Our world is starting to lean towards the wall socket; teenagers today are almost always plugged in. Weather it be the computer or your cellphone, you can’t deny that something nearly always has you hooked. Recently, teens and adults alike are turning to one place in particular for all of their internet needs: YouTube.

Unsurprisingly, the number one channels on YouTube are comedy channels, but did you know that 7 out of the top 30 subscribed channels are gaming channels? This may not seem like much, but when comparing them to the amount of actual official music artists which are in the top 30, a mere 6, it gets you wondering. What is it about these gamers that are so popular and crowd pleasing? Well, coming from the fact that I personally watch five of the seven named gamers, along with a few more, I feel confident that I have a decent answer.

1. First of all, these channels are not simply gaming channels. If you’ve ever watched Toby (Tobuscus) or Felix (PewDiePie) play one round of Happy Wheels, there is no possible way you can assert that one watches these for the sake of watching a talented individual get epic in a video game. These channels are comedy channels; they’re different from the rest of the top comedy channels, which are mostly vlogs, but they still count. I don’t think I need to get any further than Pewdie or Tobuscus while making this point.
2. Secondly, most of these channels actually have a history of playing games that no one really has the guts to play. Felix has said straight out that the reason that he started playing horror games is because he felt that first player shooting games were over done and, frankly, boring to watch. He also said that the reason he started uploading his play-throughs of horror games was because he got scared easily: he didn’t want to play it alone either. Cry (ChaoticMonki), who is a gamer that teams with Felix often, has a nearly infamous series playing the game Corpse Party. (Need I explain what it’s about?) Ken (CinnamonToastKen) is also known to dabble in the horror genre. Honestly, this reason meshes with the first one; it’s all about entertainment. And dark humor is the best kind, no? I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch someone get scared out of their pants playing Slenderman or some disturbing indie game? It’s better than playing it, anyway.
3. It’s actually more than this, though. If it were just a humor channel, I would probably get tired of PewDiePie very quickly, but seeing Felix, a Swedish twenty-three year old graduate making a living by doing what he loves and being what he loves to be, is breathtaking. Yes, I was at first taken aback by his word choice and peculiar sense of humor (to say the least) but he’s grown on me. Particularly, his appreciation for his fans has grown on me. Honestly, I love his horror games and hilarious jump scares, but his segment “Fridays with PewDiePie” are my personal joys at the end of each week. I get to see him not as a gamer or a comedian, but a real person who just enjoys life the best he can.
4. Probably the greatest factor that attracts thousands of people to these channels, however, is the magnetism of technology. Watching (supposedly) full grown men living off of the internet by posting gaming videos and sitting in their bedroom all day is a dream come true for many gamers. And if these guys can do it, why can’t everyone? These gamers are romanticizing what technology can do for us, what we can do with the least amount of “work”, as many people would categorize playing video games as “play”. And everyone loves to be romantic about life.

Don’t get me wrong, video gaming is a lot of work once you insert the hours of planning, editing, recording, and the occasional advertising into the mix, not to mention remembering to have a real life. But when we get to the point, gaming for a living definitely has its perks. You’ve got a job of playing and making people happy and you get to make your own hours; not to mention the chances of you getting internet fame are off the charts. (Sarcasm is fun.)

Personally, I wouldn’t want to be a gamer as a living. It seems like a lot of responsibility. There’s also not really a way to learn it, just like how you can’t take classes on how to be funny or charming. It has to be common nature that puts you on the map; there needs to be constant creativity, a healthy amount of change and static videos, and a self supplying source of energy and motivation. There also has to be a self drawn schedule that is followed religiously. I can do none of the above, much less take it to the world stage for everyone to hate on in the comments. I actually doubt many teens or young adults would be able to do it. So don’t even think about staying home from school to work on your oh so promising career in online gaming.