Sponsorship Guidelines for Computer Lab Highjinks
Last updated: August 20, 2026
Computer Lab Highjinks is a critical show about retro games. We combine public-facing video game commentary with ongoing debates in the academic field of game studies.
Our show is overwhelmingly produced at a personal financial loss, with the goal of elevating online discourses surrounding video games. Therefore, in contrast to the dominant consumer-advice model of gaming news outlets, we do not relay corporate Public Relations (“PR”) copy to our viewers, nor do we merely inform the public of available products and services. We critique games as cultural texts.
If a product or service is relevant to our discussion, we may accept “review units” (ie. physical merchandise, digital product keys, etc.) of consumer goods in exchange for YouTube coverage. On rare occasions, we may accept financial payments in exchange for public-facing discussion of products and services. However, all such collaborations will be subject to the following editorial principles:
-Computer Lab Highjinks will label all such episodes as “sponsored content”, with clear verbal disclosures throughout. This applies to all collaborations, regardless of financial incentives (or lack thereof).
-Sponsors will have no control over the content of our ensuing speech, both verbal and audiovisual. For example, sponsors may not request favourable or positive coverage.
-We do not provide sponsors with the opportunity to review content (ie. YouTube videos, text posts, images) in advance of their release to the general public. Please familiarize yourself with the tone of our show in advance.
-Computer Lab Highjinks will not, under any circumstances, partner with any products or services which promote violence, espouse militarism, or discriminate based on protected categories under the Ontario Human Rights Code. This will be determined at the show’s sole discretion.
-For ethical and professional reasons, Computer Lab Highjinks will not partner with any products or services which primarily interface between consumers and Large Language Models (“LLMs”), or other forms of computationally-inefficient AI. This includes “vibe coding” services, image and video generation, and generative text processing services.
Due to the aforementioned production costs associated with the show, the following policies are in place to protect Computer Lab Highjinks:
-We do not accept any deliveries which require courier payment upon receipt. Any such parcels will be rejected immediately.
-If a sponsorship includes monetary compensation of any kind, we will not begin video production until payment is received.
tl;dr: If you have created an indie game that seems relevant to our show, feel free to send us an email! We’re also happy to discuss retro gaming-adjacent products and services. Just don’t expect a commercial; we’re a critical show, and we speak with candour. Lastly, if you’re a company who makes weapons-themed game consoles: your products are not welcome on Computer Lab Highjinks, and we strongly encourage you to reconsider your personal choices.
Sincerely,
-Nathan