Watch It Played, a popular board game YouTube channel, has publicly ended a six-year working relationship with fellow channel Game Night Picks. Watch It Played's Rodney Smith revealed this on February 6 in a Dropbox document titled 'Report On Unethical Practice In Board Game Media Ad Sales'. Here, he accused Game Night Picks of ad revenue strategies that are "fraudulent toward the publisher" purchasing them.
"Early in 2025, the owner of Game Night Picks adopted a 'per view' fee structure for ads sold on their channel", Smith says. "This meant that the cost to a publisher for running an ad was based on how many views the video received over a fixed period."
When Game Night Picks made videos for Watch It Played, these videos included per-view fee ads too. Smith says this was done "in the spirit of fairness". "If a video gained less views, the publisher paid less, if it gained more, they paid more."
So far, so unproblematic. However, the issue Smith raises is to do with a feature called 'YouTube Advertising' - something Game Night Picks apparently used between November and December 2025. This is an integrated YouTube feature that "allows a channel owner to pay Google to put their videos in front of larger audiences".
Smith's document explains that, from February to September 2025, Game Night Picks' average views per video ranged between 1,000 and 3,000. After adopting YouTube Advertising, the average leapt to around 36,000 per video.
"To help understand the impact of these increased views on a publisher's advertising costs, consider this comparison: If Game Night Picks charged a publisher four cents per view on a video that normally receives 3,000 views, that would result in $120 added to the cost charged to the publisher for their ad." "If the video receives 36,000 views instead, the added charge to the publisher becomes $1,400."
"While a video with more views would in theory also result in more people seeing the publisher's ad, the videos Game Night Picks released using 'YouTube Advertising' resulted in ~90% of the total viewers leaving the video within the first minute." Smith adds that this is "well before the publisher's ad could be shown to them". Smith provides graph evidence that this dramatic falloff of viewers is "not typical" to videos that don't use YouTube Advertising.
Smith had access to Game Night Picks' performance data due to their working relationship, but the metrics are otherwise private, viewable only by the channel's owner. He questions whether a publisher would agree to promote their board game with a 'per view' fee "if they knew only 3-6% of the viewers were still watching a video by the time their ad aired".
Smith wants to make one thing clear by revealing this information: "At no point was the 'YouTube Advertising' feature used on Watch It Played". "All views Watch It Played received were based on organic engagement." Additionally, he says: "I have since sought legal counsel and understand that if this type of information is not disclosed up front, it carries civil and criminal legal implications for Game Night Picks".
Smith apparently confronted the owner of Game Night Picks about their "deceptive practice" in December 2025. "The owner of Game Night Picks informed me that discounts had been issued to some publishers, and that the same would be done for others who bought ads during the November to December period." "The discount's value was described as 'half or more'", Smith says. "I explained that even with a discount of 70%, it would still be fraudulent toward the publisher if only ~5% of the total viewers were still watching when their ad aired."
Smith apparently ended the two channels' working relationship to protect Watch It Played's reputation, reasoning that others might assume his channel had engaged in the same practices. "Although I have never engaged in any of these activities personally, his actions threatened to undermine the relationships and trust I have cultivated with publishers and viewers over the past 15 years - risking irreparable damage to my career and reputation."
Game Night Picks released its own statement on February 9. It confirms that "during a limited period spanning late 2025 and early 2026, the channel experimented with YouTube's built-in Promotions tools to expand the reach of selected videos".
"Because this approach produced view counts significantly higher than the channel's historical norms, steps were taken at the time to provide sponsors with context", it says. "In late November, sponsors were notified of the surge in viewership numbers. Subsequent communications outlined how sponsorship billing would be evaluated when engagement patterns differed from typical performance, and the channel's 'Video Services' documentation was updated to restate those policies." "Sponsorships have always been reviewed on a case-by-case basis using the full range of available metrics, and that approach was applied consistently during this period."
Game Night Picks says it is no longer using YouTube Promotions tools on the channel. "Game Night Picks' objective has always been to operate in good faith with publishing partners: to communicate clearly, set expectations in advance, and provide flexibility in how campaigns are assessed when circumstances change." "Going forward, advertising placements on Game Night Picks will continue to emphasize clarity around traffic sources, billing methods, and evaluation criteria before campaigns begin", it adds. "Transparency and responsible stewardship of sponsor trust remain core priorities."
Wargamer has contacted Game Night Picks for further comments, but at this time has not received a reply.
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