If there is one thing most of us can almost agree on, it is that there is a lot of stuff on YouTube that is in dire need of moderation. Whether it's crypto scams (open in new tab), dodgy politics, or countless videos featuring Spider-Man and Elsa for some reason, there is a lot of content on that website that is better off not watching. I'm not sure if the "Mega Man 2" feature-length documentary falls into that category.

As reported by Ars Technica (opens in new tab), popular retro gaming speedrunning documentarian Summoning Salt's 78-minute video recently fell victim to a series of bizarre and seemingly contradictory content by YouTube's moderation staff It has fallen victim to a series of restrictive decisions. Approximately four days after Salt's Mega Man video was released, it was "age-restricted" by YouTube's moderation system for "excessive swearing."

Age-restricted videos are shown only a limited number of ads on YouTube, greatly reducing creators' ability to generate revenue, and YouTube's recommendation engine suppresses affected videos. In short, it is something you really, really want to avoid if you are trying to make a living from your YouTube output, and especially if, like Summoning Salt, your videos are labor intensive with frequent releases.

If the rule were applied equally, Salt's restrictions on the Mega Man documentary would be a fair but draconian measure by YouTube. However, Salt's own research (open in new tab) found videos containing far more abuse, with no age restrictions at all. Even stranger, YouTube retracted its decision in a Twitter discussion, honestly admitting that it "made a mistake (opens in new tab)" regarding age restrictions. The video was then age-restricted again a week later.

The uproar shed light on the confusion and inconsistency of YouTube's rules and how they were applied; even after a YouTube staffer stated on Twitter that the decision was a mistake, another YouTube spokesperson told Ars Technica that the original restriction was "correctly" applied . The company's left hand does not seem to know what its right hand is doing, confusing both content creators and viewers. This is frustrating if you are just making videos as a hobby, but if you are trying to make a living on the YouTube platform, this obscurity could threaten your entire livelihood.

Summoning Salt appealed the restriction for the second time last Friday. The appeal was denied on the grounds that the video, a documentary about the Mega Man 2 world record, violated YouTube's "Sex and Nudity Policy."