These days, YouTube is a forum populated by a myriad of celebrities and public figures. Everything from fashionistas to would-be actors to gamers, they all have their place on the world’s largest video sharing platform. A select few YouTuber’s have been blessed with an ability to make a living off of what once began as a dream to be a gamer and get started on YouTube. These days, they are all pumping out videos to the masses and acquiring massive subscriber counts along the way.
The List
With the growth of influencer marketing, these gamers are engaging fans and raking in dollars in the process. Here’s our list of the top YouTube gamers you should be following. Game on!
VANOSSGAMING
Evan Fong (aka Vanoss) has been running this YouTube channel since 2011 and doing so with great success. The gaming channel mostly features ‘funtages’ of Fong playing Grand Theft Auto, Garry’s Mod, and Call of Duty with his friends. “Anything on the Internet can blow up and go away,” says the 26-year-old Canadian YouTuber. He told CBC News in 2015 “You’re only as good as your last video on YouTube.”
Fong claims that he was not introduced to video games at a young age, but that he played games “here and there”. After attending high school, Fong studied economics in college but later dropped out in order to focus on his YouTube channel. Fong stated that his parents were initially concerned that he was neglecting his studies in favor of producing content for his YouTube channel, admitting that “even though there’s a lot of potential for somebody starting a YouTube channel, it’s obviously not a guaranteed path”. It’s safe to say Fong made a good choice, as he has compiled a stout 24 million followers on his channel.
VEGETTA777
You will soon see that there is a trend for the members who occupy this top 10 list. So like many of the others, we will cover, Vegetta777 is a hardcore gamer. Vegetta777’s legal name is Samuel de Luque. And what makes the Spanish YouTuber special, is his commentary while gaming. He doesn’t just simply rattle off commentary on the action in real time. It’s actually quite the contrary. The 29-year-old crafts detailed narratives for his gaming characters.
He can usually be seen on YouTube playing games like Minecraft, GTA V, and Fortnite. As de Luque puts it, his channel “is a channel dedicated to video games directed by a boy lover of unicorns and who lives with a killer goblin in his room.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
FERNANFLOO
Luis Fernando Flores took a steady, gradual approach to build his YouTube subscriber base. Flores started publishing videos of his gameplay in 2011. His channel reached 10,000 subscribers in July 2013, 100,000 subscribers in February 2014, 1 million subscribers in August 2014, and 10 million subscribers in March 2016.
Flores is known for his goofy commentary and affinity for indie titles. The 24-year-old El Salvadorian also loves wearing the color green, doing the moonwalk, and sharing the spotlight with man’s best friend. He has also become a notable live streamer on Twitch and has accumulated over 7 billion combined views on his videos.
ELRUBIUSOMG
It likely comes as no surprise that Rubén Doblas Gundersen (aka elrubiusOMG) focuses his video content on gameplay streaming. He posted his first video on YouTube in 2006 and has devoted himself exclusively to his YouTube channel since 2011. The son of a Spanish father and Norwegian mother, Gunderson studied animation and 3D modeling in Spain before investing his energy exclusively into his YouTube channel.
On March 25, 2018, ElrubiusOMG broke Ninja and Drake’s record for most concurrent viewers during a Fortnite stream. With 1.1 million people tuning in, he also set the record for most concurrent viewers on a YouTube Gaming live stream. But Gunderson isn’t a one-trick pony. The 28-year-old Spanish star also sprinkles in the occasional interview and Chatroulette adventure into his feed. He has a very public love for the Pikachu, Pokemon’s featured character, and is also an avid beatboxer.
PEWDIEPIE
We would venture to guess that are you already familiar with Felix Kjellberg, the long-reigning, sometimes problematic, and often controversial Swedish king of YouTube. The 28-year-old has made a lucrative career reviewing memes and making (surprise!) gameplay vlogs. He is essentially the pioneer of the ‘gameplay commentary’ format in many people’s eyes. However, he’s found himself embroiled in controversy on multiple occasions for dropping racial slurs, anti-Semitic videos, sympathizing with Nazis, and a litany of other unsavory statements that some believe reveal what he really thinks about the world.
While many celebrity figures likely wouldn’t be able to survive such public scrutiny, Pewdiepie fans have been loyal to a fault. He has released a number of apology videos that have been met with mixed reviews, as some believe the videos are disingenuous and lackluster in terms of the authenticity of his remorse for his actions. Disney broke off their relationship with him, YouTube canceled one of his series, and Google removed him from its Preferred Premium Ad Tier Status as a result of the controversy surrounding him. Nonetheless, Pewdiepie is still cranking away with his video content and still stands alone as the undisputed baron of YouTube.
DANTDM
Daniel Robert Middleton is an English YouTube gamer that specializes in the RPG game ‘Minecraft’. He is one of the most subscribed channels in the UK. In 2017, DanTDM made the Forbes list for top paid gamers and has earned several Kids Choice Awards for his uplifting content. From letting his subscribers choose his tattoo to mining diamonds in Minecraft, DanTDM is one of the most popular YouTube gamers, and a fun watch for everyone!
SSNIPERWOLF
YouTube gaming sensation SSSniperWolf is one epic chick. At the young age of 24, the rising Internet star, whose real name is Lia, has already amassed nearly four million YouTube subscribers thanks to her seemingly endless gaming videos and love of all-things cosplay.
she first started playing video games when she was just six years old; her father bought her first gaming system, a PlayStation, when she was eight, as an attempt to get her and her brother to stop fighting.
