It looks like that scandal involving two Counter-Strike: Global Offensive YouTubers and the gambling site they secretly owned was just the first domino to fall. Now PsiSyndicate (not to be confused with ProSyndicate, one of the two previously mentioned) has posted a new video where he comes clean about participating in rigged weapon skin unboxing videos in exchange for free, rare items from another site.
And by "coming clean" I mean spending about two-thirds of the eight-minute video patting himself on the back for fessing up without anybody forcing his hand: "I could just never talk about them and people would not bring them up, but I just feel it's a better option to just talk about them, and admit what happened, and move on with your life and learn from your mistakes."
PsiSyndicate says the weapon skins he received as part of the undisclosed deal with item gambling site SteamLoto were worth $3,200 in total, though he's quick to point out that he gave away almost everything from the deal to viewers. "I'm not trying to make it sound like I'm an angel, but I did try to make it ok, kind of?"
I'm glad PsiSyndicate owned up to misleading his audience, but I'm not sure he appreciates what he really did wrong if he thinks giving away the ill-gotten skins would make it ok. As he admits, the video where he opens up the Dragon Lore skin is his most popular "by a while". He monetizes his YouTube videos, so whatever money he got from posting the undisclosed advertising is tainted as well, not to mention all the new subscribers he may have earned under false pretenses.
As PsiSyndicate observes, there are all kinds of temptations out there for YouTubers, streamers, and pretty much anybody with an audience and no direct oversight. Doing unethical crap gets complicated fast; I wonder how long this wave of house-cleaning confessions will continue.
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