An Example of Working the YouTube Algorithm

I happened to see this and immediately thought of Thomas joking about the arguments back and forth being good for the algorithm. (It’s funny because it’s true.)

Here’s the video:

Here’s the context, for those who need it.

This is now a fifteen-year-old game. It’s so old, it’s procrastinating on figuring out what it wants to do with life other than get a driver’s license next year. And yet, there’s an argument players will still debate online like it’s fresh in everyone’s minds.

Are you Stormcloak or Imperial?

In the game, there are two “main” storylines. There’s the whole world-ending thing with a plague of dragons, yadda yadda, whatever. That’s boring stuff as far as the Internet goes. The really interesting thing is the civil war. Will you join the Imperial army and restore order, or will you fight for the separatists and break away from the Empire?

In the opening of the game, you escape from captivity during an attack by a dragon, and you can follow one of two NPCs on different routes out: you can either follow the Imperial who was technically holding you prisoner, or the fellow prisoner who holds no loyalty to you. Both are safe choices, neither has a lasting effect; but a lot of people put weight on it anyway.

In the video, the player character is either wearing scavenged Imperial armor while running with the Stormcloak, or he’s wearing Stormcloak armor while escaping with the Imperial.

The person who posted the video gave a title that promised a definitive answer to one of the most nerdy arguments in the history of nerd arguments, but actually provided something that was completely open to interpretation. This means not only are people fighting over Imperial versus Stormcloak in the comments, they’re fighting over the interpretation of the video.

Double engagement points.

I’m not even mad at the blatant farming. I’m just impressed.