Top 10 Gamers on YouTube

Throughout the past fifteen years, YouTube strengthened the Esports community by providing influencers with a platform to engage in and promote gaming content. There are hundreds upon thousands of Esports gamers who are currently uploading videos into their channels for their dedicated fanbases. However, ten gamers have managed to truly grasp media attention, resulting in the incredible gain of notoriety.

1.PewDiePie

Credit: youtube.com/PewDiePie

Felix Arvid Ulf Kejllberg, famously known as PewDiePie, currently holds the number one ranking. The well-respected gamer began creating content on December 19, 2006, and the day marked the beginning of one of YouTube’s most essential influencers. He initially had the most subscribed channel on YouTube, until T-Series recently passed him, and bumped down to number two.

Although Felix no longer holds the reigning title of being the “most subscribed,” the event does not diminish his pivotal accomplishments. During the early stages of his channel, Felix was attending Göteborgs Högre Samskola in Sweden. When he graduated from the institution in 2008, he pursued a degree in Industrial Economics and Technology Management at the Chalmers University of Technology. But, Felix soon lost interest in the subject and decided to drop out, so that he could focus his energies on building his YouTube channel.

In terms of content, PewDiePie specializes in playing a variety of Esports games. For instance, he has been building The Minecraft Series, which consists of his reactions to the adventures in the game, along with the individual characters created by him (such as, Jorgen, Sven, Bengt, etc.). Overall, Felix allows his viewers to gain the full sense of his personality by providing his boisterous reactions to his games, revealing his ability to relate to an audience, while being truly authentic.

2.VanossGaming

Credit: youtube.com/vanossgaming

Coming in at number two is Canadian video game commenter, Evan Fong, who is known online as, VanossGaming. Soon after dropping out of college, he created his YouTube gaming channel on September 15, 2011. Evan decided to call himself Vanoss, a variable valve timing system created by the automobile company, BMW because his father used the alias “vanoss62” on PlayStation 3. He has an owl as a logo to represent his brand, and he rarely displays his face on camera, unless it’s for special occasions.

The gamer currently holds the 13th most subscribed and the 32nd most viewed channel on YouTube. Evan’s diligence and intriguing content have led to his incredibly impressive stats, which enables the continuous, fast pace, growth of followers, views, and monetization. In regard to his content, many of his videos consist of he and his friends, also known as the Banana Bus Squad, collectively playing and verbally reacting to Esports games. Some of the members of the squad include H2ODelirious, Ohmwrecker, Miniladd, and many more.

Evan has also developed a variety of series devoted to specific Esports games, one of them being Call of Duty: Black Ops II. To this day, he is respected for his humor and gaming skill level.

3.Markiplier

Credit: youtube.com/markiplier

Then, ranked at number three is Mark Edward Fischbach, known as, Markiplier, online. The American internet sensation has taken YouTube by storm. He created his channel on March 6, 2012, and uploaded his first video less than a month later, on April 4. Mark decided to use a portmanteau when creating his name by combining Mark and multiplier, hence the name Markiplier.

The original intent of the channel was to upload sketch comedy videos, but he decided to create gaming content instead. He is known for collaborating with highly regarded Youtubers, such as the number one ranked gamer, PewDiePie. Mark has received a great deal of recognition for consistently supporting Felix. For instance, in 2018, as PewDiePie was in a race with the channel, T-series, to the spot of the most subscribers on YouTube, Mark then used his platform to push audience members to subscribe to his friend.

Aside from the applaudable efforts towards the support of his co-worker, Mark has gained popularity for the Esports series on his channel. One series titled, Drunk Minecraft, became a fan favorite for his subscribers. The humorous episodes include Mark, and fellow YouTubers, muyskerm and LordMinion777, drunkenly engaging in Minecraft. The series consists of two seasons, and the goal would be to see who could win each game.

Besides gaming, the flexible individual embraced his versatility by pursuing an acting career, starring in the Smosh: The Movie and YouTube Rewind, and working with highly regarded celebrities, such as, Jack Black and Jimmy Kimmel.

4.Ninja

Credit: youtube.com/ninja

The fourth-ranking is Richard Tyler Blevins, who has the online alias, Ninja. The infamous American Youtuber created his channel on November 10, 2011. He has gained a significant number of followers and created a career for himself through streaming and professional gaming.

Richard developed his passion for video games because his father exuded a love for the sport. After he graduated from high school in Chicago, Richard went on to play professional gaming tournaments, and his first competition featured the popular Esport, Halo 3. Richard competed, won, and earned money in these events, while partnering with many teams, such as Cloud9, Renegades, Team Liquids, and the most recent one, known as Luminosity.

Along with the tournaments, he began streaming in 2011 and engaged in games such as H1Z1 and PlayerUnknown’s Battleground. However, Richard really began to grow in popularity once he started streaming the Fortnite Battle Royale Esports event. He even played alongside celebrities, Drake and Travis Scott and during the competition, he donated $2,500 to the Alzheimer’s Association. As a result of his efforts, he currently has the most subscribed channel in the Fortnite community on YouTube and is the most followed user on Twitch.

5.Jacksepticeye

Credit: youtube.com/jacksepticeye

Ranked at number five is Sean William McLoughlin, also known as, Jacksepticeye. The Irish YouTuber has the 83rd most subscribed channel on YouTube and the highest amount of subscribers in Ireland. His alias name is derived from childhood. In Ireland, a common nickname for Sean is Jack. And when he received an injury to his eye, his classmates began calling him “Jack Septic Eye,” which further explains the name he has given himself.

He created his YouTube account on February 24, 2007, but began uploading his own content on November 12, 2012. Sean created a series based on the Esport games he played, specifically in the adventure genre. Some of his favorites include Grand Theft Auto V, Happy Wheels, and Skate 3.

Sean has a variety of playlists, one of them is dedicated to Minecraft content and another one is for Portal Co-Op II in which he partners up with his friend, Gabi. He is also another gamer that has close relations with Felix. In January 2016, he signed under the PewDiePie company known as Revelmode. And he was supposed to star as an antagonist on the YouTube series titled, “Scare PewDiePie.”

6.DanTDM

Credit: youtube.com/dantdm

Followed by Sean is ranking number seven, Daniel Robert Middleton, who has the alias DanTDM. The English Youtuber created his channel on July 14, 2012, Daniel is well known for his Minecraft content, and for his separate account, DanTDM Live, where he uploads Twitch live streams.

He has earned several Kids Choice Awards, and the Guinness world record for his dedication to the Esport game, Minecraft. Daniel spent 2016 through 2019 going on tours for his brand where he traveled to the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, providing his audience with a scripted Minecraft and Roblox story. Besides Minecraft, he has played a variety of games, such as Mario Odyssey which gained about 100,000 views in a little over an hour, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. As a result of his career, he has one of the most subscribed and viewed channels in the United Kingdom.

7.KSI

Credit: youtube.com/ksi

The seventh ranking belongs to, Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji, better known as KSI, which stands for knowledge, strength, and integrity. He is an English YouTuber and his career consists of gaming, filmmaking, acting, rapping, and professional boxing. He officially created his YouTube channel on July 24, 2012, where he uploaded videos of himself engaging in FIFA and Modern Warfare 2, along with sets of vlogs and comedic sketches.

He also has a career in the music industry as a rapper, and one of the works is a diss tracks that addressed the on-going beef with fellow YouTuber, Logan Paul. The two later competed in a boxing match against each other, that not only led to a career in boxing for KSI, but also resulted in a vast amount of views, subscribers, and monetization. The fight also included their brothers, Deji and Jake Paul, as an opening act to get their audience pumped for the main fight. The strides KSI has gone through to build his platform led to him having the second most amount of subscribers on YouTube in the United Kingdom, and he has the most subscribers as a person of color.

8.SSSniperWolf

Credit: youtube.com/sssniperwolf

Then, ranked at number eight is Alia Marie “Lia” Shelesh, better known as SSSniperWolf. She is a British-American Youtuber, who is considered one of the biggest female gamers in history. Her career began on January 19, 2013, when she began to upload content on her gaming channel centered around Call of Duty Black Ops II, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Minecraft.

She also used Twitch for live streams, in order to gain more attention. Her tenacity and originality resulted in receiving a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Gamer on March 23, 2019, due to her massive fanbase and thrilling content. Many channels made bold accusations stating that she did not deserve the award because she persuaded the judges using her sex appeal. However, the rumors did not prevent Alia from continuing to shine in the male-dominated field.

9.W2S

Credit: youtube.com/w2s

Ranked at number nine is Guernsey influencer, Harry Christopher Georges Lewis, known as W2S. His love of gaming developed when he received a Nintendo Gamecube from his parents. He joined YouTube on July 26, 2012, and received recognition due to his passion for FIFA Fut Draft.

Then, At the beginning of 2014, he decided to drop out of high school to solely focus on pursuing a career on YouTube and joined a gaming group known as Sidemen. Harry has received a lot of attention and fame due to his wild, jolting reactions that he records for his footage, and for playing alongside notable YouTubers, such as, KSI. While Harry has received a tremendous amount of success at a young age, he also encounters backlash due to his careless and childish behavior.

10.Syndicate

Credit: youtube.com/thesyndicateproject

Lastly, ranked at number ten is English Youtuber, Thomas George Cassell, who has the alias of Syndicate. He started his YouTube channel on September 3, 2010, and his following base has increased drastically since the date. Thomas initially uploaded videos of himself commenting on Halo and Modern Warfare II.

However, his channel really took off once he started playing Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, and when he started his series, The Minecraft Project. He was also heavily regarded on Twitch and had the most amount of followers on the website for an extended period of time.

All ten of these Youtubers will forever leave an impactful mark on the history of online gaming. They have managed to obtain success while providing their viewers with inspiration and entertainment. And for that, the Esports community commends the influencers. It is enjoyable to play Minecraft or Call of Duty, but it’s also enjoyable to watch and relate to an individual who is engaging in those very same interests.