost 100% story and have very little gameplay or choices at all should probably be avoided.

*note* this is not meant to come across negatively at all, I am only sharing my opinion on let's plays since I was quoted, I hope this helps give you another view on the subject :)
 
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