DanTDM, ICanCupquake and Markiplier. Photos / Instagram
DanTDM, ICanCupquake and Markiplier. Photos / Instagram
Recently there has been a lot of controversy surrounding gaming personalities on YouTube.
This has made it hard to know who you should be watching and which videos are suitable for what audience.
So, to save you the effort of sifting through countless hours of YouTube videos, we've therefore put together a simple guide on some of our favourite gaming YouTubers.
Hopefully, this will speed up the process of finding a channel that's right for you, as well as give you an insight into what's available for different age groups and interests.
Created by Danny O'Dwyer, a former video producer at Gamespot, NoClip make crowdfunded video game documentaries. Recent highlights include their look at the making of Doom 2016, as well as their series on the failure of Final Fantasy XIV and its rebirth as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Boasting interviews with big names in the gaming industry and high production values, NoClip is a must-watch for video game fans.
Recommended Viewing Age: All Ages
GameMaker's Toolkit
Mark Brown is another video game journalist turned YouTuber, having previously contributed to news outlets like Eurogamer, Wired, and Edge. His channel GameMaker's Toolkit is an intelligent look into the design philosophy behind popular games, scrutinizing everything from The Legend of Zelda series to Half Life 2. Love taking a closer look at why games are made the way they are? Then GameMaker's Toolkit is the channel for you. It contains some of the most incisive video game commentary to be found on YouTube, so make sure you don't miss out.
Cool Ghosts consists of Matt Lees and Quintin Smith. They make a bunch of gaming related content for their channel, including let's plays, contemporary reviews, and the award-winning Daft Souls Podcast. It's their ridiculous sense of humour, their creativity, and their ability to communicate their ideas in fun and accessible manner that makes them so engaging to watch. Not only will you learn new insights into your favourite games, you'll also be stitches at their video game parodies and other antics.
Recommended Viewing Age: Adults/Late Teens
Pushing Up Roses
Pushing Up Roses is a YouTuber who provides video commentary over retro games. In addition to this, she also produces insightful video essays on a variety of gaming topics, such as why video game sounds make us wax nostalgic and whether "Moon Logic" killed adventure games. Her main focus tends to be DOS-era games, so if you have any interest in cheesy FMV titles or early Sierra releases, she's definitely the person to subscribe to. She's hilarious and extremely knowledgeable on all the games she covers.
Recommended Viewing Age: Adults/Late Teens
Game Grumps
The Game Grumps are comprised of comedian Daniel Avidan and gaming personality and animator Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson. They're one of the most successful let's play duos on YouTube, having amassed over 4 million subscribers on their main channel. They upload at least two videos every day, with additional formats including Game Grump VS, Game Grumps Animated, and Grumpcade. The humour is often on the cruder side, but their comedic timing and chemistry ensures you'll never be short on laughs.
Recommended Viewing Age: Adults
Markiplier
It'd be easy to dismiss Markiplier as just another shouty video game let's player, but that would be a tad bit unfair. His videos also demonstrate a tremendous warmth and wit, which is why so many find themselves flocking back to his channel on a daily basis. The types of games he covers are mostly horror titles, but he also sometimes takes time out to play video game oddities and strange steam releases, on occasion. Loud and charismatic - his channel is well worth subscribing to. Just pack some headphones if you're watching him in public.
Recommended Viewing Age: Late Teens
JackSepticEye
JackSepticEye, like Markiplier, is a YouTuber that's incredibly popular with teens. He's an Irish let's player who started his channel way back in 2007, though he only really started uploading videos around 2012. He's well known for his hyperactive personality and his exaggerated responses. It's this online persona that has garnered him millions of views and an extremely loyal fanbase. Among the most notable series he's produced are let's plays of Slime Rancher, GTA V, and Surgeon Simulator. These provide excellent entry points, if you're struggling to know where to begin.
Yogscast Hannah is a British let's player who makes an effort to cover all of the year's biggest gaming releases, as well spotlight smaller independent titles. She's been making videos on YouTube ever since 2011, and has established an impressive following in that time. Good reasons to subscribe to her include her down-to- earth reactions, her wonderful community, and her passion for gaming that's on display in every video.
Recommended Viewing Age: Late Teens
IHasCupquake
One of the most successful female let's players, IHasCupquake has established herself for the diversity of the content she uploads and her endearing personality. On her channel, she's covers everything from horror titles, to Roblox, to first-person narrative games. In other words, there's something for everyone, so don't miss out. She has a huge library of pre-existing videos for newcomers to discover.
Recommended Viewing Age: Early Teens/Late Teens
The Completionist
Are you a completionist when it comes to playing games? Well you're not alone. Professional gamer Jirard Khalil has made a name for himself online for his penchant for completing games to an 100% rating. So far, he's completed in excess of 221 games on his channel, with every review detailing the number of hours that went into the task and the amount of collectible available in- game. Khalil's videos are charming and surprisingly cathartic for fellow completionists. So if that's you, what are you waiting for? Go and subscribe.
Peanut Butter Gamer, real name Austin Hargrave, is a YouTuber who's perhaps best known for starting Zelda month on YouTube, an annual celebration that takes place in November to commemorate The Legend of Zelda series. His channel is perfect for younger teens. It's entertaining, playful, and it doesn't really rely on swearing or crude humour to get cheap laughs from the audience. A good starting point for people new to his videos are his Zelda top tens. They're a great indication of his style and personality.
Recommended Viewing Age: Early Teens
Mischa Crossing
One of the smallest YouTubers on this list, with only 21,000 subs, Mischa Crossing is a North American let's player who mostly covers Nintendo titles and lifestyle sims. Some of her best work comes in the form of her Animal Crossing content, where she visits her viewers' dream towns, and her Breath of the Wild let's play. It's likely you may not have heard of her over some of the bigger names on this list, but she's just as entertaining. So go check her channel out!
Recommended Viewing Age: Early Teens
LDShadowLady
LDShadowLady, also known as Lizzie D, is a YouTube gamer who started making videos back in 2010. Since then, she's amassed an impressive 2 million subscribers by featuring a range of games on her channel, like Minecraft, The Sims 4, and Call of Duty, to name but a few. Bright and cheerful - her videos will never fail to put you in a good mood.
Cobanermani456 is one of the best YouTubers to watch for Sonic-related content. He's played through every one of the major Sonic games on his channel, and posts his thoughts online whenever new Sonic news gets announced. If there's one YouTuber that you can trust completely regarding Sega's little blue mascot, it's him. His videos demonstrate an intimate knowledge of the franchise, its history, and fanbase.
Recommended Viewing Age: Early Teens
DanTDM
DanTDM is a phenomenally successful British let's player who makes videos aimed towards a teenage audience. On his channel, he's done playthroughs of games like Five Nights at Freddy's, Roblox, and Happy Wheels, but he's most famous for his extensive coverage of Minecraft. In fact, he currently holds the Guinness World record for most views on a dedicated Minecraft channel. This just goes to show how much his videos resonate with younger viewers.
Recommended Viewing Age: Early Teens
stampylonghead
Joseph Garrett, a.k.a Mr Stampy Cat, is arguably the most well-known let's player for young children. His Minecraft videos regularly generate millions of views, in part due to his energetic performances and the adventurous scenarios he finds himself in. If you're seeking out a good introductory channel for a young Minecraft obsessed child, you needn't look much further than StampyLonghead. His videos are specifically tailored for a younger audience, meaning there's no cursing or obscene humour to avoid.
Another let's player for a younger audience, AmyLee33 features games like Roblox, Minecraft, and The Sims 4 extensively on her channel. Her videos are always bursting with positivity and she's never out of fun challenges or adventure maps for viewers to try at home. Looking for something to inspire the little ones and keep them entertained? Her channel does all of this expertly.
Recommended Viewing Age: Young Children
StacyPlays
StacyPlays is an American YouTuber, popular for her Modded Minecraft series. On her channel, you can find a bunch of playthroughs, mostly animal themed, as well as cool educational videos like Minecraft in Real Life where she takes the audience on a virtual field trip to learn more about the game's biomes and mining in general. Though her channel is tailored more towards a younger audience, her videos are anything but patronising, combining fun gameplay with learning more about the world.
Recommended Viewing Age: Young Children
Paul Soares Jr.
Paul Soares Jr. is a father, husband, and business owner who makes video game let's plays in his spare time. He started making Minecraft videos back in 2010, but has since moved on to include other playthroughs of games like The Long Dark, Ark: Survival Evolved, and The Escapists 2. His videos pack enough intrigue for parents as well as children, so they're perfect for sitting down and watching together as a family at the end of a long day.
IBallistic Squid is popular on both sides of the Atlantic for his Minecraft let's plays, including his Bed Wars challenge map and Crazy Craft series. Minecraft isn't all he has to offer though. He's also done let's play on Ark: Survival Evolved and Scrap Mechanic. So expect dinosaurs, silly challenges, and block-based shenanigans.
