Summary
- YouTube resized Play Buttons, upsetting content creators who feel their hard work isn't being recognized.
- Silver and Gold awards now smaller - Gold same size as old Silver, leading to disappointment.
- Some creators upset, while others see benefits in smaller size like space-saving. YouTube unlikely to revert changes now.
YouTube has changed the size of Play Buttons, and outspoken content creators aren't happy about it. While the alteration might work for some fans, others feel that their hard work on YouTube isn't getting the respect it deserves.
YouTube Creator Awards are given to channels that reach a minimum of 100,000 subscribers for the Silver Play Button, with rising tiers for subsequent awards. Gold requires 1 million subscribers, while Diamond requires 10 million. While Gold and Silver have the same general design, Gold awards have been significantly larger than their Silver counterparts, signifying the big leap between 100,000 subscribers and 1 million. However, the awards have now changed.
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Twitter user Muaaz spotted the change in Play Button award sizes and shared comparison photos with the world. The change has also been confirmed by YouTube. In the picture, Muaaz compares the Silver and Gold buttons before and after the change, with the Silver Play Button clearly being significantly smaller than its original version. Gold Play Buttons are also a fraction of their former size, and are now the same size as the older Silver Play Buttons. YouTube refers to the new awards as being a "lighter sized" award, but reassures that the same quality and design it's used for years now is still the same.
YouTubers Respond to Play Button Award Changes
As one might expect, many content creators on YouTube aren't happy about the changes and have taken to social media to share their thoughts. It seems many feel that the award size change undermines the accomplishment achieved in netting so many subscribers. A few users speculated that inflation might be to blame, while others think that the increasing number of Shorts-focused channels hitting the threshold for awards meant downsizing in order to keep costs down. The content creators who are on the verge of hitting one of these milestones are upset that they're not getting the same award they've been dreaming of all this time.
However, not everyone is upset about the change. Some pointed out that the large size of the award could make it difficult to find space for, and the smaller size is more convenient that way. Others suggested that YouTube could have made this sting less if it had only resized the Silver awards, or introduced the smaller ones for channels that solely focus on Shorts. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that YouTube would change course at this point. Regardless, successful content creators on YouTube who reach these thresholds should still be immensely proud of their accomplishments.